Family and friends gathered to honour the late Winnipeg Liberal MP Jim Carr at his memorial, held in the same concert hall where he once played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO).
Carr, who died on Dec. 12 at the age of 71, represented the federal riding of Winnipeg South Centre since 2015.
He had been fighting multiple myeloma that also affected his kidneys, according to a statement released by his family.
Carr was formerly the minister of natural resources and minister of international trade diversification between 2015 and 2019. In 2021, he served as the special representative for the Prairies in Trudeau’s government.
He was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019 — only days after he was re-elected.
Every part of his memorial was chosen by him, which he did after his terminal cancer diagnosis.
“He fought hard. He knew his time was short. But then he also had time to plan his own funeral. So the music that we will hear today, our musical selections chosen by Jim,” said Rabbi Matthew Leibl.
“Jim’s fingerprints are all over this service. Again, a life that touched so many other lives.”
His son Ben gave a eulogy at the memorial in which he remembered his father as someone who he says was “larger than life.”
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“My father loved me and my sisters, Rachel and Becky. We have always known that each of us shared our own unique bonds with him, rooted in a mutual love of sport, food, travel, music with one another.”
And just days before he passed, Carr’s private member’s bill “building a green prairie economy” was passed through the chamber.
“He was working to the end. Jim Carr understood the bigness of this country. He understood how big it is and how sometimes we have to make compromises, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t principled,” said Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s minister of labour.
Parliament member Kevin Lamoureux cited on Tuesday Carr’s final speech in the House last week when his private member’s bill passed through that chamber.
In it, Lamoureux quoted Carr as saying that he loves Canada, “every square metre” of it, and thanked the people of his riding “without whose confidence this (bill) would never have been possible.”
“He has served as an inspiration to me personally, and I genuinely believe that no matter where Jim has gone through his life, he has left a large footprint. He’s got a deep amount of respect in all corners.”
Carr is also being praised for the valuable work he did with underrepresented groups in the community.
“I know that we always had his support. His unwavering support for First Nations and trying to change this country, he is going to be missed. He was such a progressive thinker and dear friend,” said Cindy Woodhouse, Manitoba Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief.
“That’s Jim’s spirit right there. Bringing people together, a fierce Canadian, a proud Westerner, a loyal Winnipegger and someone who was always teaching the next generation how to be good at what they do,” said Randy Boissonnault, minister of tourism and associate minister of finance.
However, Carr was more than just his job — he had many hobbies, including performing as a professional oboe player for the WSO.
“Music was a passion he carried with him until the end, as the sounds of Beethoven and other greats played in his ears over his last few days. It was exactly what he wanted,” said Ben.
His memorial service concluded with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handing Carr’s family the Canadian flag that flew on the peace tower the day he passed, along with a copy of his very last bill.
With files from Global News’ Teagan Rasche, Aaron D’Andrea, and Heidi Lee
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