OTTAWA – Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s senior communications aide, Mario Lague, was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident Thursday, sparking a wave of praise for the deceased man’s service to Canada and leaving a huge hole in the leader’s team of political advisers.
Lague was killed on a residential Ottawa street on his way to his Parliament Hill office.
Within hours, he was being remembered as a strong family man, a Quebecer who prized national unity, a communications expert who preferred straight talk over political spin, and a key Liberal who was helping Ignatieff connect with voters ahead of the next election.
Ignatieff, during a stopover in Iqaluit while on his summer-long Liberal Express tour, spoke sadly Thursday of the tragic loss and offered condolences to Lague’s family.
"He was on the Liberal Express with us. He was on the bus Monday night. It’s just a sudden, savage reminder that life can be brutal."
Lague was 52 years old and he leaves a wife and two children.
A popular, jovial figure on Parliament Hill, Lague was a key member of Ignatieff’s team and had played a part in developing the summer bus tour which is designed to bring the leader into the neighbourhoods of Canadians so they can better connect with him.
"We’ll continue," said Ignatieff. "The Express continues, the bus continues, the tour continues, the team continues. But there’s a hole in our hearts."
Liberal MP Ralph Goodale spoke fondly of how he worked with Lague over the years when Lague held three different roles – first, as a senior public servant in the Privy Council Office, as then-prime minister Paul Martin’s director of communications, and in more recent months, as Ignatieff’s senior communications aide.
"He never once used the word spin," Goodale told Postmedia News. "The emphasis was always on the substantive quality of the message. If you’ve got that then you don’t have to worry about spin. That kind of very straight-up direct approach coupled with his sense of humour made him a compelling guy to work with."
Lague was brought into Ignatieff’s office last November by chief of staff Peter Donolo.
Liberals reacted with personal grief to the loss of their friend Thursday, and they also acknowledged it leaves a vacuum in Ignatieff’s senior team.
"He was a substantive, bright senior communicator with just tons of experience both in the public service and on the political side of government," said Goodale. "That’s hard to find and hard to replace. So undoubtedly he is going to be sorely missed."
The loss of Lague comes after the resignation earlier this week of Ignatieff’s principal secretary, Jean-Marc Fournier, who left to join Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s government as its new justice minister.
The traffic accident happened about 7 a.m., according to police, when the driver of a westbound grey SUV, turned left in an intersection and Lague, travelling eastbound on his motorcycle, struck the side of the larger vehicle. Lague suffered head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The male driver of the SUV was taken to hospital and treated for neck and back injuries. Ottawa police said Thursday afternoon that charges are pending.
Throughout Thursday, praise for Lague came from all sides on Parliament Hill.
Ignatieff described him in a written statement as "a man of many talents and accomplishments" and a "beloved member of our staff."
He noted that Lague served under former prime ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin and was also ambassador to Costa Rica during his public service career. His most cherished role was as a husband and father, Ignatieff said, adding that Lague "brought a bright light to everything he did."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper expressed condolences on behalf of the government about the "sudden and tragic" death of Lague.
"Throughout a varied and distinguished career, Mr. Lague served his country with dedication both in Canada and abroad," the prime minister said in a written statement.
NDP Leader Jack Layton said he was "deeply saddened" by the death, describing him as a "man of gentle strength" who brought "integrity to his work."
"Beneath the political fault lines that we find ourselves negotiating each day, there is a foundation of deep respect among those who devote their lives to public service," a statement by Layton read. "No matter what political stripes we may wear, we all feel this loss profoundly."
Martin, the former prime minister, said his sympathies go out to Lague’s wife, Caroline and their two daughters.
"Mario had an enormous enthusiasm for public service and politics that energized his work and all those around him," he said. "Mario loved Canada deeply. He was a passionate and trusted aide. A committed family member."
In an interview with Postmedia News, Martin spoke fondly of how he had spent time at an airport last Sunday chatting with Lague.
"He was so much fun. He had a great love of life. That’s important in politics. You’re living in very close quarters under very strange circumstances. There’s a lot of tension. If you have that enthusiasm and love of life that Mario had, it just made it very worthwhile to be with him."
Lague was a political player whose experience on and off Parliament Hill saw him fill a number of high-level positions. He was a communications aide to Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa before moving to Ottawa and had stints in Venezuela and Mexico as Quebec’s representative. He then was a senior civil servant on Parliament Hill when the Liberals were in power. He was the cabinet’s assistant secretary for communications from 1998 to 2003.
When Martin became prime minister in December 2003, he appointed Lague to be deputy chief of staff and director of communications. Lague served, in part, to strengthen Martin’s links to Quebec.
Scott Reid, another senior adviser to Martin at the time, worked closely with Lague and responded with sadness Thursday to the tragic news.
He described Lague as a "big, generous man" with a hearty laugh who loved politics, government, and his work.
"He was a very skilled communications director and a skilled communicator," Reid said. "But he was more than just a communications guy. He was an extremely valuable adviser on all issues."
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