An icon among the ranks of the Conservative Party of Canada, Hugh Segal passed away at 72 on Wednesday.
Segal was originally from Montreal, but spent many of his years living in Kingston.
Kingston author Arthur Milnes was a longtime friend of Segal’s.
“Our city, our province, our country is so much poorer today,” said Milnes.
Milnes says Segal was a man who cared deeply about making Canada a better place.
“He put Canada first, always,” said Milnes. “He also had incredible political skill. Party leaders that didn’t listen to him did so at their own peril.”
An outpouring of condolences came in for Segal on Thursday, including posts from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former prime minister Stephen Harper.
It is former prime minister Brian Mulroney that probably knew Segal best. Segal was Mulroney’s chief of staff in 1992 and 1993.
“All that was accomplished in my time, from free trade, NAFTA, the GST, to the defence of Nelson Mandela, all of those things and many more were part of Hugh’s legacy,” Mulroney told Global News.
Many of Segal’s friends and former colleagues say his independence was an example to be followed.
Queen’s University’s School of Policy Studies Director Warren Mabee says Segal didn’t play partisan politics, and was unafraid to speak out against his own party if he felt it was necessary.
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“He showed me how important it is to rise above those partisan politics, to really start to deal with some the challenges that Canada’s facing,” said Mabee.
Segal was appointed to the Canadian Senate in 2005 by then-prime minister Paul Martin.
He was also a newspaper columnist and the author of two books.
“I will remember Hugh by his writing. That’s where, I believe, his legacy lies,” said Queen’s University policy studies professor Kathy Brock.
“Hugh liked to take his knowledge that he had gained in life and put it into writing, so that generations to come could benefit from it.”
Segal spent more than five decades in public service as a chief of staff, senator and as a person of tremendous influence in the Conservative party.
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