Louis Leger: Mockler a friend to N.B. and Canada

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At midnight on April 14, the Honourable Percy Mockler (Percy) will have reached the mandatory retirement age of the Senate of Canada.

With five decades in public life, Percy is more respected and appreciated than he was on the first day he entered public life It’s no small feat in this hyper-cynical era.

To say Percy Mockler succeeded in life, doesn’t seem strong enough.

Many will be surprised to learn what brought Percy to public life.

It started in 1970 when he was 21. The government of the day decided to cut his local school which would have been disastrous for his hometown of Saint-Léonard.

That single event shaped his entire life and led him to become the ultimate fighter for his community, his province and his country. The Saint-Léonard school fight lasted two years. Percy grew into the lead organizer and he became the community leader.

He likely did not understand at the time where this fight would lead him. It’s obvious today he had found his calling.

He understood poverty. He understood having nothing material. His mother, Marie, had Percy in 1949. She had to be a fighter as she managed on her own to raise Percy and his sister. With odds stacked against her, she evidently instilled values of compassion, of helping each other, of helping others.

Percy not only finished high school, he became its student president, his first election. He then went on to graduate with a Masters degree in Business Administration from l’Université de Moncton.

While at university, working multiple jobs, he managed to pay for inside plumbing for his mother’s and grandmother’s house.

He never said life was unfair, or was ever heard to say I need this for me. He never acted as if life owed him anything. He worked for everything he has.

His purpose was singular – to fight for his community which meant fighting for people less fortunate and working with people who wanted to make the community better. No issue was too small and no issue was too big. If you needed Percy, you knew he would be there to find a solution. He would never accept no for an answer. He’s relentless.

Incidentally, it was Premier Richard Hatfield he had fought against to save the school, Hatfield was so impressed with Percy he personally recruited him to run as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

In 1982 he ran for election and was elected and re-elected five times.

Under Premier Bernard Lord, he served as solicitor general, minister of transportation, intergovernmental affairs, wellness, sports, housing, and became the very first N.B. minister of immigration and, finally, minister of family and community services which touched him the most.

It’s been said there is no one Percy doesn’t know. If he doesn’t know someone directly, there would be only one degree of separation.

He was recognized and appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the Senate of Canada in 2009.

As a senator for the past 14 years he leveraged that position to help people. How many times have people said “Does he not know he doesn’t need to get elected anymore?” To ask that question meant not understanding his purpose and his upbringing.

He has shown politicians can be respectful while disagreeing. They can fight for their beliefs and their communities while remaining civil.

Percy Mockler has been a very close friend for 40 years and, as such, I have seen him act when no one was watching, discreetly bringing food to a family. I saw him turn around in his car because he noticed a senior in difficulty. I have seen him personally pay to cover someone’s electricity bill so they would not get cut off. I have seen him raise money to help kids in sports, for students, for seniors, for athletes, and help entrepreneurs navigate rough waters.

He has assisted prime ministers and premiers handle difficult situations.

During the Quebec referendum, I saw him organize hundreds of people to travel to Montreal to keep our country together. And with the same drive I saw him organize the collection of thousands of cords of firewood to help people caught in freezing rain disasters.

In every situation there is one constant element – Percy’s compassion. He does not discriminate no matter how dire a person’s situation, or how powerful the person is. He’s the same Percy. And he’s impossible to say no to.

I have also seen how others demonstrated respect for Percy.

Prime Minister Harper was never known to attend Senators’ birthday parties. So imagine the heads turning when there was a surprise lunch in Ottawa. I witnessed when Harper, with every possible excuse in the country not to be there, walked into the room and sang happy birthday to Percy.

There is one accomplishment that stands above everything, It changed thousands of lives.

In 2003, Bernard Lord appointed Percy as minister of community and family services, I remember precisely connecting by cell with Percy, it’s been a ritual for 40 years, almost every week. So I could tell he was off. “So what’s the matter Percy, hard day?” you can tell when it’s serious because his speech slows down and he thinks about his words…”I learned today, that I have around 600 children under my care as minister” he was shaken…likely because he could have easily been himself one of those kids.

The short version, within a few weeks he had mobilized the government and everyone involved in adoption and made it his No. 1 agenda. He convinced Lord to hire and reassigned around 20 additional social workers. A game-changing effort was made to make New Brunswickers aware children were waiting to be adopted. The immediate response was overwhelming, a 400 per cent increase in successful adoptions in the first year.

Percy and his wife, Suzanne, celebrated 52 years of marriage, they have four children, and seven grandchildren. They live in the same town, on the same street, and in the same house, where they raised their family.

Fifty plus years later l’École Grande-Rivière de Saint-Léonard stands as a proud testament to perseverance, it was completely rebuilt into a modern school with a full gymnasium.

As the late Prime Minister Mulroney said “to have a friend you need to be a friend”

Percy is that friend to so many.