Fisher saw politics as worthy calling – Editorial Notebook

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: October 1, 2009

When I arrived on Parliament Hill almost 30 years ago, Doug Fisher already was a legendary veteran – eight years as a CCF/NDP MP, almost two decades a political columnist.

His office was down the hall and one day he lumbered into my office (a huge man he was) to welcome the new kid.

He quickly discovered we shared an abiding interest in politics, a respect for the parliamentary process, a fascination with what happened behind the bombast of Question Period and a love of Canadian history.

Read Also

A variety of Canadian currency bills, ranging from $5 to $50, lay flat on a table with several short stacks of loonies on top of them.

Agriculture needs to prepare for government spending cuts

As government makes necessary cuts to spending, what can be reduced or restructured in the budgets for agriculture?

That was enough for Doug.

He became a friend and mentor but mainly a fine example of a Parliament Hill journalist who cared about what happens in committees and believed most MPs are there because they want to do good.

Fisher died two weeks ago, a day short of his 90th birthday. He truly was the last vestige of the typewriter journalism era, more than 40 years in the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

He stood for a time when journalists considered politics a debate about ideas and not just a horse race, a time when reaction to an event came days later after reasoned consideration rather than within minutes to feed the 24-hour news cycle.

He stood for a time when reporters in Ottawa were expected to understand the subtleties of politics and not just the sound byte bombast.

He was generous with journalists who, like him, considered politics an honourable, fascinating business. He heaped nothing but contempt on those who saw politicians as a sleazy crowd to be exposed.

Fisher first came to Parliament Hill in 1957 as a giant killer, an unknown Thunder Bay teacher who defeated Liberal heavyweight C.D. Howe.

Some of his best stories were about his days as a CCF MP, his belief in Saskatchewan farmer Hazen Argue as a potential NDP leader and his sense of betrayal when Argue defected to the Liberals in 1962.

But mainly what Doug displayed was a passionate view that Parliament Hill journalism should be more about the substance of issues than Question Period outrage.

He used his columns to try to educate readers about the complexities of the place and the worthy work being done.

Of course, he wasn’t without detractors who thought his affinity for politicians, particularly conservative ones, made him too soft on them.

Still, Fisher leaves a legacy other journalists can only envy – a 40-year body of work that helped voters understand better the workings of their political system.

Not too shabby, as Doug would say, for a kid from the bush.

explore

Stories from our other publications