oversaw the abolition of Canada’s death penalty, passed away Wednesday at the age of 84.
In March he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
A native Montrealer, Allmand retired from federal politics after three decades before returning to public life as a councillor at Montreal city hall.
Allmand grew up during the Great Depression, an experience that saw him develop a sense of social justice early in life, a sense that would more than once compel him to buck the party line in Ottawa and at city hall.
In an interview with the Gazette in 2009, Allmand, who was preparing once again to leave politics, assessed his years in Ottawa and at Montreal city hall.
“Sometimes you hear people saying, ‘Aw, what’s the use of getting involved in politics? You can’t get anything done. I can say that in my 40 years, a lot got done. I’ve got a long list somewhere, but just for example, when I started out there was no Medicare, no Canada Pension Plan. To get a divorce, you had to get a bill passed in the Senate, hanging was still on the books, you couldn’t buy contraceptives over the counter. Gays faced criminal charges for consensual acts. I could go on and on. Sure, there’s been backsliding now and then, but on the whole we’re pretty far ahead.”
Obituary: Longtime Liberal MP Warren Allmand has died | Montreal Gazette
In March he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
A native Montrealer, Allmand retired from federal politics after three decades before returning to public life as a councillor at Montreal city hall.
Allmand grew up during the Great Depression, an experience that saw him develop a sense of social justice early in life, a sense that would more than once compel him to buck the party line in Ottawa and at city hall.
In an interview with the Gazette in 2009, Allmand, who was preparing once again to leave politics, assessed his years in Ottawa and at Montreal city hall.
“Sometimes you hear people saying, ‘Aw, what’s the use of getting involved in politics? You can’t get anything done. I can say that in my 40 years, a lot got done. I’ve got a long list somewhere, but just for example, when I started out there was no Medicare, no Canada Pension Plan. To get a divorce, you had to get a bill passed in the Senate, hanging was still on the books, you couldn’t buy contraceptives over the counter. Gays faced criminal charges for consensual acts. I could go on and on. Sure, there’s been backsliding now and then, but on the whole we’re pretty far ahead.”
Obituary: Longtime Liberal MP Warren Allmand has died | Montreal Gazette