Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow I announce that Urjo Kareda, one of the world's greatest artistic directors, passed away in Toronto on December 26, 2001.
Like so many people who immigrated to Canada, Urjo was extremely proud of his adopted country. He was also a champion of Canadian artists. In the seventies, as a theatre critic for The Toronto Star , his enthusiasm for Canadian plays and artists was critical in the development of the theatre.
In 1975 he joined the Stratford Festival as literary manager and he will be remembered for his weekly diary of the arts on CBC Radio in the eighties. But it was as artistic director of the Tarragon Theatre that he found his true calling. During his 20 years at the Tarragon he established the theatre as the leading producer of Canadian plays.
Urjo Kareda was an example of all the best in an artist; he lived his life creatively and he will be greatly missed.