Mr. Speaker, when Canadian folk music hero Stan Rogers died in an airplane fire in 1983 it was a loss that devastated family, friends and music fans from coast to coast to coast.
Rogers was son of a steelworker from Hamilton, Ontario, with family roots firmly grounded in Canada's east coast. Stan Rogers loved this country and its people, especially working men and women. He wrote powerful songs about fishermen, farmers and factory workers--everyday Canadian heroes. Songs like Northwest Passage and Barrett's Privateers earned him a place of honour in Canada's musical history.
There is a movement underway to get Stan into the Juno Canadian Hall of Fame. It is hard to imagine how Rogers' enormous contribution to the music and mythology of the country have been overlooked for 20 years.
It is an oversight that Vancouver's Geist magazine wants to fix. Geist has launched a grassroots online petition. They are looking for 10,000 people to sign the petition at www.geist.com. I invite all Canadians to Canso, Nova Scotia, from July 4 to 6 for the annual Stanfest. The federal NDP caucus joins me in supporting this campaign.
“Rise again”, Stan Rogers wrote in the Mary Ellen Carter .
Rise again, rise again, that her name not be lost To the knowledge of men
I say rise again, Stan Rogers.