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PERRAULT P.C. Hon. Raymond Beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully on November 24th, 2008 in North Vancouver. He is predeceased by his father, Ernest Alphonse Perreault, his mother, Floss, (nee Rieble), and his sister, Marjorie Lindsay. He will be remembered lovingly by his wife Barbara, brothers, Ernie and Gordon, children, Yvonne, Mark and Robert as well as by many nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws. A passionate Canadian and British Columbian, Ray was very proud of his French Canadian and German roots. He lived life to the fullest and enjoyed many hobbies and interests. He was born in Vancouver on February 6, 1926. Ray's interest in politics was ignited by his grandfather, George Rieble who took him to hear Mackenzie King speak in Vancouver. Ray was an active member in the local Catholic Youth Organization. Pope Pius Xll awarded him the Benemerenti medal for his work as a Catholic layman. Ray graduated from UBC with a degree in political science and economics. A big fan of radio he was one of the founding members of UBC's Radio Society. Upon graduation, he worked as a sports reporter for CJOR and also wrote and produced advertising copy for radio. Through his activities as a Young Liberal, he met his mentor, Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, who encouraged him to seek entry into public office. In 1959 he was elected leader of the Liberal Party of BC. He was elected to the BC Legislature in 1960, '63 & `66. In 1968 he resigned to contest the federal constituency of Burnaby-Seymour and defeated Tommy Douglas. As an M.P. he was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour in 1970 and as Parliamentary Secretary of Manpower and Immigration in 1971. Ray was involved in several international missions notably: Canada's first mission to the People's Republic of China in 1969. He also served as Canada's representative on the Special Political Committee of the United Nations. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed him to the Senate in 1973 and to the Federal Cabinet in 1974, where he served as Leader of the Government in the Senate 1974-1979 & 1980-1982 and as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate 1979-1980. He was Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport from 1982 - 1983 and in that capacity did much of the preliminary federal work for the Calgary Olympics. He sat on many committees and participated in many international Canadian delegations throughout his career. Ray was instrumental in securing funding for Vancouver's Skytrain. He also worked on BCIT, Expo and the convention centre at Pier B. Ray was active in many community organizations including the Canadian Club, the Council of Christians and Jews and the Newman Club at UBC. He was a director of the Terry Fox Foundation, Citizen's Trust and the Vancouver Canucks. He was Honourable Chairman of the Vancouver Canadians Baseball Team. Toward the end of his career, Ray was most proud of his work in securing funding from Veterans Affairs Canada for the establishment of a Life Review Program for WW2 and Korean War veterans to resolve issues of war. The program still exists and helps today's veterans. Ray retired from the Senate in 2001. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which he faced with courage and dignity. He was a profoundly decent and kind man. Deep felt thanks to his barber, John Schleimer, and to all the good people at Lynn Valley Hospital, especially Ewa, Shannon, Billy, Jemena, AJ, Mahindra and Surjeet- you helped make his life comfortable and gave us strength. Sweet sweet Ray, you fought so hard - rest now. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at Holy Rosary Cathedral, 646 Richards Street, Vancouver at 2:30pm on November 29th, 2008 celebrant Father Jim Comey. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Covenant House Vancouver or the Franciscan Sisters of Atonement. Condolences may be left for the family at www.kearneyfs.com . Kearney Funeral Services 604-736-0268
Published in Vancouver Sun and/or The Province from November 26 to November 28, 2008
