Good afternoon to the family and friends of former member of provincial Parliament Barbara Ann Pickard Sullivan. Today, we have the privilege of the presence of some of Barbara’s loved ones, as she had many: Mr. Jordan G. Sullivan, Barbara’s husband; her daughters, Michele Thompson, Sandra Sullivan and Elspeth Gibson; her son, Jordan D. Sullivan; her daughter-in-law, Alex Sullivan; her granddaughter Annie Keeley; and her dear friend Vivienne Jones.

Barbara’s family and friends are also joined by Mr. David Warner, who presided as the Speaker of the Legislature during the 35th Parliament.

I welcome you all on behalf of the Ontario NDP official opposition. We thank you deeply for sharing your beloved Barbara with the hard-working people of Halton Centre and Ontario.

Barbara was born on January 24, 1943, in Calgary, Alberta. Her family soon moved to Oakville.

She graduated from Carleton University school of journalism in 1964, and before politics, she worked as a journalist and later as a public affairs consultant at the Toronto Telegram, if I’m not mistaken.

Barbara came to Queen’s Park having defeated her PC opponent in Halton Centre by a whopping 6,000 votes amid a landslide Liberal majority at the provincial level. She served as a Liberal MPP in the 34th Parliament and in the 35th Parliament under Premier David Peterson and Premier Bob Rae, respectively. She valiantly represented her community and earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues across party lines.

Frankly, there isn’t enough time today to highlight all of the leadership roles Barbara excelled in, spanning across her terms in 1987 to 1995, but here are just a few:

She served as Chair of a Select Committee on Energy, as deputy whip, as her party’s environment critic and health critic, as the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour and to the women’s issues minister, as the commissioner of the Board of Internal Economy. And that’s when she wasn’t flying out of Queen’s Park in her “little red power suit,” as her daughter recalled, saving the day for her dad, a farmer who had taken ill. Barbara flew out of Queen’s Park in style to replace him, exhibiting sheep at the royal winter fair, and as Barbara did, she won. Barbara’s daughter Sandra called her mother, yes, a “five-foot ball of energy.”

Outside of Queen’s Park, Barbara loved cooking, sewing and gardening. She created dollhouses that her daughter said could be displayed in any museum, and apparently she loved world travel.

Former Liberal Premier David Peterson said, “She was plugged in and a dynamo of fire. There were just sparks that came off of her. She had so much energy!”

Barbara, I hear, had an incredible laugh, was confident, and had a collaborative leadership style—and a leader she was, having managed many political campaigns before becoming an MPP herself. She managed the campaigns of former Liberal leader Dr. Stuart Smith and Art Eggleton’s successful runs for Toronto mayor in 1980 and 1982. She was also the campaign manager for Jean Chrétien’s federal Liberal leadership campaign. Back in 1987, Robert Nixon was quoted as calling Barbara the “best campaign manager he knew.”

Barbara had influence, but her friends often described her as unassuming and maternal, finding time during her hectic Queen’s Park schedule to drive to Oakville to prepare lunch for her then youngest children, Elspeth and Jordan.

Even after politics, Barbara remained devoted to her community. She served as chair of the Hamilton Health Sciences board from 2006-09. Her intent to support seniors led her to the position of vice-chair of the board of directors of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority during the years 2013 to 2020.

She was a patron of the Sheridan College musical theatre program, the Ontario Historical Society, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and also served as a board member of the Big Sisters Association of Metropolitan Toronto, Huntley Youth Services, Mohawk College, Bird Studies Canada, chair of Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts and commissioner and acting chair of the Commission on Election Finances in Ontario.

Barbara took life by the horns but also knew that life would have its bumps. To quote Barbara during her first campaign, she said, “I’m an ad hoc person. What comes, does, and what doesn’t does not. There will always be a challenge for me.”

Barbara Sullivan’s sun set on her 78th birthday, on January 24, 2021, in Hamilton, Ontario. Those who respected her and admired her tenacity as a politician, a community leader, will remember her as “the cream that rose to the top.”

To Barbara’s family and friends here today, thank you again for sharing her with Ontario.

To her dearest grandchildren, hold on tight to those musical birthday cards she often gave you. May her words and your memories of her live on forever.