On November 18, 1993, the Honourable Elinor Caplan, who was then the Member of Provincial Parliament for Oriole, rose in this very chamber to speak in support of 10 statutory holidays in Ontario. In her remarks, she quoted a report which recommended that one day in February should be set aside every year to become known as Family Day. Fourteen years later, her son, a minister in the cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty, would sit in this very same Legislature and help to pass the legislation which would make that Family Day in February a reality. It couldn’t be a more fitting metaphor for what he, his mother and all of his relatives stood for: family.

On Family Day of this year, I was overwhelmed by an outpouring of support from friends, relatives and colleagues about the remarkable man who David Richard Caplan was. David Caplan served as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Oriole and later Don Valley East between 1997 and 2011. During this time, he distinguished himself as a singularly competent politician who was entirely devoted to his riding and this province. Of his constituency office, for example, it has been noted that it was perennially busy and that David took particular pride in ensuring that the people in his riding had their issues addressed quickly and completely.

Multiple people, including John Sewell, Martin Regg Cohn, Andy Stein and Michael Coteau—the MPP who would follow him in Don Valley East—have told me that one of David’s greatest qualities was his ability and desire to connect with people who had diverse perspectives. “It would be a pretty boring place if everyone believed the same thing that I do,” David used to say.

Perhaps it is because of this humility and devotion to service that David was assigned some of the most challenging positions in the cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty. He was chosen as the inaugural minister in the newly formed Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal, tasked with a multi-billion dollar budget to rebuild Ontario’s crumbling roads, hospitals, courts and other essential infrastructure. In this capacity, he was innovative and audacious. For example, he envisioned a plan to stop suburban sprawl and protect green spaces and farmland while promoting economic growth and housing, a plan so bold that it would require cajoling developers, municipalities, environmentalists and even the late Hazel McCallion to all take important steps that would make this possible.

This award-winning plan, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, was enacted in 2006 and worked hand in hand with forming and preserving our province’s greenbelt. He also developed ReNew Ontario, a $30-billion plan for critical public infrastructure development that would be the first long-term capital-investment plan in this province’s entire history.

How could one man so quickly make such an impact? Premier Dalton McGuinty wrote to me and helped me understand: “David was one of the most naturally gifted politicians with whom I’ve ever had the honour to work. He had exceptional political instincts which served him well on the hustings, in the House and at the cabinet table. David loved the game. He was all in, but it was much more than just a game for him. David Caplan was determined to make a difference. Lucky for Ontario, he left his permanent mark on our province.”

But in all of this, it would be a disservice to speak only to David’s political accomplishments. Indeed, his greatest source of pride was his family and, if I am to be precise, his boys in particular. Speaking with those who know him, it is clear just how much he had to be proud of. His mother is, as you heard, none other than the Honourable Elinor Caplan, a distinguished MPP, MP and federal cabinet minister. She joins us today.

Theirs was a political family in which David had the honour of serving in the same riding that his mother had represented. In his campaigns, she drove the sign truck. His father was the CFO, and the boys, Jacob and Ben Caplan, were never left behind.

Jacob and Ben’s father was the kind of man who would step out of a speaking engagement to take their phone calls, even as minister; who would take the time out of his busy schedule to travel all the way to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, to support Ben at the national Special Olympics floor hockey tournament—and then, mind you, volunteer to be a commentator and impress everyone by his mastery of the names and numbers.

As favourite moments, Jacob recalls a daily ritual of bacon and eggs for breakfast presented by his father and nights at the family cottage staring at stars with telescopes. Ben recalls a trip to Cleveland to visit the football and rock and roll halls of fame.

His wife, Leigh, who he knew since they first crossed paths in grade 13, shared with me that he always made time to phone everyone in his family, many times on a near-daily basis.

Family was also a vehicle for him to indulge in some of his personal passions. David loved games, especially strategy games. Few people will know that he was a world-class bridge player who loved to play with his beloved brother Mark.

Additionally, he loved food—all kinds, but Chinese in particular—so much so that, to this day, his international family continues to commemorate his life annually on his birthday with a celebration called “dine with Dave,” in which they enjoy some of his favourite foods, no matter where they are in the world, and share photos with each other. That’s what family meant to him.

When I spoke to the interim Liberal leader, John Fraser, about David, he gave me a perspective that really speaks to why we are all here today. He said, “I simply would like to thank David’s family for sharing him with us. Warm, funny and authentic, he was steadfastly dedicated to serving his community and our province.”

And that’s why we are all here today—friends, family, colleagues and that grateful province—to honour a man who was kind, compassionate, hard-working and selfless in his pursuit of a better government and a better Ontario. We mourn and remember him today. Thank you.

Applause.