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T uesday, J U N E 2 9 , 2 0 1 0
Speaker of the House steps down
Collecting History
Milliken not running for re-election By Katherine Fernandez-Blance Assistant News Editor Peter Milliken, Artsci ’68, Speaker of the House of Commons and Kingston and the Islands Member of Parliament for the Liberals, announced on June 26th that he will not be seeking re-election in the next federal election. The announcement was made after his annual summer barbeque for his supporters in an unprecedented press conference at his home just outside Kingston. Milliken is the longest-serving Speaker in Canada’s history, having been elected the 34th Speaker in January of 2001 and subsequently being re-elected three times and acclaiming the position once. He is also the longest-serving Member of Parliament in Kingston’s history. He has served Kingston and the Islands as an MP for more than 22 years. Milliken thanked his supporters for their help over the years, stating that he was privileged and honoured to serve in his position as Member of Parliament to the Kingston and the Islands community. “I’m not resigning, I will serve until the end of term and I am happy to continue so as an MP and as the Speaker,” Milliken said. Milliken mentioned the demanding hours of work as the most challenging reality of his job. “I’m tired of the position’s constant demand of time. Getting a day off has always been relatively difficult,” Milliken said, adding that breaking tie votes and finding support in minority Parliaments are two of the hardest but most interesting aspects of his position as Speaker. “To the next Speaker of the House, have a good time! To the next MP of Kingston, you have to
INDEX
Volume 138, Issue 2 www.queensjournal.ca News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Editorials . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Postscript . . . . . . . . . . 16
Op-Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 A&E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
learn to work with, and deal with everybody. It’s been a pleasure and an honour for me to be able to do so,” Milliken said. Once his term ends, Milliken said that he is looking forward to sitting on more volunteer boards and getting more involved with community activities. He also plans to increase his involvement with Queen’s, which he has been actively supporting since he graduated in 1968. Milliken’s involvement in the Queen’s community has been especially important to Queen’s Model Parliament (QMP). He has helped QMP transition smoothly to the House of Commons every January since the early 1990s. Milliken’s retirement coincides Please see Local on page 6
Photo by Christine Blais
Associate University Librarian Barbara Teatero shows pieces from the personal collection of Robertson Davies.
Canadian classics come to Queen’s Famed author Robertson Davies’ collection set to be displayed in library By Labiba Haque Assistant News Editor Queen’s library has expanded its specialty holdings by acquiring the personal collection of Canadian writer, critic and journalist, the late Robertson Davies. Davies, an Ontario native, studied at Queen’s University in Honours English as a special student because he failed the math portion of the entrance exam. While at Queen’s he was an active writer for the Queen’s Journal where he authored a column called “The Book Shelf.” He wrote a number of Canadian classics, including the renowned Salterton Trilogy based in a university town inspired by Kingston. “I first heard of Kingston as a child reading Leaven of Malice,” Principal Daniel Woolf told the Journal via e-mail, referring to the second book in the Trilogy. “I’m thrilled Robertson Davies’ library is coming home to the place he called Waverly University.” Associate University Librarian Barbara Teatero said the collection
includes books that Davies himself had written, as well as books that he collected over time. “Many of the books are annotated in his own hand and a number are presentation copies to Davies from notable authors,” Teatero said, adding that many of the items Davies acquired were from his stays in Britain. She said the collection will appeal to graduate and undergraduate students, as well as researchers. “I have had the pleasure of showing some items from the gift portion of the collection to several faculty members in the English department who are very excited about the collection and say that it will be a tremendous resource for their students,” she said. The collection is relevant to so many different people because it is so broad. It includes books on theater, history, plays, music, literature, criticism and drama. The collection is not limited to books either, Teatero said. There are programs and posters, as well as other pieces that either stand alone or complement the collection. Teatero said the collection
became available a year ago when antiquarian and Davies’ personal friend Hugh Anson-Cartwright contacted Jane Philips, the collection development co-coordinator. Teatero said Anson-Cartwright had sold Davies many of the books in his collection over the years and felt it important to keep the
collection together rather than selling the pieces individually. “Mr. Anson-Cartwright knew that Queen’s has a strong Canadiana collection and contacted us to see if we would be interested in acquiring Davies’ library” she said, adding that the next step was to receive a Please see Collection on page 6
Martin receives honorary degree
Tradition criticized as publicity ploy By Jake Edmiston Features Editor Many academics worry the tradition of awarding honorary degrees has become warped in recent years. But according to administration, Queen’s has safe guards to maintain the tradition’s credibility. The university handed out ten honorary doctorates during last month’s convocation ceremonies. The Right Honourable Paul Martin
was among the recipients. The tradition sparks debate over the purpose and currency of the doctorates. In an article titled Bogus Degree Alert, Dr. Ric Walston, President of the Columbia Evangelical seminary, said he’s concerned that honorary degrees are often misconstrued as legitimate qualifications for jobs. Walston claimed an honorary degree is different from an earned Please see Queen’s on page 3