MENU

 

 

 

 

 

Website created and sponsored by:
CatholicSkyHost.com
a division of Catholic Youth Studio KSM Inc.

Interview with Frank Klees, MPP,
on the reintroduction of his private member's bill
to make April 2nd "John Paul II Day" in Ontario

Transcript by Paul Bulas
December 2007
Fr. Marian: We are at the office of Mr. Frank Klees, MPP, who recently reintroduced a private member's bill to make April 2nd a day dedicated to John Paul II. What inspired you to come up with this idea?

Frank Klees, MPP: In short, it was Pope John Paul II who inspired this. We have opportunities as members of the legislature, once in every parliamentary session, to introduce one private member's bill per member of the legislature and we try to make that something that will have far-reaching effect. Over the years I have come to not only appreciate but sincerely value what Pope John Paul II has done – not only for our generation, but I believe for generations to come, not only through spiritual leadership but truly as a humanitarian – someone who has shown courage in exercising his leadership. No one that I know has touched so many lives both now and in the future, and so [I believe we need] to recognize Pope John Paul II and dedicate one day out of the year to him.

Fr. Marian: Some might ask what lies behind your idea to promote such a day since you are neither Catholic nor Polish...

Frank Klees, MPP: It's a recognition that everything around us is temporal. The fact is that Pope John Paul II touched my life personally. Often when I read his writings there was an inspiration; when I watched Pope John Paul II speak – and it didn't matter whether it was through one of his two visits to this province or as I saw him on television in other parts of the world as he reached out – within me there was a recognition that this was someone who was touching lives in a way that no one else was able to do, and to do so with sincerity. We celebrate many things in this world. I believe that it is imperative that we take the time to recognize true leadership when we see it; to take the time to celebrate the principles and the values that Pope John Paul II taught us. Taking one day and dedicating it to his memory – not only just to him as a person but to the values he taught – I believe will not only make our personal lives stronger and better but will strengthen our families, our communities and the broader world.

Fr. Marian: We could see the whole world stand still for a moment when Pope John Paul II passed away. April 2nd was a very powerful day not only for Catholics but for people of all backgrounds. On the same day, two years later, you decided to proclaim April 2nd Pope John II Day in Canada but in Ontario especially. What support did you receive and was there any opposition to your proposal?

Frank Klees, MPP: I have to say that there were very few occasions when people were negative towards what I was proposing... We will always have those who think short-sightedly. I did have the occasional phone call and e-mail of people saying "Why Pope John Paul II? Why not other spiritual leaders? If you're going to do this for one faith we'll have to do it for all faiths..." I have had support expressed from people of all faiths for this initiative and we literally had thousands of petitions sent to the legislature in support of this initiative. And yes, many were signed by Roman Catholics … but what surprised me was that many signatures came from people who identified themselves as not being Roman Catholic but who said they admired what Pope John Paul II has done for his leadership, not only here but around the world. So there were obviously many people who felt as I did, that this man deserves to be recognized and that we need to take time to celebrate what he gave us, particularly in Ontario. We are such a diverse culture – we have people here from around the world. If there is a spirit we should be celebrating, it is that spirit of bringing people together. What I believe Pope John Paul demonstrated is that you can be firm in your own faith but you can also be accepting and celebrating of others, and that by demonstrating that kind of love towards humanity we will in fact create much stronger communities. As a legislator, I'm concerned when I see polarization taking place, when I see people, because of religion or because of culture, beginning to aggravate – and I think that more than ever we need that spirit that Pope John Paul II demonstrated in his life and in his teaching.

Fr. Marian: You already mentioned that you received support from different groups and leaders as well as the Ontario Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Archbishop of Toronto. Which aspects of your proposal did they emphasize their support for?

Frank Klees, MPP: To a large degree much of that support came because I'm not Roman Catholic and I think it shocked them in a positive sense. But I think they also appreciated the fact that there was a member of the Legislature who saw the importance, but perhaps also had the courage, to bring this forward. It's not an easy piece of legislation to bring forward, and by the way, I have encouraged people to take petitions to their own members of the Legislature, of all political parties. This is not a partisan issue even though I am a Progressive Conservative member; this is one of those issues in the Legislature that should bring all parties together. But I can tell you that there are some members from other parties who are hesitating to table their petitions... I think this is one of those opportunities that we have as members of the Legislature to say, "let's put aside partisan issues and let's just do what is right, and let's celebrate the very principles and values that bring us to public service". Perhaps I identify somewhat with a calling to ministry, as you are called to ministry. I don't believe there is anyone in politics today who at some point has not had a sense of calling for public service in much the same way. We want to do what is right, and we want to make our communities a better place. Perhaps there's a common thread when I recognize courage in the Holy Father in terms of how he stood against many political leaders when we think of the influence he had to bring down communism in the Eastern Bloc. I am convinced that in many ways, he and his commitment and courage in the face of much opposition was largely responsible for freedom around the world. So, to get back to your earlier comment about what convinced me to take this opportunity to bring this forward in the Legislature… It may be that sense that we have a common purpose and I recognize that kind of courage and leadership in Pope John Paul II.

Fr. Marian: You also mentioned that John Paul II made an impact on your personal life. What words, visits or pilgrimages had that very powerful impact on your life?

Frank Klees, MPP: I think the first thing I can point to was his ability to take spiritual principles and translate them into how that should be demonstrated in our personal, practical daily lives. You can hear a lot of spiritual pontificating; we go to church or attend a Mass and you hear people speak but when you leave, how much of what you've heard is actually taken into your daily life? For me, there wasn't a time when I heard Pope John Paul II speak that there wasn't something that resonated in me that wanted to make me change how I behaved towards others. That was the one single thing that moved me about Pope John Paul II: He had the special ability to trigger change in my behaviour. At the end of the day, I think that's really what it comes down to.

Fr. Marian: Did you ever have the chance to meet him personally and talk to him?

Frank Klees, MPP: I never did... The closest I came to it was when he was here in Toronto and I was many thousands of yards away. But even there I had the sense that I was in the presence of an individual who represented The Most High. I have had that conversation with many business colleagues who are not spiritually inclined but who spoke in the same way, that they felt they were in the presence of someone who truly was in touch with God and who had an influence on them. So we know that not only did Pope John Paul II carry the burden of spiritual leadership, but carried that out in a way that I believe is very rare … and hopefully we will see it again. But I hope that by celebrating it, and at least here in Ontario by taking one day out of the year and dedicating it as "Pope John Paul II Day", whether young or old, spiritual or not, Catholic or non-Catholic, we can remember this individual and what he gave to us – not only here in Ontario but around the world.

Fr. Marian: You have undertaken a very noble but also challenging project. Practically speaking, how do you see the support of different groups, organizations, citizens of Ontario and other people of good will?

Frank Klees, MPP: Very practical things have to happen. As I indicated, I had initially introduced this a year ago. The government prorogued and as a result of that, all of the private members' business, in fact all of the business that was on the books of government was dissolved – and so we have to start over. We were fortunate to have so many thousands of petitions support this. Those stand as a record in parliament, but what we need now going forward is the same kind of support from anyone who believes this is a worthwhile initiative. If they want to see this become reality in Ontario, we need them to express that. I should say to your listeners that the most important thing now is that people get in touch with their individual MPPs; they don't have to call me – I'm already committed – they have to call their individual MPPs across the province and say, "Look, I'm aware of this bill. I want you to support this when it comes before the Legislature because it's going to be voted upon". Not only will it be voted upon for second reading; the very important thing is that this private member's bill be brought back into the Legislature for third and final reading. Many bills pass second reading; it's getting them back into the Legislature for third and final reading … and ultimately that will be a decision of the current Dalton McGuinty government, the Liberal government. In the final analysis it will be Dalton McGuinty who makes the decision as to whether this bill will be presented for third reading in the Legislature. So I urge people to let the Premier know that this is important. It's not a partisan issue – it's the right thing to do. Let's do this together and see what happens.

Fr. Marian: Thank you Mr. Klees for not only talking about this issue but for undertaking this project which is dear to all who wish to build bridges between generations, cultures and different groups and organizations. God bless.

Frank Klees, MPP: And I thank you for the opportunity to share this with many thousands of Ontarians. We look forward to the opportunity of celebrating this together.