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I t's hard to imagine a more natural setting for Peter Milliken. Sir Winston Churchill stares over his shoulder from a portrait on the wall. Row upon row of bound copies of Hansard line the wood- panelled walls of his ele- gant, now former, Centre Block office in Ottawa. Everywhere you look are mementos of his years as Canada's longest-serving Speaker of the House of Commons. Yet, Milliken appears serene as he dis- cusses his decision to trade the pomp, circum- stance, and power of his job as speaker for a life of semi-retirement, part- time academe, and occasion- ally consult- ing with his former law practice. "I'm not anxious for another full-time job at all," he says with a grin and a slight twinkle in his eye. "I would rather have a more relaxed afterlife, if I can call it that." Writing his memoirs is a distinct possibility. Catching up on his reading and indulging in one of his favourite activities, whitewater canoeing, are also among the orders of the day. However, Milliken, 64, doesn't see himself return- ing to a full-time law practice. "I've been out of it too long. I haven't done a will in 22 years. I think I would have trouble drafting one now." While Milliken is no longer on Parliament Hill, he has left an impres- sive legacy behind. His landmark rul- ings on Parliament's right to infor- mation have ensured his place in the annals of parliamentary precedent — both in Canada and throughout the Commonwealth. In addition to being Canada's longest-serving speaker, he was called upon to break more tie votes than any other speaker in Canadian parliamentary history — five of the 10 tie votes since Confederation. His ency- clopedic knowledge of parliamentary procedures and precedents helped dif- fuse conflicts between parties as did his legendary dinners and Scotch-tasting parties where MPs gathered to deter- mine which Scotch would earn the label of "Speaker's Select." Even some of Milliken's most parti- san political opponents are quick to pay tribute to him. "I think he will go down as, if not one of the best, the best speak- er," says former Conservative House leader and now Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, whose first encounter with Milliken as a student protester ended with the 19-year-old Baird being arrest- ed. In many ways, being Speaker of the House of Commons was a job that Milliken was born to do. Born in Kingston, Ont., on Nov. 12, 1946, the eldest of seven children, Peter Andrew Stewart Milliken spent his early years in west-end Ottawa only a few kilometres from Parliament Hill. His father, John Andrew (Jack) Milliken, was a cardi- ologist from Saskatchewan. His mother, Catherine Margaret (Peggy) Milliken, hailed from Kingston. Milliken start- ed his education at Ottawa's D. Roy Kennedy Public School but when he was in Grade 6, the large and spirited Milliken clan moved back to Kingston. There, Milliken attended the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, one of Canada's oldest schools whose gradu- ates range from Sir John A. Macdonald to members of the band the Tragically Hip. Strong academically, Milliken was voted head boy at KCVI. It was also during that period that some of the character traits that would later serve Milliken as a lawyer and the speaker began to emerge, recalls his brother Bill Milliken. "He was very fas- tidious and neat. And, he has a photo- graphic memory. I used to get into trou- ble for touching his things. He could tell I'd touched them because they would be moved and not where he left them, and, of course, he would remember where he left them." When Milliken was first elected speaker and arrived in his new office, he quickly noticed the copies of Hansard 28 JULY 2011 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com lining the office walls weren't orga- nized by date, prompting staff to scurry to arrange them in meticulous order. As speaker, his photographic memory, which he inherited from his father, allowed him to impress fellow MPs and Commons officials by instantly recall- ing parliamentary rules and precedents. When they checked, they invariably discovered he was right. As a child growing up in what Bill describes as a family of "baiters and teasers," those talents sometimes found other outlets. Bill says his brother would sometimes bait one of his sisters by breaking into her diary then regaling their siblings by citing passages verbatim. Ned Franks, professor emeritus of political studies at Queen's University and a longtime friend, says Milliken has a sense of mischief — especially when it comes to his sisters. However, he says growing up in a spirited family of strong characters prepared Milliken well for his role as speaker. "I have no doubt that his family experience gave him an enor- mous background in dealing with quite unusual people with very different tem- peraments. That is a perfect training for a speaker of the House of Commons." Growing up with five sisters may also explain why Milliken has never mar- ried, jokes Franks. It was in school that Milliken first became interested in politics. "I came and watched the House I think for the first time when I was in Grade 7, Grade 7 or 8 — I'm not sure which it was — and found it very interesting. Then my cousin John Matheson got elected as the member of Parliament for Leeds in 1961 so once that happened I could come up here and sit in the gallery whenever I wanted and once I got my driver's licence — I think that was in the fall of '62, I could drive myself up so it made it a lot easier to get here so I tend- ed to come more often." While fellow teenagers were reading comic books, Milliken began reading Hansard — the transcripts of debates in the House of Commons. "I realized I could subscribe to Hansard for $3 a session so I signed up and started getting Hansard, I think in '62. I don't claim to have read the