An Excellent Gallery Close-up

If there were a hall of fame for Canadian political journalists, Bob Lewis would surely be in it. As a Parliament Hill reporter and bureau chief for three publications, starting in the mid-1960s to the end of the 1970s, he was as respected as he was liked by all sides. He went on to become managing editor and then editor of Maclean’s magazine for another two decades, while his influence on the Hill remained undiminished.

The qualities that defined him as a person—his genial manner, intelligence, innate fairness, and keen eye for detail—also distinguished him as a journalist. When I arrived in Ottawa for my own tour as bureau chief and columnist for Maclean’s in the 1990s, the first question prime ministers Brian Mulroney and then Jean Chrétien asked was the same one: “So, how is my old friend Bob?” [MORE]