Mike Robinson remembered by hundreds of his friends at Métropolitain reception

Known to be the kind of man to break a serious moment with some well-placed humour, the late Mike Robinson’s post-memorial reception at the Métropolitain Brasserie last Tuesday evening in Ottawa was a well-balanced mix of levity and grief. The sudden July 1 passing of seasoned lobbyist Mr. Robinson at age 65 left the Hill community in shock. He was considered a mentor to many and one of the top political players in town for decades. Mr. Robinson passed not long after arriving in Normandy, France, where he was set to spend the summer. Mr. Robinson left behind his wife of 40 years, Mary-Louise Walsh, four adult children, four grandchildren, and his mother Jan Robinson. Mr. Robinson first entered the federal political world in the 1970s when he started work for Liberal cabinet ministers. He then went on to hold several senior positions in the federal Liberal Party, helped Donald Johnston on his 1984 leadership campaign, helped found the influential Earnscliffe Strategy Group in 1989 alongside Harry Near, ran Paul Martin’s 1990 Liberal leadership campaign, and, 13 years later, led Mr. Martin’s transition team to government. His long political CV meant he interacted with dozens of Ottawa’s top government, political party, government relations, and media operatives, and more than 200 of them came to the Mét on Tuesday, July 12, following Mr. Robinson’s memorial that afternoon at the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. Attendees described the memorial as perfectly suited to Mr. Robinson’s personality. Mr. Martin (who also attended the reception) delivered a speech at the memorial that Party Central heard was full of jokes and personal memories, with one reception-goer remarking he wished Mr. Martin could speak at his funeral. Booked exclusively for the reception, the venue opened up its front windows allowing guests to flow freely from inside onto the patio, where two large white tents were set up next to the lounge area. The entire space was filled—with just enough elbow room to flow from outside to in—to grab a drink or for the countless gentleman in suit jackets to cool off. The Mét has long been an Earnscliffe hangout for lunch. They have their own booth with a plaque dedicated to former Earnscliffe strategist, the late Charles King. Trays of oysters and jumbo shrimp were continuously replenished, as were other spreads of charcuterie, tropical fruits, and veggies. Standing out from the usual fare were plates of mini SuzyQ doughnuts, bite-sized grilled cheese sandwiches with ketchup, and a movie theatre-style popcorn machine that saw guests strolling with snack bags in hand. These extra treats were some of Mr. Robinson’s favourites, Velma McColl, principal at Earnscliffe, told Party Central. There were a lot of people hugging on this night because for many it was a reunion too as old political allies and past colleagues caught up. Only repeated more than questions of "what are you up to these days?" were thunderous accolades for Mr. Robinson. Although there weren’t any formal speeches at the reception, many memories of Mr. Robinson were being shared, everything from the last conversation he had with people just weeks ago, to crazy tour stories from two decades ago. He made a lot of friends over the years, and kept many of them thanks to his generous spirit, Party Central heard. Yaroslav Baran, another principal at Earnscliffe, said that at times like this, people usually say there are no words, but with Mr. Robinson, that’s wasn't the case. Fellow Earnscliffe principal Geoff Norquay told Party Central he managed the ever-growing Earnscliffe team—in offices in Ottawa and five others across the country— by simply coming by, saying hello, and asking how you were doing. Among the more than 200 or so attendees were many from the Earnscliffe offices, including André Albinati, Elly Alboim, Sarah Goldfeder, Patrick Kennedy, Robin Sears, and Bruce Young. Brittney Kerr, a former Earnscliffe employee who is now working on the British Columbia desk in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, was there too. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale; Brian Bohunicky chief of staff to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan; Heather Bradley, director of communications to House Speaker Geoff Regan; and Sen. Pamela Wallin were also in attendance. Others who came out included former interim Liberal leader Bob Rae; Greg Weston, president and consultant at TheCommShop; Frank Graves, president of Ekos Research; CTV pundit Scott Reid; Jim Pimblett, former EA to Mr. Martin; Compass Rose Group principal Jacquie LaRocque; Huawei Canada’s Scott Bradley; Canada 2020’s Don Newman, Pearson Centre president Andrew Cardozo; Navigator’s Andrew Balfour; Abacus Data chairman Bruce Anderson and his brother i2 Ideas & Issues Advertising CEO Rick Anderson; National Public Relations’ Dan Mader; i2 Ideas & Issues Advertising’s Jane Kennedy and Perry Tsergas; and RBC’s George Wamala. There some media too, including: iPolitics and Toronto Star columnist Susan Delacourt, Reuters’ David Ljunggren, CTV National News Ottawa bureau chief Joyce Napier, CBC parliamentary bureau chief Rob Russo, CBC senior correspondent Neil Macdonald, Global News’ Tom Clark, iPolitics’ editor-in-chief James Baxter; Policy Magazine editor L. Ian MacDonald, and Dave Chan who was Mr. Martin's official photographer when he was prime minister. raiello@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

Party Central

Mike Robinson remembered by hundreds of his friends at Métropolitain reception

A post-memorial reception at the Métropolitain Brasserie for Mike Robinson saw generations of Liberals and scores of other admirers fill the patio, reminiscing and snacking on popcorn and doughnuts.

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Party Central

Mike Robinson remembered by hundreds of his friends at Métropolitain reception

A post-memorial reception at the Métropolitain Brasserie for Mike Robinson saw generations of Liberals and scores of other admirers fill the patio, reminiscing and snacking on popcorn and doughnuts.

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