CHRIS MORRIS – LEGISLATURE BUREAU 21 JUN 2013 07:39AM Telegraph Journal FREDERICTON – Former MP Andy Scott has championed many causes in New Brunswick during his life, and on Thursday he was officially named a champion by the New Brunswick legislature.

Education Minister Jody Carr and Liberal Leader Brian Gallant paid tribute to Scott, 58, who is seriously ill with cancer and watched the proceedings from his Fredericton home. Amid unanimous applause from both sides of the House, Scott, Liberal MP for Fredericton from 1993 to 2007, was named New Brunswick’s first Learning Champion in recognition of the work he has done to improve literacy and education in the province.

Carr said the Learning Champion program will identify and designate New Brunswickers of all ages and from all walks of life who can mobilize individuals and groups to encourage learning in all its forms. “It is well known that Andy is having a difficult time right now battling cancer,” said Carr, who recently visited Scott with Premier David Alward. “He has contributed to policy, social change and to human rights. He has touched hundreds of people as a mentor, myself included. He is involved with First Nation rights, linguistic rights, persons with disabilities, poverty and same-sex rights. He has pushed the envelope each time.”

Gallant praised Scott’s abilities as a consensus builder, noting his work on such things as the NB2026 Roundtable, which identified literacy, education and training as key roadblocks to New Brunswick’s prosperity and set out to do something about it. Gallant also saluted Scott’s courage in the face of a tough enemy – cancer. “To watch Mr. Scott to talk about where he is right now in life is nothing but inspiring,” he said.

The Tory government partnered with NB2026 in 2010 to develop a learning agenda for the province through a citizen engagement process. The learning agenda is being led by Scott, Carr and Marie-Paule Thériault. It has been wholeheartedly endorsed by Alward.

“Andy Scott believes there is no such thing as winners and losers – but only winners,” Carr said in a statement to the legislature. “He said recently that politics should not be about winning the debate; instead, it’s about bringing people around the same table so that everybody wins. Andy helped us demonstrate that with New Brunswick’s Learning Agenda.”