That time Patterson paid tribute to a pig

Dennis Patterson

Many workplaces have Friday traditions. I’ve heard of jeans at work Fridays, or other Thank God It’s Friday events. Well, similarly, there was a tradition in the Northwest Territories legislature when I was there of lightening up, shall we say, during Friday morning sessions.

We MLAs were very serious all week in making members’ statements honouring distinguished citizens in our constituencies who had passed on or otherwise been in the news. And we were serious about asking probing questions of ministers in the legislature, hoping for answers that we did not often get. So we were relieved to be able to let off some steam with some humour during Friday morning sessions. And there was always a happy mood with the weekend to look forward to, and the chance to go home looming

So it was on a Friday that I took my allotted three minutes to mark the passing of a pig in Iqaluit. Here is the excerpt from N.W.T. official Hansard from April 6, 1995:

Passing Of Abigail The Pig
Item 3: Members’ Statements

Dennis Patterson Iqaluit

I have to make one, Mr. Speaker, because it’s Friday … I rise to speak about a death in my constituency and a setback for agriculture and farming in Baffin Island. Mr. Speaker, Abigail of the Arctic, Bill Mackenzie’s pig, not to be confused with other swine …

Bill Mackenzie was considered the lord of Apex Hill in Iqaluit, says Dennis Patterson, a former senator who once paid tribute in the Northwest Territories legislature to Mackenzie and his pet pig, Abigail. (Photo courtesy of Dennis Patterson)

—Laughter

…died this past week. I wasn’t referring to any honourable Member, Mr. Speaker.

—Laughter

I have spoken before in this chamber about Abigail, much beloved by the children of Iqaluit and Apex, nurtured and cared for for seven and a half years by Bill Mackenzie, Esq., the lord of Apex Hill.

—Laughter

She was a Hampshire pig, 700 pounds at her prime, given to Bill by his friend and neighbour, Marcel Mahe, as a 21-pound piglet as a surprise birthday present.

Bill tells me that he knows it was utterly foolish for him to have kept the pig and cared for Abigail over the years because it cost him a fortune.

In fact, friends of Bill, notably Mr. Bryan Pearson, tell me that the cost of food, hay and labour for caring for Abigail of the Arctic over the years has been calculated at $240,000. Just recently, in fact, Bill arranged to ship in tons of fish scrap from the Pangnirtung fish plant for Abigail.

I know that, for Bill, looking after Abigail was a labour of love and he took good care of her. Many Inuit children would otherwise have never been able to see a live pig.

Bill was always terribly offended whenever anyone suggested that Abigail should become bacon or pork, and I’ve been asked by several honourable members who were providing condolences to me about Abigail’s death whether Abigail had been eaten this week.

I told my honourable friends that if they knew Bill Mackenzie, they would know that even asking that question is an insult to Bill and his beloved pet pig.

Abigail, left, was a Hampshire pig who grew to be about 320 kilograms (700 pounds) while living at the home of Bill Mackenzie in Iqaluit. Former MLA Dennis Patterson recalls the time he eulogized the pig in the Northwest Territories legislature in 1995. (Photo courtesy of Dennis Patterson)

So, in the Scottish tradition, she was cremated last week on the slopes of Apex Hill in a spectacular funeral pyre with the aid of more than a few sealift pallets and some stove oil and the remains were buried in a simple Presbyterian ceremony.

Bill tells me that to live almost eight years is notable for a pig, especially a pig in the Arctic. In fact, he noted that most pigs don’t usually get the opportunity to live past their first year.

Abigail’s passing was noted by Peter Gzowski on [CBC Radio’s show] Morningside yesterday by millions of listeners.

I would like to inform members that there are still animals at the Mackenzie country estate: 50 pigeons; Billy Boy and Ma’Mselle, two goats; and many dogs.

Bill Mackenzie continues to be a much-loved and respected resident of Apex Hill. His friends say that Bill was a little more subdued than usual this week, but Bill tells me he will carry on. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Hon. Dennis Patterson represented Nunavut in the Senate from 2008 to 2023. He was premier of the Northwest Territories from 1987 to 1991, and played a key role in the Nunavut land claim agreement.