TORONTO — Roughly half a century ago, Mikhail Baryshnikov dashed into a waiting car after a series of Toronto performances, defecting from the Soviet Union in a move that made international headlines.
On Tuesday Baryshnikov, one of the most renowned ballet dancers of the 1970s and '80s, paid tribute to the man who helped orchestrate his escape in 1974 – the late Canadian politician Jim Peterson, who was a lawyer at the time.
Politicians, former staff and family members shared memories of the longtime member of Parliament from Toronto and former Liberal cabinet minister in a ceremony at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, remembering him as someone who believed in working with others and valued kindness above all else.
"I know he was a beloved mentor, colleague and friend to nearly anyone who crossed paths with him," the prime minister said. When most people look back on their lives, they want to see that they were good to those around them, and that they helped make the country or the world a better place, Freeland said. Achieving even one of those things halfway is"really hard," she noted.
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