>>212565402
He was a good man. Did Shakespearean stage acting. Leahy makes at least two Shakespeare lines in the show and that's probably the basis for the "rehearsing for a play at the Blandford Recreational Centre" gag.
Also lobbied against Video Lottery Terminals in real life because they were predatory against already poverty-level Canadians. This is even reflected in the show once when Julian yells at Ray for hitting the VLTs:
>The government just wants welfare cheques back, Ray! And it's workin'!