Tomorrow notes the passing of former Canadian cabinet minister and creator of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Robert Kaplan. We requested an interview with Mr Kaplan in September for our Charlottetown Accord series, unaware of his declining health. Mr Kaplan was still kind enough to politely decline, via an email dictated through a family member. He wished us luck with the project.

A news organisation requires people to tell us their stories, and we appreciate the respect afforded us when potential interviewees acknowledge what we’re trying to report, even if they say ‘no’. An overwhelming majority of requests for this series went unanswered, and Mr Kaplan’s respect in declining stood out significantly. Our condolences to his family.