Deputy shares dream of famous daughter "She gets this wry look on her face," he joked. "Either that, or I'll carry the bags." Len Edwards has been an ambassador to Japan and the Republic of Korea, worked with the United Nations in Geneva, and is about to take on one of the most coveted jobs in Ottawa when he becomes deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs next month. But some days he pines for a different career -on stage. Mr. Edwards, who grew up in a musical family in rural Saskatchewan - there was lots of singing, piano, violin, fiddle music - is living vicariously through his daughter, Kathleen Edwards, he said in an interview. Ms. Edwards' roots music - a blend of rock, folk and blues influences - has made her a rising star. "I was once tempted," said Mr. Edwards, 60, who takes over his new job on March 5 and will oversee such files as Afghanistan and the Middle East as the most senior bureaucrat in the department. It will be his third job as deputy minister (he is with Agriculture and Agri- Foods now), but he considered going into fine arts at university in Saskatchewan, where he performed with a choral music group and did some drama. "I opted for the more conventional career, [Kathleen] had guts. She's done very well. I am extremely proud of her. I am living out this dream through her," he said. His daughter opens for John Mayer's Canadian tour in April, has appeared on David Letterman and Rolling Stone called her one of the most promising acts when she hit the airwaves with songs like Hockey Skates and Six O'Clock News. Mr. Edwards has managed to perform on stage with her twice. They sang together two years ago during her Ottawa concert. "It was a lot of fun," he recalled. They also performed Gordon Lightfoot's Sundown during a government United Way fundraiser. Any chance his daughter might perform for the troops in Afghanistan? "I guess that might work out," he said. He used to play the guitar for his children when they were growing up - but then he and his daughter's paths took different routes. As he rose through the ranks, she went on the road for her first tour. He and his wife discovered "to our horror" she was living in the secondhand car they had bought for her. There is, though, something about that gypsy lifestyle that appeals to him. When he retires in three or four years, he is interested in touring and performing with his daughter, who is now 28, and has floated the idea. Julie Smyth nationalpost.com				Album reviews Feature articles Interviews Show reviews