Allan MacEachen

Allan MacEachen

Allan Joseph MacEachen PC OC (born June 7, 1921 in Inverness , Nova Scotia , Canada ; † September 12, 2017 in Antigonish , Nova Scotia, Canada) was a Canadian economist , university professor and politician of the Liberal Party of Canada , who was not only vice Prime Minister of Canada , but was also a Minister on several occasions.

Life

Promotion to MP and Minister

MacEachen, who came from a simple family of miners from Cape Breton Island , studied economics and law after attending school and completed these studies with a Master of Arts . In addition, he earned both a Doctor of Law (LL.D.) and a Litt.D. and later worked as a professor at Saint Francis Xavier University .

He began his political career in August 1953 when he was first elected to the House of Commons as a candidate for the Liberal Party , where he initially represented the constituency of Inverness-Richmond until March 1958 . In the 1958 election he suffered a defeat and initially resigned from the House of Commons, but was re-elected in June 1962 and again represented the constituency of Inverness-Richmond until June 1968 .

In April 1963 he was appointed by Prime Minister Lester Pearson to the 19th Canadian Cabinet , where he held his first ministerial office as Minister of Labor, which he held until December 1965. After a government reshuffle , he became Minister for Amateur Sports and Minister for National Health and Welfare in December 1965 and held these functions under Pearson's successor Pierre Trudeau at the beginning of the 20th Canadian Cabinet until July 1968. He was also chairman of the House of Commons Special Committee on Procedure and Organization from January 1966 to May 1967. In addition, he was from May 1967 to April 1968 for the first time leader of the ruling faction in the lower house and at the same time from May to July 1968 acting President of the Canadian Privy Council . In April 1968 he applied for the office of chairman of the Liberal Party to succeed Pearson, but was subject to Pierre Trudeau.

Deputy Trudeau and Senator

In June 1968 he was re-elected to the House of Commons and represented the constituency of Cape Breton Highlands-Canso until June 1984 .

After serving as Minister for Labor and Immigration from July 1968 to September 1970, he was President of the Privy Council between September 1970 and August 1974. In this function he was also the leader of the ruling faction in the lower house for the second time. Between August 1974 and September 1976 he was foreign minister for the first time, before he was again President of the Privy Council from September 1976 until the end of Trudeau's first term in office in June 1979 and again leader of the ruling faction in the lower house from September 1976 to March 1979. Between September 1977 and June 1979 he was also for the first time Vice Prime Minister and thus Deputy to Pierre Trudeau. At the same time, he was vice-chairman of the Liberal Party from 1977 to 1984 and opposition leader in the lower house between October and December 1979.

He later took over the post of Vice Prime Minister from March 1980 to June 1984 in the 22nd Canadian Cabinet , which was also headed by Pierre Trudeau. During this time he was from March 1980 to September 1982 first Minister of Finance and then from September 1982 to June 1984 again Foreign Minister of Canada. Between February 1981 and 1984 MacEachen was also regional minister for Nova Scotia.

At the suggestion of Prime Minister Trudeau he was appointed a member of the Canadian Senate at the end of his tenure on June 29, 1984 , represented in this until July 1996 Highlands-Canso and thus the province of Nova Scotia . At the beginning of his membership in the Senate, he was also chairman of the government faction in the Senate from June to September 1984. Subsequently he was Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and thus chairman of the liberal opposition faction of the Senate until his resignation on September 30, 1991 .

In October 2008 he became Officer of the Order of Canada for his political services .

Web links and sources

• Curriculum Vitae (Canadian Parliament homepage)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ian Austen: Allan J. MacEachen, a Force in Bringing Public Health Care to Canada, Dies at 96. In: The New York Times . September 19, 2017, accessed September 29, 2017 .