Bryce Mackasey

Bryce Stuart Mackasey PC (born August 25, 1921 in Québec , Québec , † September 5, 1999 ) was a Canadian entrepreneur , industrialist , businessman and politician of the Liberal Party of Canada , who was a member of the lower house for 18 years and was a minister several times.

Life

Entrepreneur, local politician and member of the House of Commons

After attending St. Patrick's High School in Québec, Mackasey studied economics at McGill University and Sir George Williams University , from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm.). He then worked as an entrepreneur, industrialist and businessman and was President of Trenmore Printing, Trophies and Sporting Goods Ltd. between 1955 and 1968 . and from 1954 to 1960 was also a co-owner of the daily newspaper Messager de Verdun .

His political career began in local politics in Verdun in 1957 as chairman of Municipal Sports Commission and was then 1958-1962 Councilor ( Alderman ) of this city.

In the general election of June 18, 1962 , Mackasey was elected for the first time as a candidate of the Liberal Party for a member of the House of Commons, in which he represented the constituency of Verdun until his resignation on November 15, 1976 . At the beginning of his parliamentary activity he was between February 18, 1964 and April 3, 1965 Chairman of the Standing Committee on Industrial Relations. In July 1965 he took over his first government office and was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Health and Welfare until September 1965 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labor between January 1966 and February 1968.

Minister and member of the Québec National Assembly

He was then appointed on February 9, 1968 by Prime Minister Lester Pearson as minister without portfolio in the 19th Canadian government and kept this office even after Pearson's successor Pierre Trudeau had formed the 20th government of Canada on April 20, 1968 . In the course of a cabinet reshuffle, he became Minister of Labor on July 6, 1968, and then took over the office of Minister for Labor and Immigration from January 28 to November 26, 1972.

After he had been Minister of State without portfolio between June 3 and August 7, 1974, he became Postmaster General on August 8, 1974 and held this office until September 14, 1976. At the same time, he was initially from March 16 Acting Minister until April 7, 1976, and then Minister for Consumer and Corporate Affairs until September 14, 1976.

On November 15, 1976, he resigned his lower house mandate after he was elected a member of the National Assembly of Québec and in this until April 25, 1978 represented the constituency of Notre-Dame-de-Grace .

After leaving the National Assembly of Québec, he ran on October 16, 1978 in a by-election in the Ottawa Center constituency , but missed the re-entry into the lower house of Canada. However, he was re-elected as a member of the House of Commons in the general election of February 18, 1980 in the Lincoln constituency. After the end of the legislative period , he waived another candidacy in the general election on September 4, 1984 . During that time, Mackasey served as Chairman of the Import Policy Subcommittee of the House Standing Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Affairs from April 14, 1980 to November 30, 1983.

Mackasey, who was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) by Sir George Williams University in 1969 , was nominated as Ambassador to Portugal by Prime Minister John Turner after he left the House of Commons . This nomination was revoked by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney .

Publications

• Le syndrome du lemming: et autres allocutions sur les conflits sociaux , Ottawa 1976
• What's behind the lemming urge ?: and other reflections on social conflict , Ottawa 1976

Web links

• Entry on Parliament's homepage
• Biography on the Québec National Assembly homepage