Frank McKenna

Frank McKenna

Francis "Frank" Joseph McKenna , OC ONB (born January 19, 1948 in Apohaqui , New Brunswick ) is a Canadian politician of the New Brunswick Liberal Association , who was Prime Minister of New Brunswick between 1987 and 1997 and ambassador to the New Brunswick from 2005 to 2006 USA was.

Life

Lawyer, MP and opposition leader

Francis Joseph McKenna, son of Olive Moody and Durward McKenna, began an undergraduate degree at Saint Francis Xavier University after attending schools in Apohaqui and Sussex , from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). After a subsequent postgraduate study of political science at Queen's University , he began another postgraduate study of law at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), which he completed with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.). He then worked as Lord Beaverbrook Scholar at the UNB and in 1971 as a special assistant on the staff of the then MP and majority leader of the House of Commons and President of the Canadian Privy Council , Allan MacEachen .

McKenna resigned after his legal approval in 1974 as a lawyer in a law firm in Chatham , where he specialized in criminal law. In addition to his work as a lawyer, he has also been involved in professional legal associations such as Vice President of the Northumberland Barristers Society and Chairman of the Criminal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association . He was also active in Chatham as president of the Chamber of Commerce, as founding president of the merchants' association, as a member of the supervisory board of the community library and of the economic development company. He also joined the New Brunswick Liberal Association and was both President of the Liberal Association in Chatham and a member of the Provincial Organizing and Policy Committee . In the election of October 12, 1982, Frank McKenna was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Association in the Chatham constituency. On May 4, 1985, he became chairman of the New Brunswick Liberal Association and then at the same time opposition leader .

Prime Minister of New Brunswick

McKenna won a landslide election victory with his party in the provincial elections of October 13, 1987, in which the Liberal Association won all 58 seats in the legislative assembly, ending the 17-year term of Prime Minister Richard Bennett Hatfield . On October 27, 1987, he was then sworn in as Hatfield's successor as the new Prime Minister of New Brunswick . The Liberal Party also won the elections on September 23, 1991 and September 11, 1995 with a clear absolute majority with 46 of the 58 and 48 of the 55 seats in parliament, respectively. In the elections on September 11, 1995, he was elected in the newly created constituency of Miramichi-Bay du Vin in the newly founded town of Miramichi on January 1, 1995 at his suggestion . On May 18, 1988, after the failed Meech Lake Accord , he proposed the establishment of a Select Committee on the 1987 Constitutional Accord to work on amendments to the Constitution of Canada .

As Prime Minister, he focused on creating new jobs, promoting the province's small and medium-sized enterprises and seeking constant new investment. He also initiated an extensive reform of provincial policy, which led to a reduction in parliamentary seats from 58 to 55 and the size and number of ministries. These reforms helped to balance the budget and reduce the province's debt. There have also been reforms of social, educational and health care programs. Its extensive reform programs brought the province international attention, as a result of which New Brunswick / Nouveau-Brunswick became patron of the International Year of the Family 1995 initiated by the UN Secretariat and also received the UNESCO International Literacy Award. On October 27, he took with Mike Harris , John Savage and Catherine Call Beck , the prime ministers of the provinces of Ontario , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Iceland on the Place du Canada in Montreal at a large demonstration of the Federalists before the Quebec referendum, 1995 in part, to which around 100,000 people from outside Québec attended. They celebrated the unity of Canada and called on the Quebecers to vote no. Speeches were given by Jean Chrétien , the Prime Minister of Canada, Daniel Johnson , Chairman of the Parti libéral du Québec and Jean Charest , Chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada .

On October 13, 1997 McKenna resigned surprisingly after ten years as Prime Minister and was then replaced by Ray Frenette . He reunited with him as a lawyer. On March 8, 2005, he took over the post of Canadian Ambassador to the USA from Michael Kergin and held this position until March 13, 2006, whereupon Michael Wilson succeeded him.

His marriage to Julie Friel had three children.

honors and awards

Frank McKenna has received numerous honors and awards. The Université de Moncton awarded him an honorary doctorate in political science in 1988, while he received an honorary doctorate in law from the University of New Brunswick (1988), Mount Allison University (1991), Saint Francis Xavier University (1994) and St. Thomas University received. In 2004 he was awarded the Order of New Brunswick (ONB). He was also awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Canada (OC).

Web links

• Biography on the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly home page

Individual evidence

1. ^ New Brunswick: Premiers (rulers.org)