Stanley Haidasz

Stanley Haidasz PC (born March 4, 1923 in Toronto , Ontario , † June 6, 2009 ) was a Canadian cardiologist and politician of the Liberal Party , who became the first Canadian politician of Polish descent to become federal minister and senator .

Life

Haidasz came from a Polish family who emigrated to Canada from Stanislawów in 1910 . After attending school, he studied medicine and, in addition to a bachelor's degree in physiology (B.Ph.) and a licentiate (L.Ph.), also earned a doctor of medicine (MD) from the University of Toronto . After postgraduate training in cardiology at the University of Chicago , he worked as a cardiologist.

Haidasz began his political career as a candidate of the Liberal Party in the election of June 10, 1957, was first elected as a member of the House of Commons and represented the constituency of Trinity until he was defeated in the subsequent general election on March 31, 1958 . In the election of June 18, 1962 , he was again elected a member of the House of Commons and was a member of the House of Commons as a representative of the Parkdale constituency until his resignation on March 23, 1978.

During this time, he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Health and Welfare from May 1963 to February 1964, then to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and from January to September 1966 to the Minister for Northern Canadian Affairs and Natural Resources. He was then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Indian Affairs and Development of Northern Canada between October 1966 and April 1968 and to the Minister of Consumer and Business Affairs from August 1968 to October 1969, before he was again Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for between October 1969 and September 1970 National Health and Welfare.

On November 27, 1972, he became Minister of State for Multiculturalism in the 20th Federal Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau , making him the first Canadian of Polish descent to be appointed Cabinet Minister. He held the ministerial office until August 1974.

On March 23, 1978, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Trudeau, he was appointed Senator for Ontario for the Toronto-Parkdale Senate district and was thus once again the first Canadian of Polish descent to become a member of the Federal Senate. After almost twenty years of membership, he left the Senate on March 4, 1998.

For his services he was awarded two honorary doctorates , one as a Philosophiae Doctor (Ph.D.) , and another as a Doctor of Administration (D.Adm. (Hon.)).

Web links

• Entry on Parliament's homepage