Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)

The Honourable
Michael Wilson
PC CC
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Etobicoke Centre
In office
1979–1993
Preceded by Riding created
Succeeded by Allan Rock
Canadian Ambassador to the United States
In office
13 March 2006 – 19 October 2009
Monarch Elizabeth II
Preceded by Frank McKenna
Succeeded by Gary Doer
Chancellor of the University of Toronto
Assumed office
2012
Preceded by David Peterson
Personal details
Born Michael Holcombe Wilson
(1937-11-04) 4 November 1937
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s) Margie Wilson
Education
Occupation Businessman

Michael Holcombe Wilson, PC CC (born November 4, 1937) is a Canadian businessman and former politician and diplomat. He has been the Chairman of Barclays Capital Canada Inc. since May 2010.[1]

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson attended Upper Canada College and then Trinity College at the University of Toronto, where he joined the Kappa Alpha Society. He was a Bay Street investment executive when he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament in the 1979 general election. He served in various portfolios in the governments of Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney between 1979 and 1993. He was the Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2006 until 2009, when he was succeeded by Gary Doer.

Political career

Wilson was a candidate at the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership convention. He tried to woo young delegates by having the rock group Spoons perform on his behalf. He dropped off after the first ballot and urged his supporters to vote for Brian Mulroney, the eventual winner. Mulroney appointed Wilson as Minister of Finance when the party formed a government after the 1984 election.

Wilson reformed the tax system to broaden the tax base and lower tax rates, removing many special tax provisions, and helped negotiate the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement. He also introduced the Goods and Services Tax in 1990, a tax which is still in place today and is considered a necessary source of federal income, despite being unpopular with consumers.[2]

In 1991, after seven years as Minister of Finance, Wilson became Minister of Industry, Science and Technology and Minister of International Trade. In that role, he participated in negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Return to private life

Wilson was not a candidate in the 1993 election, and he returned to Bay Street to head his own consulting and financial services firm. He later rejoined Royal Bank of Canada, and he was Chairman and CEO of RT Capital when that business was sold to UBS AG. Wilson served as Chairman of UBS Canada from 2001 to 2006.

In recent years, he has become a spokesman for a lobby group promoting public–private partnerships, and he was the Chairman of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. From 2003 to 2007, Wilson served as the Chancellor of Trinity College. In July 2012, he became the Chancellor of the University of Toronto, and he was re-elected to an additional three-year term in 2015.[3]

He is a mental health advocate, having lost a son to depression and suicide.[4] Wilson established the Cameron Parker Holcombe Wilson Chair in Depression Studies at the University of Toronto. He also sits on the board of directors for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Wilson is active in many other organizations, including the NeuroScience Canada Partnership, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, the Loran Scholars Foundation, the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

On 30 October 2003, Wilson was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2010.[5]

On 9 April 2015, it was announced that Wilson was appointed as the new board chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.[6] He has also been a member of the Trilateral Commission.[7]

Ambassador to the United States

Wilson with United States Congressman Dan Burton in 2006

On 16 February 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the nomination of Wilson as Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America. He succeeded Frank McKenna in Washington, D.C. Wilson became the 22nd Canadian Ambassador to the United States on 13 March 2006, when U.S. President George W. Bush accepted his credentials.

Allegation of leaks during 2008 Democratic presidential campaign

In March 2008, it was alleged that Wilson told the Canadian media that U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama was not serious about his promise to opt out of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Liberal MP Navdeep Bains called on Wilson to step down as Canada's ambassador to Washington while the alleged leaks were investigated. Wilson publicly acknowledged that he spoke to then-CTV reporter Tom Clark, who first reported the leaks, before the story aired, but he refused to discuss what was said.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "Barclays rolls out big guns". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  2. ↑ Simpson, Jeffery. "The GST Hated By Many Stands The Test Of Time". theglobeandmail.com. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "About the Chancellor". University of Toronto. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  4. ↑ "Students are not fragile flowers – we must care about their mental health". TheGlobeAndMail.com. 5 October 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  5. ↑ General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "The Governor General of Canada". GG.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Statement from Louise Bradley on the appointment of new board chair". Mental Health Commission of Canada. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ http://www.trilateral.org/download/file/TC_%20list_5-12%20(2).pdf Archived 2012-05-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Clark, Campbell. "Envoy faces calls to resign in NAFTA leak probe". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-06-05.
  9. ↑ Harper, Tim (11 March 2008). "Envoy's role in leak questioned". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  • Michael Wilson – Parliament of Canada biography
  • "Alumni Portraits: Michael Wilson". University of Toronto.
  • "About the Chancellor". University of Toronto.
Parliament of Canada
21st Ministry – Cabinet of Joe Clark
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
' Minister of State for International Trade
1979–1980		 '
24th Ministry – Cabinet of Brian Mulroney
Cabinet posts (3)
Predecessor Office Successor
John Crosbie Minister for International Trade
1991–1993		 Tom Hockin
Benoît Bouchard Minister of Industry, Science and Technology
1991–1993		 Jean Charest
Marc Lalonde Minister of Finance
1984–1991		 Don Mazankowski
Academic offices
Preceded by
Rt. Rev’d John C. Bothwell		 Chancellor of the University of Trinity College
2003–2007		 Succeeded by
Bill Graham
Preceded by
David Peterson		 Chancellor of the University of Toronto
2012–present		 Current holder
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.