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Keith Spicer, journalist, broadcaster, public servant (born 6 March 1934 in Toronto, ON; died 24 August 2023 in Ottawa, ON). Keith Spicer was Canada’s first commissioner of official languages (1970–77). He also worked as a journalist for the Globe and Mail and the Vancouver Sun and was editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen (1985–89). He then served as chair of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) from 1989 to 1996, except for 1990–91, when he chaired the Citizen's Forum on Canada's Future. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978.
Education
After graduating from the University of Toronto (BA 1956, PhD 1962) and the Sorbonne in Paris, Spicer taught at the University of Ottawa (1961–66) and the University of Toronto (1966–69), and at various other universities.
Career Highlights
Spicer was a researcher on the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in 1964. In 1964–65, he was special assistant to the minister of justice and president of the Privy Council. He was a commentator, host or interviewer on several current affairs and documentary programs on both French and English radio and television. He wrote editorials for the Globe and Mail, was a columnist for the Vancouver Sun (1977–84) and editor-in-chief of the Ottawa Citizen (1985–89).
From 1970 to 1977, he was the first commissioner of official languages. He also played a key role in creating the advocacy group Canadian Parents for French and in lobbying for more French immersion programs across the country. His office also produced a popular bilingual board game called Oh Canada!
In 1989, he was appointed chair of the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). His seven-year appointment to the CRTC was interrupted in 1990–91 when he chaired the Citizen's Forum on Canada's Future. This was an attempt by Brian Mulroney's Conservative government to answer criticisms that the constitutional future of Canada was being negotiated in back rooms without public input. The commission became controversial when it soared over budget. But it solicited unprecedented public response and made numerous recommendations, including Senate reform and an independent review of the official languages policy.
Honours
Spicer was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He also received honorary degrees from Laurentian University (1973), York University (1974) and the University of Ottawa (1977).
