Search for "liberal"

Donald Campbell Jamieson, broadcaster, politician, diplomat (b at St John's 30 Apr 1921; d at Swift Current, Nfld 19 Nov 1986).

Félix-Gabriel Marchand, lawyer, journalist, playwright, premier of Québec 1897-1900 (b at St-Jean, LC 9 Jan 1832; d at Québec City 25 Sept 1900).

Farquhar Robert Oliver, farmer, politician (b at Priceville, Ont 6 Mar 1904; d at Owen Sound, Ont 22 Jan 1989). First elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1926 as a member of the United Farmers, he was re-elected continuously until his retirement in 1967.

John Hart, financier, politician, premier of BC 1941-47 (b at Mohill, Ire 31 Mar 1879; d at Victoria 7 Apr 1957). Arriving in Victoria in 1898, Hart worked in a financial firm before founding his own business, Gillespie, Hart and Co, in 1909.

Sir Robert Laird Borden, lawyer, politician, prime minister of Canada, 1911–20 (born 26 June 1854 in Grand Pré, NS; died 10 June 1937 in Ottawa, ON).

John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, educator, municipal and federal politician, New Democratic Party leader (born at Montréal, 18 Jul 1950; died at Toronto 22 Aug 2011). Jack Layton, leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 2003-2011, headed the first NDP party to sit as Canada's Official Opposition in the House of Commons. Layton's career revealed a strong dose of social activism spanning issues ranging from the white ribbon campaign (seeking to stop violence by men against women), to environmental climate change (championing Toronto's first urban wind turbine and supporting the Kyoto Accord), to homelessness and the need for affordable housing, to fostering an AIDS urban strategy, to participating in anti-free-trade protests.

Brian Vincent Tobin, PC, OC, politician, businessman, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador 1996-2000 (born 21 October 1954 in Stephenville, NF). Before serving as Newfoundland and Labrador's sixth premier, Tobin became a hero in the province when, as a federal Cabinet minister, he defended the turbot fishery against foreign overfishing. Nicknamed “Captain Canada,” he was also a strong advocate of national unity during Québec's 1995 referendum on sovereignty.

George Henry Murray, lawyer, politician, premier of Nova Scotia (b at Grand Narrows, NS 7 June 1861; d at Montréal 6 Jan 1929). Murray's unbroken 27 years in power (1896-1923) is a British Empire and Commonwealth record. Leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party fell to Murray when W.S.

Andrew George Blair, lawyer, politician, premier of NB (b at Fredericton NB 7 Mar 1844; d there 25 Jan 1907). First elected MLA for York in 1878, he became leader of the Opposition in 1879, premier and attorney general in 1883, and molded his coalition into the New Brunswick Liberal Party.

Byron Ingemar Johnson, "Boss," businessman, politician, premier of BC 1947-52 (b at Victoria 10 Dec 1890; d there 12 Jan 1964). After service in WWI, Johnson and his brothers formed a building supply company in Victoria. Elected as a Liberal in Victoria in 1933, he was defeated in 1937.

Robert Henry Winters, politician, businessman (b at Lunenburg, NS 18 Aug 1910; d at Monterey, Calif 10 Oct 1969). Educated at Mt Allison U and Massachusetts Inst of Technology, Winters joined Northern Electric in Montréal in 1934. He became a lt-col in the army in WWII.

Ernest Leo Kolber, OC, businessman, philanthropist, senator (born 18 January 1929 in Montreal, QC; died 9 January 2020 in Montreal). Leo Kolber was a pillar of Canada’s business, political and philanthropic communities for more than 50 years. He was perhaps best known as a long-time advisor to the Bronfman family. Kolber also ran the successful real estate firm Cadillac Fairview Corporation, as well as holding companies that administered the Bronfman family trust. He served in the Senate of Canada from 1983 to 2004, most notably as chairman of the Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce. He was also the Liberal Party’s chief fundraiser for many years and chair of the Advisory Council on National Security from 2005 to 2007. An Officer of the Order of Canada, he was recognized for his many charitable and philanthropic contributions.

F. Wayne Adams, CM, ONS, politician, activist, journalist, entrepreneur (born 1943 in Halifax, NS). Wayne Adams has been an entrepreneur, a broadcast journalist, a municipal and provincial politician, and an environmental activist. He was the first Black Canadian elected to the Nova Scotia legislature and to serve in its cabinet. He was made a Member of the Order of Canada and has received the Order of Nova Scotia.

Prime Minister Lester Pearson and John Matheson, one of his Liberal Members of Parliament, are widely considered the fathers of the Canadian flag. Their names were front and centre in 2015 during the tributes and celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the flag’s creation. But the role played by George Stanley is often lost in the story of how this iconic symbol came to be.

The prime minister (PM) is the head of the federal government. It is the most powerful position in Canadian politics. Prime ministers are not specifically elected to the position; instead, the PM is typically the leader of the party that has the most seats in the House of Commons. The prime minister controls the governing party and speaks for it; names senators and senior judges for appointment; and appoints and dismisses all members of Cabinet. As chair of Cabinet, the PM controls its agenda and greatly influences the activities and priorities of Parliament. In recent years, a debate has emerged about the growing power of prime ministers, and whether this threatens other democratic institutions.

Jagmeet Singh “Jimmy” Dhaliwal, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada 2017–present, MP, MPP, lawyer (born 2 January 1979 in Scarborough, ON). Jagmeet Singh served as an Ontario MPP from 2011 until 2017, when he won the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP). This made him the first racialized leader of a major national political party in Canada. He was also the first turban-wearing Sikh elected to the Ontario legislature. Singh has consistently rated higher than other federal party leaders in public opinion polls but has yet to translate that into national electoral success. He has been the Member of Parliament for Burnaby South since 2019.

Gustave Francq, typographer, labour leader (b at Brussels, Belgium Mar 1871; d at Montréal 2 Jan 1952). Sometimes considered the father of international unionism in Québec, Francq immigrated to Québec City in 1889 and learned typography.

Sir Charles-Eugène Boucher de Boucherville, doctor, politician, premier of Québec 1874-78 and 1891-92 (b at Montréal 4 May 1822; d there 10 Sept 1915). A Conservative member of the Assembly of the Province of Canada, he was appointed to the Québec Legislative Council in 1867.