Michael Wilson (politician)
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| Michael Holcombe Wilson PC OC | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 16 February 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
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| Preceded by | Frank McKenna |
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| Born | November 4, 1937 Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Profession | Businessman |
Michael Holcombe Wilson, PC OC (born November 4, 1937) is a Canadian diplomat, politician and business leader.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson attended Upper Canada College, 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 Canadian House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament in the 1979 general election. He served as Minister of State for International Trade in the nine-month minority government of Joe Clark.
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[edit] Early 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 the eventual winner, Brian Mulroney.
Mulroney appointed Wilson Minister of Finance when the party formed a government after the 1984 election.
He reformed the tax system to broaden the tax base and lower tax rates, removing many special tax provisions, and helped negotiate the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. Wilson also introduced the Goods and Services Tax in 1990, a tax which is widely credited, even by Liberals (who had promised to abolish the tax), as having helped bring the Federal government back into surplus.[citation needed]
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.
[edit] Return to private life
Wilson was not a candidate in the 1993 election, and returned to Bay Street to head his own consulting and financial services firm. He later rejoined Royal Bank of Canada and was Chairman and CEO of RT Capital when that business was sold to UBS AG. Wilson was formerly Chairman of UBS Canada.
In recent years he has become a spokesman for a lobby group promoting Public-Private Partnerships. He was Chairman of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. In September 2003, Wilson was installed as chancellor of Trinity College.
He is a mental health advocate, having lost a son to depression and suicide; he established the Cameron Parker Holcombe Wilson Chair in Depression Studies at the University of Toronto.
On October 30, 2003, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
[edit] Ambassador to the United States
On February 16, 2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the nomination of Mr. Michael Wilson as Ambassador of Canada to the United States of America. Mr. Wilson succeeded Mr. Frank McKenna in Washington, D.C. Wilson became the 22nd Canadian Ambassador to the United States on March 13, 2006 when U.S. President George W. Bush accepted his credentials.
[edit] Allegation of leaks during 2008 Democratic presidential campaign
Canadian MP Navdeep Bains called on Wilson to step down as Canada's ambassador to Washington while the leaks that damaged Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign are investigated. Mr. Wilson has publicly acknowledged that he spoke to CTV reporter Tom Clark who first reported the leaks before the story aired, but refused to discuss what was said. It now appears that Wilson took part in political leaks that damaged a Democratic presidential contender.[1][2][3]
Liberal opposition leader Dion dismissed an earlier report into the leak by Privy Council clerk Kevin Lynch as "completely insignificant," pointing instead to information uncovered by the Toronto Star suggesting the Prime Minister's Office deliberately leaked embarrassing information to a Republican operative for distribution. Frank Sensenbrenner, the son of a right-wing Republican congress member who once worked at the Canadian embassy, was also identified as the conduit that officials in Harper's office used to leak the Canadian memo to the Associated Press in March. Sensenbrenner denied involvement.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Clark, Campbell. Envoy faces calls to resign in NAFTA leak probe. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Harper, Tim. Envoy's role in leak questioned. Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Ambassador Wilson and Ian Brodie Must Step Aside. www.liberal.ca. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
- ^ Brennan, Richard. Dion suggests cover-up by Tories. The Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
[edit] External links
| Parliament of Canada | ||
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| Preceded by Riding created |
Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre 1979–1993 |
Succeeded by Allan Rock, Liberal |
| 21st Ministry - Government of Joe Clark | ||
| Cabinet Posts (1) | ||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Minister of State for International Trade (1979-1980) |
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| 24th Ministry - Government 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 |
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