Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)

The Honourable Michael Wilson PC CC
Wilson at the NAFTA Initialing Ceremony, October 1992
33rd Chancellor of the University of Toronto
In office July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2018
Preceded by	David Peterson
Succeeded by	Rose Patten
Canadian Ambassador to the United States
In office March 13, 2006 – October 19, 2009
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Frank McKenna
Succeeded by	Gary Doer
Minister of Industry, Science and Technology
In office April 21, 1991 – June 25, 1993
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	Benoît Bouchard
Succeeded by	Jean Charest
Minister of International Trade
In office April 21, 1991 – June 24, 1993
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	John Crosbie
Succeeded by	Tom Hockin
Minister of Finance
In office September 17, 1984 – April 20, 1991
Prime Minister	Brian Mulroney
Preceded by	Marc Lalonde
Succeeded by	Don Mazankowski
Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre
In office May 22, 1979 – October 25, 1993
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Allan Rock
Personal details
Born	Michael Holcombe Wilson (1937-11-04)November 4, 1937 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	February 10, 2019(2019-02-10) (aged 81)
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse	Margie Wilson
Children	3
Education	University of Toronto London School of Economics
Occupation	Businessman

Michael Holcombe Wilson PC CC (November 4, 1937 – February 10, 2019) was a Canadian businessman, politician and diplomat who served as minister of finance from 1984 to 1991 and minister of international trade from 1991 to 1993 under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

Wilson was a Bay Street investment executive when he was elected to the House of Commons in 1979. He then unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1983 before being appointed to Prime Minister Mulroney's cabinet. As a cabinet minister, Wilson introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and helped negotiate the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Wilson retired from politics in 1993 and returned back to Bay Street, heading his own consulting and financial services firm. Wilson served as the Chairman of Barclays Capital Canada Inc. from May 2010 until his death in February 2019. He was the Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2006 until 2009 and the Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 2012 to 2018.

Early life

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Wilson was the son of Constance L. (Davies) and Harry Holcombe Wilson. Wilson attended Upper Canada College and then Trinity College at the University of Toronto, where he joined the Kappa Alpha Society.

Political career

Wilson was a candidate at the 1983 Progressive Conservative leadership convention. 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 (bottom right) at the NAFTA Initialing Ceremony, October 1992

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 announced the Goods and Services Tax in his 1989 budget. Introduced in 1990, the tax which is still in place today and is considered a necessary source of federal income, despite being unpopular with consumers.

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.

Post-politics

Wilson in 2009

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 was 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.

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

Wilson was 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.

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

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.

Personal life

Wilson was married to Margie Wilson and was predeceased by son Cameron, who suffered from depression and died by suicide in 1995. Following his son's death, Wilson devoted considerable time to advocate for mental health. The couple had two other children: son Geoff Wilson and daughter Lara O'Brien, both of whom married and have children. Wilson died from cancer on February 10, 2019.

Archives

There is a Michael Wilson fonds at Library and Archives Canada.

Electoral record

External links

• Michael Wilson – Parliament of Canada biography
• "Alumni Portraits: Michael Wilson". University of Toronto.
• "About the Chancellor". University of Toronto.
• Appearances on C-SPAN