Michael Wilson (politician)

For other people named Michael Wilson, see Michael Wilson (disambiguation).

The Honourable Michael Holcombe Wilson PC, CC
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
Personal details
Born	4 November 1937 (1937-11-04) (age 74) Toronto, Ontario
Political party	Conservative
Profession	Businessman

Michael Holcombe Wilson, PC, CC (born 4 November 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 in various portfolios in the governments of Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. He served as the Canadian Ambassador to the United States from 2006 until his replacement by Gary Doer in 2009.

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 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.

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 30 October 2003, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 2010.^[1]

Ambassador to the United States

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 US 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 are investigated. 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.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ Governor General announces 74 new appointments to the Order of Canada
2. ^ Clark, Campbell. "Envoy faces calls to resign in NAFTA leak probe". The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080312.NAFTA12/TPStory/TPNational/Politics/. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 
3. ^ Harper, Tim (11 March 2008). "Envoy's role in leak questioned". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/332041#. Retrieved 2008-03-12. 

External links

• Washington Canadian Embassy's ambassador page

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Riding created	Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre 1979–1993	Succeeded by Allan Rock, Liberal
21st Ministry – Cabinet of Joe Clark
Cabinet Posts (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

Persondata
Name	Wilson, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	4 November 1937
Place of birth	Toronto, Ontario
Date of death
Place of death