Gerry Godsoe

Gerry Godsoe also known as J. Gerald Godsoe, LLB, QC, and Rhodes Scholar, was a Canadian lawyer and former Executive Director of the MacDonald Commission and President and CEO of Nova Scotia Power.

Godsoe was a frequent advisor to governments, both provincially and federally. In the 1970s, he advised on energy policies for his home province of Nova Scotia. In the 1980s, he was a special advisor and counsel to the federal government of Canada on offshore mineral rights and the Canadian constitution. He is most well known for being the Executive Director of the MacDonald Commission, which set the agenda for economic policy in Canada for years to come [http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/policystudy_41.pdf] . In particular, it paved the way for free trade negotiations between Canada and US.

He passed away in April 1996, at the age of 54, as a result of complications following leukemia treatment. [http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/hansard/han56-4/h96apr11.htm] , [http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/hansard/han56-4/h96apr19.htm] , [http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2332565&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=35&Ses=2] His family and Dalhousie University created the J. Gerald Godsoe Scholarship to honour his memory by supporting students with a passion for public policy issues facing Canada. [http://law.dal.ca/Files/2007_Godsoe_Scholarship.pdf] He is survived by his wife Dale Godsoe and their three children: Suzanne, Stacy, and Laura.