L. Ian MacDonald | |
---|---|
Born | Lawrence Ian MacDonald 1947 (age 77–78) |
Occupation | author, columnist, broadcaster, public speaker, and diplomat |
Nationality | Canadian |
Alma mater | Concordia University (Loyola) |
Children | 2 daughters |
Website | |
lianmacdonald.com |
L. (Lawrence) Ian MacDonald (born 1947) is a Canadian writer, columnist, broadcaster, public speaker, and diplomat. [1] [2] In his career he has written speeches for Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as his primary speechwriter, written the Queen's Canadian speeches, and worked as head of communications (Minister of Public Affairs) at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., in the United States. He has also been a columnist for the Montreal Gazette (as national affairs columnist), and the now-defunct Montreal Daily News . He was editor-in-chief of Policy Options, his political column appears on iPolitics , and he is a frequent commentator on CPAC (the Cable Public Affairs Channel) and CTV (the CTV Television Network). He has also written a number of books.
His mother was Marian MacDonald, and his father, Arthur, was an engineer who died of a heart attack in 1958 when Ian was 10 years old. [2] MacDonald graduated from Concordia University (Loyola) (L BA '69; honors political science). [3] [4] [5] He lives in Montreal, Canada. [1] [2] He was inducted in the Concordia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 as equipment manager of the Loyola College Warriors 1968 hockey team. [6]
From 1985 to 1988, for four years MacDonald wrote speeches for Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as his primary speechwriter, and for years wrote the Queen's Canadian speeches. [3] [7] [8] [2] From 1992 to 1994 he worked as head of communications (Minister of Public Affairs) at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., in the United States. [2] [3]
MacDonald has been a columnist for the Montreal Gazette (as national affairs columnist), and the now-defunct Montreal Daily News . [2] [5] He writes frequently for Canadian newspapers and news sites. He has served as editor and publisher of Policy magazine, a bi-monthly on Canadian politics and public policy. [9] He was editor-in-chief from 2002 to 2012 of Policy Options, published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. [9] His political column appears on iPolitics and he is a frequent commentator on CPAC (the Cable Public Affairs Channel) and CTV (the CTV Television Network). [10] Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said: "The thing that makes Ian MacDonald’s columns interesting and important to read is that he’s worked on the inside at very senior levels of government and knows how it works. And it shows." [1]
He wrote his first book in 1984, "Mulroney: The Making of the Prime Minister" that covered Brian Mulroney's rise from boyhood to Prime Minister of Canada. [11] MacDonald has published six more books, all with McGill-Queen's University Press, most recently Politics, People & Potpourri, selected by CBC (CBC Television) as "one of the best political reads" of 2009, and Inside Politics, a collection published in 2018. [12]
MacDonald has two daughters. [3]
Martin Brian Mulroney was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Robert Bourassa was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just under 15 years as premier. Bourassa's tenure was marked by major events affecting Quebec, including the October Crisis and the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords.
Lucien Bouchard is a French Canadian lawyer, diplomat and retired politician.
John James "Jean" Charest is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Prior to that, he was a member of Parliament (MP) between 1984 and 1998. After holding several Cabinet posts from 1986 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993, he was the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998.
The Meech Lake Accord was a series of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and all 10 Canadian provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of Quebec to symbolically endorse the 1982 constitutional amendments by providing for some decentralization of the Canadian federation.
The 1980 Quebec independence referendum was the first referendum in Quebec on the place of Quebec within Canada and whether Quebec should pursue a path toward sovereignty. The referendum was called by Quebec's Parti Québécois (PQ) government, which advocated secession from Canada.
Marc Lalonde was a Canadian politician who served as a cabinet minister, political staffer and lawyer. A lifelong member of the Liberal Party, he is best known for having served in various positions of government from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, including serving as the Minister of Finance.
Scott Reid is a political analyst and commentator currently working for CTV News, Newstalk 1010AM and writing columns for a variety of news organizations including the Ottawa Citizen, CBC.ca, Macleans and others. He is a former political advisor to a number of Canadian politicians, having served as Advisor and Director of Communications in the Prime Minister's Office of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. Along with Macleans columnist Scott Feschuk, he also owns and operates Feschuk.Reid a strategic communications and speechwriting consultancy.
Norman Spector is a Canadian journalist and former diplomat, civil servant, and newspaper publisher.
The history of Canada (1982–present) refers to the period immediately following the Canada Act until the present.
Memoirs: 1939–1993 is a memoir written by the former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney. The book was released on September 10, 2007 and outlines Mulroney's version of events during his early life, political career and time as prime minister.
John Ciaccia was a Canadian politician who was provincial cabinet minister from Montreal, Quebec. Ciaccia served as a member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1973 to 1998, representing the Mount Royal riding for the Quebec Liberal Party. He occupied various posts in the cabinets of Liberal premiers Robert Bourassa, and Daniel Johnson Jr., such as minister of Energy and Natural Resources, International Affairs, Native Affairs, and Immigration and Cultural Communities. At his resignation, Ciaccia was the longest-serving member of the Assembly. Ciaccia gained international attention for his efforts in negotiating the end of the Oka Crisis alongside his federal counterpart, Tom Siddon, in 1990. Former Quebec Premier Jean Charest described Ciaccia's political career as having "revolutionized relations with the native people and cultural communities of Quebec by always favouring an approach marked by respect."
Ian Douglas Shugart was a Canadian politician, professor, and public servant who served as a senator from Ontario from September 2022 until his death in October 2023. Prior to his appointment to the Senate, Shugart held a number of senior roles within the Public Service of Canada, including as the 24th clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet from 2019 to 2021.
Former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney died on February 29, 2024, following several years of declining health. His state funeral was held on March 23.