Michael Wilson
Michael Holcombe Wilson (1937-2019) was a prominent Canadian diplomat, politician, and business executive. Born in Toronto, he was educated at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, later studying at the London School of Economics. Wilson's political career began in 1979 when he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. He held various cabinet positions, including Minister of Finance, where he played a significant role in the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax and in negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
After serving as a senior executive in finance, including a role at Royal Bank of Canada and as chairman of UBS Canada, Wilson was appointed as Canada's Ambassador to the United States from 2006 to 2009. He actively engaged in various community and professional initiatives, especially in mental health advocacy following the tragic loss of his son. His contributions to public service were recognized with honors such as being appointed an officer, and later companion, of the Order of Canada. Wilson's legacy is marked by his influence in both political and business spheres, along with his commitment to mental health initiatives.
Subject Terms
Michael Wilson
Politician
- Born: November 4, 1937
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario
- Died: February 10, 2019
- Place of death: Canada
Contribution: Michael Wilson was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as Canada’s ambassador to the United States from 2006 to 2009. A former member of Parliament, he served in several ministerial roles and also worked as an executive on Bay Street in Toronto.
Early Life and Career
Michael Holcombe Wilson was born on November 4, 1937, in Toronto, Ontario. He was educated at Upper Canada College in Toronto and received a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College at the University of Toronto before continuing his studies at the London School of Economics.
Wilson held numerous high-level positions during his business and finance career. From 1973 to 1979, he was a senior executive at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Dominion Securities, where, among other duties, he was responsible for handling relationships with senior clients and offering financial advice to international companies and governments. Between 2001 and 2006, Wilson served as chairman at UBS Canada, one of the operating divisions of the global financial services giant UBS AG. He was also a member of the board for British Petroleum and for Manulife.
Political Career
Wilson began his career in politics in 1979, when he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party in the electoral district of Etobicoke Centre in Ontario. Between 1979 and 1980, he served as minister of state for international trade in the government of Prime Minister Joe Clark. Despite the fact that his party, the Progressive Conservatives, was defeated in the 1980 elections, Wilson was able to retain his seat.
In 1983, Wilson decided to run for leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party. However, after the results of the first ballot were announced, he withdrew his candidacy, ceding the position to Brian Mulroney. Wilson later became minister of finance in 1984 after the Progressive Conservatives were returned to power under the leadership of Prime Minister Mulroney. Highlights of Wilson’s career in politics include his involvement in the introduction and subsequent passage of the controversial Goods and Services Tax in 1990 and his role in negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with the United States and Mexico.
In 2006, Wilson was nominated by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to serve as Canada’s twenty-second ambassador to the United States, a position he left in 2009. He became chairman of Barclays Capital Canada the following year. In April 2012, while still serving as chairman at Barclays, Wilson was appointed to the governing council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He was elected chancellor of the University of Toronto the following month and began serving his term in July of that year. After being elected once more in 2015, he served in the position until 2018. Additionally, in 2015 he had been named the chair of the board of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Wilson died following a battle with cancer on February 10, 2019, at the age of eighty-one.
Personal Life
Wilson was involved with numerous professional and community organizations, including the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, the NeuroScience Canada Partnership, and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation. Following the suicide of his son, Cameron, in 1995, he and the CAMH Foundation created the Cameron Parker Holcombe Wilson Chair in Depression Studies at the University of Toronto.
Wilson was honored for his public service in 2003, when he was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada, and again in 2010, when he was promoted to companion of the Order of Canada. In 2013, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Canadian Club of Toronto. He and his wife, Margie, had two children and five grandchildren.
Bibliography
Alberts, Sheldon. “Michael Wilson, the Workmanlike Canadian Ambassador to Washington, Prepares to Make Way for Gary Doer.” Canada.com, Postmedia Network, 28 Aug. 2009. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.
Feniak, Peter. “Illness Is Illness, Period.” Good Times, May 2012: 14–19.
“The Honourable Michael H. Wilson.” Canadian Club of Toronto, Canadian Club of Toronto, 2013. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.
Kiladze, Tim, and Eric Andrew-Gee. "Former Finance Minister, Ambassador and Businessman Michael Wilson Dies at 81." The Globe and Mail, 10 Feb. 2019, www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-former-finance-minister-ambassador-and-businessman-michael-wilson/. Accessed 1 July 2019.
“Michael Wilson: Mission: Washington.” CBC News, CBC, 17 Feb. 2006. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.
Spears, John. “Michael Wilson Will Head Barclays Capital, Canada.” Toronto Star, 28 May 2010. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.
Wilson, Michael. “Michael Wilson, Outgoing Ambassador to the US, on Afghanistan, Stubborn Myths of 9/11 and Why Americans Are So Easy to Talk To.” Interview by John Geddes. Maclean’s, 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 27 Aug. 2013.