Hugh Faulkner (politician) explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
Hugh Faulkner
Office:Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Primeminister:Pierre Trudeau
Term Start:September 16, 1977
Term End:June 3, 1979
Predecessor:Warren Allmand
Successor:Jake Epp
Office1:Secretary of State for Canada
Primeminister1:Pierre Trudeau
Term Start1:November 27, 1972
Term End1:September 13, 1976
Predecessor1:Gérard Pelletier
Successor1:John Roberts
Riding2:Peterborough
Parliament2:Canadian
Term Start2:November 8, 1965
Term End2:May 21, 1979
Predecessor2:Fred Stenson
Successor2:Bill Domm
Birth Name:James Hugh Faulkner
Birth Date:9 March 1933
Birth Place:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Death Place:Rougemont, Switzerland
Party:Liberal
Children:3

James Hugh Faulkner (March 9, 1933 – April 18, 2016) was a Canadian politician. He completed his BA at McGill University and his MBA at the International Management Institute (IMI) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Life and career

Faulkner was born in Montreal. A businessman by profession, Faulkner entered politics as the Liberal candidate in Peterborough, Ontario in the 1962 federal election. He came in third behind Progressive Conservative candidate Fred Stenson, and incumbent Walter Pitman of the New Democratic Party.

Faulkner again placed third behind Fred Stenson and Pitman in the 1963 federal election before prevailing in the 1965 election. In 1967 he represented Canada to the 22nd UN General Assembly and chaired the Labour and employment Committee of the House of Commons. He was re-elected in the 1968 election and was appointed Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada. In 1970, he was made parliamentary secretary to the Secretary of State for Canada.

Following the 1972 election, Faulkner was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as Secretary of State.[1] Faulkner surprised political observers by handily defeating former Premier of Manitoba Dufferin Roblin who ran in Peterborough as a "star candidate" for the Progressive Conservative Party in the 1974 election.

In 1976, he was appointed to Minister of State for Science and Technology before becoming Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in 1977. Faulkner continued in that position until his defeat in the 1979 election at the hands of Progressive Conservative Bill Domm.

After leaving politics, Faulkner joined Alcan as Vice President. In 1983 he was appointed Managing Director of all Alcan operations in India and Sri Lanka. In 1987 he was appointed President Alcan SA Europe. In 1990 he joined Swiss industrialist Stephan Schmiheiny to form the Business Council for Sustainable Development, Geneva. In 1995 he formed the development NGO Sustainable Project Management to undertake urban infrastructure projects in the developing world. In 1990 he bought the vineyard Domaine de Grand Cros, Provence, France which he and his family operate. He died in Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland after complications from surgery on April 18, 2016.[2]

Notes and References

  1. News: Faulkner's Folly. 14 February 2011. Calgary Herald. 28 January 1975.
  2. Web site: Former Peterborough MP dies Peterborough Examiner. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160421122953/http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2016/04/19/hugh-faulkner-was-peterborough-mp-from-1965-to-1979 . 2016-04-21 .