Jack Pickersgill
Encyclopedia
John Whitney "Jack" Pickersgill, PC
, CC
(June 23, 1905 - November 14, 1997) was a Canadian
civil servant and politician. He was born in Ontario, but was raised in Manitobia. He was the Clerk for the Canadian Government's Privy Council in the early 1950s. He was first elected to federal parliament in 1953, representing a Newfoundland electoral district, and serving in prime minister Louis St. Laurent
's cabinet. In the mid-1960s, he served again in cabinet, this time under prime minister Lester B. Pearson
. He resigned from parliament in 1967 to become the president of the Canadian Transport Commission. He was awarded the highest level of the Order of Canada in 1970. In his later years he wrote books on Canadian history. He died in 1997 in Ottawa.
, Ontario
on June 23, 1905. His family moved to Ashern, Manitoba
when he was a young child. He is the older brother of Frank Pickersgill
. He was educated at the University of Manitoba
and the University of Oxford
, and taught history in Winnipeg.
, and was soon working at the Prime Minister's Office as Assistant Private Secretary to Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
. In 1945, he became Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, and was officially in charge of the Prime Minister's Office. He stayed on to work for King's successor, Louis St. Laurent
, and became Clerk of the Privy Council
in 1952. He was a senior and trusted adviser to both Prime Ministers: "Clear it with Jack" was the byword on Parliament Hill for years.
as Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Bonavista-Twillingate, Newfoundland
as a result of the 1953 election
. Pickersgill had become involved in Newfoundland politics at the informal request of leading federal politicians in the late 1940s and was instrumental in supporting Newfoundland's pro-confederacy movement. Mr. Pickersgill had no prior connection to the island. During an interview with Geoff Stirling
in the 1980s he stated that powerful interests in Canada wanted to see Newfoundland join Canada.
He entered the Canadian Cabinet as Secretary of State for Canada
in 1953, and was named Minister for Citizenship and Immigration in 1954. When the Liberal government was defeated in the 1957 election
, Pickersgill was re-elected as an MP, and became a leading tormentor of the new government of John George Diefenbaker from the opposition benches.
With the 1963 election
and the coming to power of Lester Pearson as Prime Minister, Pickersgill returned to Cabinet, first as Secretary of State for Canada and Government House Leader, and then as Minister of Transport. In 1967, he retired from politics to become president of the Canadian Transport Commission
, where he proceeded to start gutting Canadian National passenger train services by withholding investment and operation fund in order to favour Air Canada
.
, with his investment into the order in 1971. He was later bestowed the title "The Right Honourable
", usually reserved in Canada for certain members of the Privy Council
(which he was a member of and its Clerk from 1952–1954), for Prime Ministers, Governors-General and Chief Justices
, as recognition of his service.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, CC
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(June 23, 1905 - November 14, 1997) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
civil servant and politician. He was born in Ontario, but was raised in Manitobia. He was the Clerk for the Canadian Government's Privy Council in the early 1950s. He was first elected to federal parliament in 1953, representing a Newfoundland electoral district, and serving in prime minister Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
's cabinet. In the mid-1960s, he served again in cabinet, this time under prime minister Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
. He resigned from parliament in 1967 to become the president of the Canadian Transport Commission. He was awarded the highest level of the Order of Canada in 1970. In his later years he wrote books on Canadian history. He died in 1997 in Ottawa.
Early years
Pickersgill was born in WyecombeNorfolk County, Ontario
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
on June 23, 1905. His family moved to Ashern, Manitoba
Ashern, Manitoba
Ashern is a Canadian community located in the Rural Municipality of Siglunes, in Manitoba's Interlake region. The RM of Siglunes was incorporated in 1917. The village of Ashern was named after A. S...
when he was a young child. He is the older brother of Frank Pickersgill
Frank Pickersgill
Frank Herbert Dedrick Pickersgill is a Canadian hero of World War II....
. He was educated at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
and the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, and taught history in Winnipeg.
Senior civil servant
He joined the Department of External Affairs in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and was soon working at the Prime Minister's Office as Assistant Private Secretary to Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
. In 1945, he became Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, and was officially in charge of the Prime Minister's Office. He stayed on to work for King's successor, Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
, and became Clerk of the Privy Council
Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada)
The Clerk of the Privy Council is the senior civil servant in the Canadian government. The Title and Office is in fact "Clerk of the Privy Council and the Secretary to the Cabinet"...
in 1952. He was a senior and trusted adviser to both Prime Ministers: "Clear it with Jack" was the byword on Parliament Hill for years.
MP, Cabinet Minister
Pickersgill entered the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Bonavista-Twillingate, Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
as a result of the 1953 election
Canadian federal election, 1953
The Canadian federal election of 1953 was held on August 10 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 22nd Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Louis St...
. Pickersgill had become involved in Newfoundland politics at the informal request of leading federal politicians in the late 1940s and was instrumental in supporting Newfoundland's pro-confederacy movement. Mr. Pickersgill had no prior connection to the island. During an interview with Geoff Stirling
Geoff Stirling
Geoffrey William Stirling is a Canadian businessman. Stirling, along with other members of his family, owns several media outlets in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador under the corporate brand Stirling Communications International...
in the 1980s he stated that powerful interests in Canada wanted to see Newfoundland join Canada.
He entered the Canadian Cabinet as Secretary of State for Canada
Secretary of State for Canada
The position of Secretary of State for Canada was a Canadian Cabinet position with a corresponding department. It was established in 1867 as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London...
in 1953, and was named Minister for Citizenship and Immigration in 1954. When the Liberal government was defeated in the 1957 election
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
, Pickersgill was re-elected as an MP, and became a leading tormentor of the new government of John George Diefenbaker from the opposition benches.
With the 1963 election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
and the coming to power of Lester Pearson as Prime Minister, Pickersgill returned to Cabinet, first as Secretary of State for Canada and Government House Leader, and then as Minister of Transport. In 1967, he retired from politics to become president of the Canadian Transport Commission
Canadian Transport Commission
The Canadian Transport Commission was Canada's first fully converged, multi-modal regulator.The body was created by Canada's Parliament on September 19, 1967, to assumed the responsibilities of two bodies: the Board of Transport Commissioners , which oversaw air and railway regulation, and the...
, where he proceeded to start gutting Canadian National passenger train services by withholding investment and operation fund in order to favour Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
.
Honours
In 1970, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, with his investment into the order in 1971. He was later bestowed the title "The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable
The Right Honourable is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Anglophone Caribbean and other Commonwealth Realms, and occasionally elsewhere...
", usually reserved in Canada for certain members of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
(which he was a member of and its Clerk from 1952–1954), for Prime Ministers, Governors-General and Chief Justices
Chief Justice of Canada
The Chief Justice of Canada, like the eight puisne Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, is appointed by the Governor-in-Council . All nine are chosen from either sitting judges or barristers who have at least ten years' standing at the bar of a province or territory...
, as recognition of his service.