Norman Spector
Encyclopedia
Norman Spector is a Canadian
journalist, diplomat, civil servant, and newspaper publisher.
with Honors in Political Science, from McGill University
in 1970. Awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, he received a Master of Philosophy
degree in Political Science from Columbia University
in 1972 and a Ph.D.
in 1977. In 1974, as a Newhouse Fellow, he received a Master of Science
degree in Television, Film and Radio from Syracuse University
. In 1974-75, Spector was a lecturer at St. Paul's College of the University of Ottawa
.
civil service in the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and held the positions of Manager, Director, and Executive Director. In 1980, he joined the British Columbia
civil service serving as Deputy Secretary, Policy for the Ministry of Intergovernmental Relations. From 1982 to 1986, he was Deputy Minister in Bill Bennett
's Office of the Premier. From 1986 to 1990, he was Secretary to the Cabinet for Federal-Provincial Relations in Ottawa
. From 1990 to 1992, he was
Brian Mulroney
's Chief of Staff
in the Office of the Prime Minister
.
From 1992 to 1995, he was Ambassador of Canada to Israel
, the first Jewish Canadian to hold the post, and High Commissioner to Cyprus
. After the Oslo
peace agreement was signed in 1994, he became Canada's first Representative to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza
. From 1995 to 1996, he was President of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
.
Limited in September of that year. In January 1997, he was appointed Publisher of The Jerusalem Post
.
Since 1995, he has been writing for The Globe and Mail
, and he currently writes a bi-weekly column in French for Le Devoir
. He published a book, Chronicle of a War Foretold: How Mideast Peace Became America’s Fight in 2003 and, a year later, wrote about his experience working for PM Brian Mulroney in the Afterword to "A Secret Trial"--William Kaplan
's second book on what is popularly known as the Airbus affair
. Spector appeared as a witness in early 2008 at the Canadian House of Commons
Ethics Committee's hearings on relations between Mulroney and German-Canadian lobbyist Karlheinz Schreiber
, which is formally known as the review of the Airbus settlement. A public inquiry
, called by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
, will also take place on these matters, following the Ethics Committee's hearings.
In 2006, Spector gained a considerable amount of press coverage for referring to Belinda Stronach
as "a bitch". http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061031/spector_mps_061031/20061031/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061031.wxmackay31/BNStory/National/home http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070411_171318_9544&source=srch
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...
journalist, diplomat, civil servant, and newspaper publisher.
Early life and career
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Spector received a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
with Honors in Political Science, from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in 1970. Awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, he received a Master of Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
degree in Political Science from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1972 and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1977. In 1974, as a Newhouse Fellow, he received a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Television, Film and Radio from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. In 1974-75, Spector was a lecturer at St. Paul's College of the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
.
Civil service
In 1975, he joined the OntarioOntario
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....
civil service in the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and held the positions of Manager, Director, and Executive Director. In 1980, he joined the British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
civil service serving as Deputy Secretary, Policy for the Ministry of Intergovernmental Relations. From 1982 to 1986, he was Deputy Minister in Bill Bennett
Bill Bennett
William Richards Bennett, PC, OBC , commonly known as Bill Bennett, was the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is a son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of R.B...
's Office of the Premier. From 1986 to 1990, he was Secretary to the Cabinet for Federal-Provincial Relations in Ottawa
Ottawa
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...
. From 1990 to 1992, he was
Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
's Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff (Canada)
The Chief of Staff of Canada's Prime Minister's Office is the top official of the office. It was created in 1987 to head the Prime Minister's Office or PMO....
in the Office of the Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)
In Canada, the Office of the Prime Minister , located in the Langevin Block, on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, is one of the most powerful parts of the government. It is made up of the prime minister and his or her top political staff, who are charged with advising the prime minister on decisions,...
.
From 1992 to 1995, he was Ambassador of Canada to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the first Jewish Canadian to hold the post, and High Commissioner to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. After the Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
peace agreement was signed in 1994, he became Canada's first Representative to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
. From 1995 to 1996, he was President of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for helping to build economic capacity in the Atlantic Provinces by working with the people of the region – in their communities, through their institutions and with their local and provincial governments...
.
Corporate career and newspaper columnist
Resigning from the public service in 1996, he became Vice-President, Corporate Affairs for Imperial TobaccoImperial Tobacco
Imperial Tobacco is a global tobacco company headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom. It is the world’s fourth-largest cigarette company measured by market share , and the world's largest producer of cigars, fine-cut tobacco and tobacco papers...
Limited in September of that year. In January 1997, he was appointed Publisher of The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post
The Jerusalem Post is an Israeli daily English-language broadsheet newspaper, founded on December 1, 1932 by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. The daily readership numbers do not approach those of the major Hebrew newspapers....
.
Since 1995, he has been writing for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, and he currently writes a bi-weekly column in French for Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
. He published a book, Chronicle of a War Foretold: How Mideast Peace Became America’s Fight in 2003 and, a year later, wrote about his experience working for PM Brian Mulroney in the Afterword to "A Secret Trial"--William Kaplan
William Kaplan
William Kaplan is a Canadian lawyer and writer.-Biography:William Kaplan is the son of Igor Kaplan and Cara Cherniak. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He went on to Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where he graduated in 1983 with a...
's second book on what is popularly known as the Airbus affair
Airbus affair
The Airbus affair refers to allegations of secret commissions paid to members of the Government of Canada during the term of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, in exchange for then-crown corporation Air Canada's purchase of a large number of Airbus jets...
. Spector appeared as a witness in early 2008 at the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian 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...
Ethics Committee's hearings on relations between Mulroney and German-Canadian lobbyist Karlheinz Schreiber
Karlheinz Schreiber
Friedrich Karlheinz Hermann Schreiber is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer and businessman...
, which is formally known as the review of the Airbus settlement. A public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
, called by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, will also take place on these matters, following the Ethics Committee's hearings.
In 2006, Spector gained a considerable amount of press coverage for referring to Belinda Stronach
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach, PC is a Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals...
as "a bitch". http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061031/spector_mps_061031/20061031/ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061031.wxmackay31/BNStory/National/home http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070411_171318_9544&source=srch