Close X
Saturday, September 21, 2024
ADVT 
National

'Dedication to serving Canadians': PM pays tribute to former MP John Godfrey

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Dec, 2023 04:32 PM
  • 'Dedication to serving Canadians': PM pays tribute to former MP John Godfrey

The late John Godfrey, a former university president, newspaper editor and Liberal MP, made meaningful and lasting contributions to public life, recalled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"His dedication to serving Canadians will continue to be an inspiration to me and many others," Trudeau said in a statement Wednesday, following Godfrey’s death.

The Toronto-born Godfrey founded the School of Journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax, was editor of the Financial Post and served as an MP from 1993 to 2008.

"The son of a senator, Mr. Godfrey understood the importance of public service and spent much of his life advocating for members of his community and for all Canadians," Trudeau said in his statement.

Godfrey studied at the University of Toronto and later the University of Oxford, where he earned a master's degree and a doctorate of philosophy

By that time, he was teaching history at Dalhousie University, noted King's College vice-chancellor William Lahey in his own tribute message. "He gained popularity for his unconventional approach to teaching History 100 to non-history majors, which incorporated lectures, videos, rap sessions and happenings," Lahey said.

In 1977, Godfrey was named president of King’s College, the youngest ever at age 34. While there he founded the School of Journalism. Trudeau noted in his statement that at King’s, Godfrey "helped advance important causes, including addressing the food crisis in Ethiopia — one of the worst humanitarian events of the 20th century."

Godfrey took the editorial reins of the Financial Post and was vice-president of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research before jumping into politics in 1993. 

He was elected MP for the Toronto riding of Don Valley West, and served as a parliamentary secretary and minister of state for infrastructure and communities. Trudeau said Godfrey "strengthened relationships with municipalities and his leadership helped spur infrastructure investments from coast to coast to coast," including the signing of gas tax agreements across Canada.  

"Mr. Godfrey believed in building better communities and providing newcomers to Canada with full opportunities, and he was committed to our collective responsibility to protect the environment and address climate change," Trudeau said.

His biography for the Order of Canada, to which he was named in 2018, notes Godfrey authored the Federal Sustainable Development Act, "which secured a federal strategy on the sustainability of Canada’s future."

After leaving politics in 2008, Godfrey was headmaster of the Toronto French School and later the Ontario government’s special adviser for climate change and chair of the government's climate action group.

Bob Rae, Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, said in a post Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter: "A public spirited and exuberant man has left us the better for his encouragement and good cheer in adversity."

MORE National ARTICLES

Lawyer for pharma company argues against single trial in B.C. opioid damages case

Lawyer for pharma company argues against single trial in B.C. opioid damages case
A lawyer for a pharmaceutical firm says holding a single trial in British Columbia to determine damages for each province and territory related to opioid health-care costs would be a "monster of complexity." Gordon McKee, a lawyer for Janssen Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, told the B.C. Supreme Court that certifying Canadian governments as a class in their pursuit of damages against opioid makers isn't manageable or preferable compared with separate trials.   

Lawyer for pharma company argues against single trial in B.C. opioid damages case

BC needs to be winter ready

BC needs to be winter ready
The summit never happened and now Linda Annis and Daniel Fontaine want to know whether the province and Metro Vancouver have any solutions. They say if a summit had been held, a regional plan might be in place this year to avoid future problems. 

BC needs to be winter ready

Auditor general raises concerns about B.C.’s bookkeeping for 16th time

Auditor general raises concerns about B.C.’s bookkeeping for 16th time
Michael Pickup says if B.C's financial statements followed Canadian public sector accounting standards there would be about another $7 billion in the revenue column, and liabilities would have dropped by the same amount. This is the 16th time Pickup's office has "qualified" its audit report, meaning it couldn't say the financial statements were fairly presented.

Auditor general raises concerns about B.C.’s bookkeeping for 16th time

Charges laid in shooting deaths of two Edmonton officers while on duty: police

Charges laid in shooting deaths of two Edmonton officers while on duty: police
Charges have been laid in the deaths of two Edmonton police officers who were shot while responding to a call in March. Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan took a call about a family dispute at an apartment building when they were gunned down by a 16-year-old boy. 

Charges laid in shooting deaths of two Edmonton officers while on duty: police

CP investigation into allegations of toxic workplace at CSIS

CP investigation into allegations of toxic workplace at CSIS
The investigation, by reporter Darryl Greer, includes interviews with two covert officers who say they were sexually assaulted by a senior colleague while on duty, and two other officers who support their claims. The story provides a rare look inside Canada's spy agency.

CP investigation into allegations of toxic workplace at CSIS

El Niño brings a warm start to winter, but that could change: Weather Network

El Niño brings a warm start to winter, but that could change: Weather Network
The Weather Network predicts El Niño conditions will lead to above-average temperatures and lower-than-normal precipitation levels in much of the country, particularly in Western and Central Canada. While that trend is expected to hold throughout the winter in British Columbia and the Prairie provinces, the network said areas further east may see more variable conditions as the season progresses.

El Niño brings a warm start to winter, but that could change: Weather Network