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Lowell Murray

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Lowell Murray
Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office
June 30, 1986 – November 3, 1993
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Kim Campbell
DeputyC. William Doody
John Lynch-Staunton
WhipOrville Howard Phillips
William McDonough Kelly
Preceded byDuff Roblin
Succeeded byJoyce Fairbairn
Minister of Communications
Acting
In office
December 8, 1988 – January 29, 1989
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Preceded byFlora MacDonald
Succeeded byMarcel Masse
Minister for the purposes of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Act
In office
June 6, 1987 – September 15, 1988
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byGerald Merrithew
Minister of State (Federal-Provincial Relations)
In office
June 30, 1986 – April 21, 1991
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Preceded byWilliam H. Jarvis (1980)
Succeeded byJoe Clark (as Minister responsible for Constitutional Affairs)
Canadian Senator
from Pakenham
In office
September 13, 1979 – September 26, 2011
Nominated byJoe Clark
Appointed byEdward Schreyer
Preceded byEugene Forsey
Succeeded byAsha Seth (2012)
Personal details
Born (1936-09-26) 26 September 1936 (age 88)
New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative
SpouseColleen Elaine MacDonald
[1][2]

Lowell Murray, PC (born 26 September 1936) is a former Canadian senator and long-time activist with the federal Progressive Conservative Party.

Education

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Murray graduated from St. Francis Xavier University in 1955. He met 16-year-old Brian Mulroney there; the two became close friends and associates in the PC Party.[3] He later earned an MPA from Queen's University.

In 1961, he became an assistant to federal justice minister Davie Fulton. Later, he served as chief of staff to Progressive Conservative leader Robert Stanfield and then was New Brunswick premier Richard Hatfield's senior advisor.[4]

Appointment to the Senate

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Murray was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Joe Clark in 1979. In 1986, Prime Minister Mulroney appointed Murray to the Cabinet as Leader of the Government in the Senate, and variously as Minister of State for Federal-Provincial Relations (until 21 April 1991), Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (June 1987 to September 1988), and Acting Minister of Communications (December 1988 to 30 January 1989). Murray served as Government Leader in the Senate until the defeat of the government of Prime Minister Kim Campbell in 1993.

In 2003, Murray joined with Clark to oppose the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada. When the new party was created, he refused to join the new Conservative caucus, and, until his retirement remained one of two senators (the other being Elaine McCoy) to sit as "Progressive Conservatives" even though the federal Progressive Conservative Party had been formally dissolved.

Murray was the last senator appointed on the advice of Prime Minister Clark to sit in the Senate. He was the longest-serving member of the body upon his mandatory retirement from the Senate on 26 September 2011, when he attained the age of 75.[4]

Archives

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There is a Lowell Murray fonds at Library and Archives Canada.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Normandin, Pierre G. (1980). Canadian Parliamentary Guide.
  2. ^ "Senators – Detailed Information: Lowell Murray". Senate of Canada. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  3. ^ John Sawatsky (1991). Brian Mulroney: The Politics of Ambition.
  4. ^ a b Anderson, Bruce (27 September 2011). "Exit Lowell Murray, a parliamentary triple-crown winner". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Lowell Murray fonds, Library and Archives Canada". Retrieved 18 September 2020.
[edit]
25th Ministry – Cabinet of Kim Campbell
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
cont'd from 24th Ministry Leader of the Government in the Senate
1993
Joyce Fairbairn
24th Ministry – Cabinet of Brian Mulroney
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Duff Roblin Leader of the Government in the Senate
1986–1993
cont'd into 25th Ministry