The fifth elected Principal of Massey College, Mr. Segal has spent his career in public service political roles, as Associate Cabinet Secretary (Federal-Provincial Affairs) in Ontario and Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister. In Ontario, he was involved in the negotiations to patriate the Canadian constitution and create the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He chaired the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Special Senate Committee on Anti-Terrorism between 2005 and 2014. He served as Canada’s Special Envoy to the Commonwealth and a member of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on reform and modernization, human rights and rule of law.
A former President of the Institute for Research on Public Policy in Montreal, a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs, and a Distinguished Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs, the Queen’s School of Policy Studies and the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, Hugh holds honorary doctorates from the Royal Military College of Canada and the University of Ottawa. He is Co-Chair of the Democracy-10 Strategy Group based at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Chair of the NATO Association of Canada, and is now the Honorary Captain of the Canadian Forces Staff College in Toronto.
He has written books on public policy, politics, and international affairs, of which the most recent, “Two Freedoms: Canada’s Global Future” was published last year by Dundurn Press. He is a strategic advisor at the law firm of Aird and Berlis, LLP, and has been a director of public and private companies in the alcohol, food, construction, financial and energy sectors. He is married to Donna Armstrong Segal, Queen’s University Nursing Science ‘73.
Interview Question:
Question: Honourable Hugh Segal, in your over 35 years in business, academia, and public policy include being former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, former Associate Cabinet Secretary, and Senator, to name only a few. Could you describe your work in government positions such as these, and outline some of the important political and social issues that you have confronted over the years as a senior official in the Canadian government? – 1:00
*To access Part II, click HERE
*To access Part III, click HERE
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Special thanks to Elena Ferranti, Administrative Assistant at Massey College, and Lionel J. Widmer (audio recorder/editor) from the NATO Association of Canada for their efforts in making this interview possible.
Photo: Honourable Hugh Segal in Massey College, University of Toronto.
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the views of the NATO Association of Canada.
