1996 - The Hon. Donald S. Macdonald, P.C., C.C., LL.M., LL.D.
A graduate of the University of Toronto, Osgoode Law School, Harvard
Law School and Cambridge University, the Hon. Donald S. Macdonald served
in the Canadian House of Commons from 1962 to 1978. Between 1968 and 1977,
he held the Cabinet positions of President of the Privy Council, Minister
of National Defence, Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, and Minister
of Finance. Mr. Macdonald is presently Counsel at the national law firm
McCarthy Tetrault, returning to that position after completing his posting
as Canadian High Commissioner to Great Britain and Northern Ireland. His
ancestors emigrated from Lochaber, Scotland to Antigonish, Nova Scotia at
the end of the eighteenth century. He retains an interest in his genealogy
and assists the Clan Donald as a trustee of the Clan Donald Lands Trust at
Armadale, Skye. Since there are five other Donald Macdonalds who are
trustees, he thought of calling himself Donald Toronto, except they might
have thought he was passing himself off as an Anglican Bishop. Donald
Macdonald was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1994, and
lives with his wife Adrian in Toronto.
1997 - Colonel The Hon. Henry N.R. Jackman, C.M., O.Ont., K.St.J.,
LL.D.
Hal
Jackman, as he is known to his friends, from December 11, 1991 until
January 24, 1997 served as Ontario’s 39th Lieutenant Governor,
since John Graves Simcoe arrived in Upper Canada in 1791. He was born in
Toronto and is a graduate of the University of Toronto. Mr. Jackman serves
as Chairman of many boards including National Trust Company, The Empire
Life Insurance Company, E-L Financial Corporation Ltd., and Algoma Central
Corporation. He is also Vice-Chairman of The Dominion of Canada General
Insurance Company and president of a number of other companies. Among his
many charitable and philanthropic activities, he is Chairman of the
Atlantic Council of Canada, the Advisory Board of The Toronto Old Aged
Men’s and Women’s Homes, and the Board of Trustees of the Canadian Red
Cross Pension Fund. He was appointed Honourary Colonel of the Governor
General’s Horse Guards in 1992. He is a Knight of Justice in the Most
Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. Hal Jackman and
his wife have five children.
The 1997 award to the Hon. Hal Jackman was presented by the 1996
recipient, the Hon. Donald Macdonald who, by coincidence, happened to
contest the Federal riding of Rosedale against Hal Jackman on three
occasions many years ago. The winner on each of those occasions was Donald
Macdonald, and since Mr. Jackman has Campbell ancestry, there was a
certain rough justice in the victories - harking back to the actions by
the infamous Campbells at Glencoe! Both speakers referred to this ancient
antipathy, but with a great sense of humour.
1998 - John E. Cleghorn, B.Comm., C.A.
L-R: Neil & Marie Fraser, Ian & Lynne (Bridgman)
Cleghorn, John & Pattie (Hart) Cleghorn, Alan McKenzie
A graduate of McGill in 1962, John Cleghorn articled as a Chartered
Accountant with Clarkson Gordon before becoming a sugar futures trader. He
joined the Royal Bank in 1974 from the old Mercantile Bank of Canada and
rapidly rose to become President in 1986, Chief Operating Officer in 1990,
Chief Executive Officer in 1994, and Chairman in 1995. Mr. Cleghorn has
been deeply involved with the academic profession, and is Chancellor of
Wilfried Laurier University, a governor of McGill University and Chairman
of the McGill Fund Council. Among his many other national community
activities, he is Vice-Chairman of The Conference Board of Canada, a
director of the International Monetary Conference, a member of the Policy
Committee of the Business Council on Monetary Issues, the national
advisory board of the Canadian Special Olympics, and governor of the Shaw
Festival Theatre. His great grandfather emigrated from Wick, Caithness in
the 1860s and was active in the grain and shipping business until his
early 70s. John Cleghorn and his wife Pattie have three children. And he
has Fraser ancestors.
Among
the many noteworthy people who attended the 1998 dinner, one deserves
special attention. The photo [right] shows dinner chairman Neil Fraser
presenting one of the door prizes (Dalwhinnie Single Malt) to Arthur Lee,
the immigrant businessman who paid over $400,000 at auction for the
service medals of Colonel John Macrea of Guelph, Ontario, whose poem "In
Flanders Field" is a gift to Canada and the world, decrying the conflicts
that many came to this country to escape. Mr. Lee then donated the medals
to the Museum of Guelph. As you can imagine, there was not a dry eye in
the room, and Mr. Lee received a standing ovation.
1999 - Michael MacMillan, BA (Hons.)
L-R: John Macdonald, dinner co-chair; MGen Lewis
MacKenzie (1993); John Cleghorn (1998); Michael MacMillan (1999); Neil
Fraser, dinner co-chair; Alan McKenzie, dinner committee member
Oscar winner and a Canadian Titan in the fascinating world of
entertainment, Michael MacMillan is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Alliance Atlantis Communications, a multi-million dollar company which
created headlines in July 1998 when MacMillan’s Atlantis Communications
joined forces with Alliance Communications to become Canada’s largest
television and movie production company. Born in Scarborough, Ontario,
Michael graduated from Upper Canada College with honours, as he did from
Queen’s University, with Honour BA in Film Studies. With two friends, he
launched Atlantis Films Ltd in 1978 with a total capital of $300, their
life savings. Michael MacMillan is on the Board of Governors of the
Canadian Stage Company, Toronto East General Hospital Foundation, the
Canadian Film and Production Association and is Vice-Chairman of the
Canadian Film Centre and a Trustee of the Gaelic Society of Toronto. When
he’s got time on his hands, he enjoys marathon running. Michael MacMillan
and his wife Cathy Spoel have three children.
2000 - Lynton (Red) Wilson, O.C., MA
Lynton
(Red) Wilson, Chairman of the Board of Directors, BCE Inc., has worked for
four Canadian institutions founded by Canadian Scots: McMillan Bloedel,
Redpath Industires, the Bank of Nova Scotia and Bell Canada Enterprises.
In fact, he has served as chief executive of two of them: Redpath
Industries, founded by John Redpath, a Scottish stonemason; and Bell
Canada Enterprises, originally incorporated as the Bell Telephone Company
in 1880 by Alexander Graham Bell and his father, Alexander Melville Bell.
However, he was not chosen as Scot of the Year for having enjoyed a
lifetime of Canadian Scottish associations and influences, but for his
dedication and foresight in the preservation and teaching of Canadian
history. Red Wilson has turned a personal dream into a
multi-million-dollar foundation, a national history foundation to
encourage the teaching and learning of Canada’s past. He personally
donated $500,000 to launch HISTOR!CA Foundation of Canada and then
enlisted the support of fellow Canadian business leaders, including the
Royal Bank’s John Cleghorn [1998 Scot of the Year], and others who read
like a Who’s Who in Canadian business. [Following his retirement from the
Royal Bank of Canada, John Cleghorn has since taken on the role of chief
executive of HISTOR!CA.]
We’re losing our sense of how great this country is,
and how it came to be great. If you don’t know where
you came from, how do you know where you belong.
- Red Wilson
He noted that the Scots have always been a mobile people who
traditionally looked beyond their own borders for opportunities, and cited
as an example, Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), a remarkable man, born a
Scot, buried in Canada, whose epitaph read: "died a citizen of the United
States." Michael MacMillan, the 1999 recipient, presented the 2000 award
to Red Wilson, who looked resplendent in his new Wilson tartan and formal
Highland accessories. He was also the surprised recipient of a large cake,
complete with sparklers, in celebration of his birthday [a secret passed
on in confidence by his dedicated assistant, who shall remain anonymous].
Red Wilson and his wife Brenda have two daughters and one son.
2001 - Katherine Macmillan, BA (Hons.)
Kathie Macmillan is President and CEO of Goldfarb Consultants, one of
the largest global marketing research companies with its head office in
Toronto and consulting offices throughout Europe, the UK and the Americas.
Working with clients all over the world, she has developed strategies
associated with branding, customer communications, corporate advertising
as well as customer and employee loyalty and retention. Specifically,
Kathie spent 13 years with the diversified health care company Warner
Lambert working out of Toronto, New Jersey, Latin America and the UK,
before moving on to the Campbell Soup Company as General Manager and VP of
Marketing. Immediately prior to joining Goldfarb Consultants in November
1998, Kathie spent more than four years with the Bank of Montreal as Vice
President of Corporate Marketing.
In addition to her business pursuits, Kathie has always found time to
be active within the community at large. Dedicated to the objectives of
MADD (mothers against drunk driving), she is currently Vice Chair of its
board as well as the Chair of its Finance and Resources Committee. She
also chairs the Gender Portrayal Panel for Advertising Standards Canada.
She is also a member of the Marketing Committee for the United Way of
Greater Toronto. Kathie’s interests include telling a good joke, enjoying
fine wines, exploring the parks of Toronto with her two dogs, and a keen
passion for golf - anytime, anywhere! Kathie Macmillan graciously accepted
the 2001 Scot of the Year award from the 1999 recipient, Michael MacMillan,
Chairman and CEO of Alliance Atlantis Communications, who happens to be a
distant cousin.
Having spent five years chairing the dinner and serving as MC, it was a
pleasant change for Neil to sit back and relax. We enjoyed seeing Margaret
Struth of Burnett’s and Struth Highland Wear in Barrie, Ontario, and
meeting Alistair Buchan, Chairman of Lochcarron, one of the largest
manufacturers of tartan in Scotland. As fellow members of the Scottish
Tartans Authority, Neil and Alistair found a lot to talk about during
dinner. Unfortunately, a previously scanned photo of Kathie with Alistair
and Neil, taken at this event, was lost in a recent crash of our
computer’s hard drive and our quirky scanner is currently not functioning
properly, to allow the photo to be reproduced for this article.
2002 - Alistair MacLeod, BA, B.Ed, MA, Ph.D
The individual nominated to receive this year’s award is Alistair
MacLeod, who was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 1936, and at
the age of ten returned to the family farm in Cape Breton. After
completing high school, MacLeod attended teacher’s college in Truro and
then taught school. Deciding to further his education, he attended St.
Francis Xavier University between 1957 and 1960 graduating with a BA and
B.Ed. MacLeod then went on to receive his MA in 1961 from the University
of New Brunswick and a Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Notre Dame. A
specialist in British literature of the 19th century, MacLeod
taught English for three years at the University of Indiana before
accepting a post in 1969 at the University of Windsor where he is a
Professor of English and Creative Writing. He and his family return to
Cape Breton every summer, where he spends part of his time…"writing in a
cliff-top cabin looking west towards Prince Edward Island." He is the
author of "No Great Mischief".
2003 - (dual
awards)
Alastair Gillespie, former Liberal Cabinet Minister and long-time Governor
of the Scottish Studies Foundation. T. Iain Ronald, prominent executive in
the financial and retail industries.
Both
Alastair and Iain were active members of the Campaign for Scottish Studies
at the University of Guelph and were instrumental in raising significant
amounts of money that went towards the funding of the Chair of Scottish
Studies there.
T. Iain Ronald, M.B.A., B. LAW., F.C.A. has had a fifty-year career in the
finance and retail industries in Canada. He continues to serve on a number
of prominent Canadian boards and works tirelessly for many non-profit
organizations. He has served as Chairman of BFI Canada Income Fund since
2003 and has been a Trustee since inception. He serves on the board of
directors of several major Canadian companies, including Loblaw Companies
Limited, Leon's Furniture Limited, Strongco Inc. and TransAlta Power Ltd.
He is also a trustee of Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust.
Mr.Ronald retired from the position of Vice Chairman of CIBC in 1995. Mr.
Ronald has a Bachelors Degree in Law from the University of Glasgow, an
M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, is a member of The Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Scotland and is a Fellow of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
The Honourable Alastair Gillespie, P.C., O.C. has had a successful career
as a Minister of the Crown and in the business world. He has a long record
of community service, and in 1998, was named an Officer of the Order of
Canada. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Gillespie attended Brentwood
College School, McGill University and then Oxford University as a Rhodes
Scholar. After receiving a business degree from the University of Toronto,
he went on to senior role in the educational publisher W.J. Gage and
company. Gillespie was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for
the Toronto riding of Etobicoke in 1968 election. He was re-elected in the
1972 and 1974 elections. He held various ministerial positions including:
Industry, Trade and Commerce; Energy, Mines and Resoources; State for
Science and Technology; and Parliamentary Secretary to the President of
the Treasury Board.
2004
John McDermott
The
ninth of 12 children from a traditional Glasgow Irish family who
emigrated from Scotland to Canada in the 1960s, John McDermott's musical
roots are equal parts Scottish and Irish. He was discovered quite by
chance when, as a circulation sales representative for the Toronto Sun,
he gave an impromptu rendition of "Danny Boy" at a company party. That
catapulted him into a musical career that in 10 years includes nine
full-length albums, three Canadian platinum records, five Juno
nominations and a solid international touring schedule.
In the USA, McDermott's success has provided him with the ability to
express his commitment to veterans' causes, which have always occupied a
central place in his life and have been an important theme in his music.
In recognition of this commitment, McDermott was awarded one of the
United States' highest accolades: the Congressional Medal of Honor
Society's "Bob Hope Award." Especially important to McDermott are the
legions of homeless veterans in big cities and small towns from coast to
coast. His concern is borne out through innovative projects such as
McDermott House, a transitional housing cooperative for veterans in
Washington, D.C., and more recently, the Hope McDermott Day Program
Center in Boston, Mass.
2005
Douglas M. Gibson
Douglas
Maitland Gibson was born in 1943 and raised in Scotland, where he gained
an MA at the University of St. Andrews. After acquiring a further MA at
Yale, he came to Canada in 1967 and entered the world of publishing in
March 1968, as an editor with Doubleday Canada. Through a series of
accidents he found himself running an editorial department at the age of
25, and publishing books set from Newfoundland to British Columbia and
editing authors ranging from Harry J. Boyle to Barry Broadfoot.
He joined Macmillan of Canada as Editorial Director in 1974 and became
Publisher in 1979. In those years he had the privilege of editing
authors such as Morley Callaghan, Hugh MacLennan, Bruce Hutchison, and
Robertson Davies. Early in 1986 he joined McClelland & Stewart as Editor
and Publisher of a new line of books under his own imprint, a first in
Canada. Since then Douglas Gibson Books has published works by authors
such as Alice Munro, Peter Gzowski, Jack Hodgins, James Houston, W.O.
Mitchell and Mavis Gallant. In 1988 he became Publisher of McClelland &
Stewart and in 2000 he was named President and Publisher.
As a member of the publishing community he has taught courses in editing
to many groups. He is a member of the Quadrangle Society of Massey
College and the Scottish Studies Board at the University of Guelph. As a
writer, his work has appeared in The Bumper Book, in a book on Alistair
MacLeod and in Saturday Night, Toronto Life, Books in Canada, the
National Post and the Globe and Mail. From 1981 to 1984 he was the
weekly movie reviewer for the CBC radio programme "Sunday Morning." He
spoke as a Canadian representative at the International Publishers'
Association Convention in London in 1988. As a Council Member of
Historica he has spoken at a number of Canadian Clubs.
2006 - John
McDermott
The
ninth of 12 children from a traditional Glasgow Irish family who emigrated
from Scotland to Canada in the 1960s, John McDermott's musical roots are
equal parts Scottish and Irish. He was discovered quite by chance when, as
a circulation sales representative for the Toronto Sun, he gave an
impromptu rendition of "Danny Boy" at a company party. That catapulted him
into a musical career that in 10 years includes nine full-length albums,
three Canadian platinum records, five Juno nominations and a solid
international touring schedule.
In the USA, McDermott's success has provided him with the ability to
express his commitment to veterans' causes, which have always occupied a
central place in his life and have been an important theme in his music.
In recognition of this commitment, McDermott was awarded one of the United
States' highest accolades: the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's "Bob
Hope Award." Especially important to McDermott are the legions of homeless
veterans in big cities and small towns from coast to coast. His concern is
borne out through innovative projects such as McDermott House, a
transitional housing cooperative for veterans in Washington, D.C., and
more recently, the Hope McDermott Day Program Center in Boston, Mass.
2005 - Douglas
M. Gibson
Douglas
Maitland Gibson was born in 1943 and raised in Scotland, where he gained
an MA at the University of St. Andrews. After acquiring a further MA at
Yale, he came to Canada in 1967 and entered the world of publishing in
March 1968, as an editor with Doubleday Canada. Through a series of
accidents he found himself running an editorial department at the age of
25, and publishing books set from Newfoundland to British Columbia and
editing authors ranging from Harry J. Boyle to Barry Broadfoot.
He joined Macmillan of Canada as Editorial Director in 1974 and became
Publisher in 1979. In those years he had the privilege of editing authors
such as Morley Callaghan, Hugh MacLennan, Bruce Hutchison, and Robertson
Davies. Early in 1986 he joined McClelland & Stewart as Editor and
Publisher of a new line of books under his own imprint, a first in Canada.
Since then Douglas Gibson Books has published works by authors such as
Alice Munro, Peter Gzowski, Jack Hodgins, James Houston, W.O. Mitchell and
Mavis Gallant. In 1988 he became Publisher of McClelland & Stewart and in
2000 he was named President and Publisher.
As a member of the publishing community he has taught courses in editing
to many groups. He is a member of the Quadrangle Society of Massey College
and the Scottish Studies Board at the University of Guelph. As a writer,
his work has appeared in The Bumper Book, in a book on Alistair MacLeod
and in Saturday Night, Toronto Life, Books in Canada, the National Post
and the Globe and Mail. From 1981 to 1984 he was the weekly movie reviewer
for the CBC radio programme "Sunday Morning." He spoke as a Canadian
representative at the International Publishers' Association Convention in
London in 1988. As a Council Member of Historica he has spoken at a number
of Canadian Clubs.
2006 - Hugh
Boyle
Hugh
Boyle is the chair and principal shareholder of Zoom Airlines and the
founder and chair of the resoundingly successful Go Travel Direct,
Canada's first direct-sell tour operator. Both businesses have grown
rapidly in the six years since inception. Go Travel Direct offers
Canadians the opportunity to take a break from frigid temperatures during
the winter months and fly to a multitude of southern destinations while
Zoom Airlines offers exceptional low rates to Europe from a host of
Canadian locations.
Over the years, Hugh has provided crucial support to the Foundation which
has greatly facilitated travel between Scotland and Canada for students,
artists and other involved in the pursuit of Scottish studies.
Originally from Bellshill in Lanarkshire, Scotland, Canada is now home for
Hugh and his family. Although he has adjusted to the Canadian way of life,
he still considers himself a Scot through and through.
2007 - Jean Watson
Thanks to
the efforts of Jean Watson, Tartan Day April 6th, has become a yearly
event not only in Canada but all over the world.
The concept of "Tartan Day" began at a meeting of the Federation of
Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia on March 9, 1986 when members Bill Crowell
and Jean Watson put forward the following motion to the Federation:
"That we
establish a day known as 'Tartan Day'. This to be a day chosen to promote
Scottish Heritage by the most visible means: the wearing of the Scottish
attire, especially in places where the kilt is not ordinarily worn, i.e.:
work, play or worship."
Started
originally as "Tartan Day in Nova Scotia," Jean Watson approached every
provincial Legislative Assembly in Canada, as well as other
Scottish-cultural societies across Canada, to help get such a date
established.
After ten years of work, Tartan Day in Canada was approved in every
Provincial Assembly from sea to sea by Premier's proclamation or Members'
Bill, the last being in the National Assembly at Québec City, where it was
finally proclaimed in December 2003 -- 16 years after the first such
proclamation in Nova Scotia.
In Canada, Tartan Day, April 6th, Canadians are encouraged to wear tartan
in commemoration of the contributions of Scots and their descendants to
the fabric of their society.
Jean was born on May 29, 1936 in Pictou, Nova Scotia and is the daughter
of Angus and Rita (Nee: Heighton) MacKaracher.
She was a cancer survivor at age fifteen which took a toll on her youth
and education. Despite this, she moved to Halifax in 1958 and continued to
work there as a bookkeeper for twenty-one years.
She liked to draw from a very early age and went on to become an amateur
artist gaining her teaching status some twenty-five years ago and still
teaches art classes on a regular basis. She founded the Dalriada Art Group
which she still manages, and assisted other art groups to form.
As a child, her parents always encouraged her interest in her Scottish
background and she delved into her history after joining the Federation of
Scottish Clans In Nova Scotia and has served as its President on two
different occasions.
She and her husband founded the Pipes and Drums of Clan Farquharson in
1981 and she served as their President for six years. She was a founding
member of the Clan Farquharson Society of Canada later founding the Clan
Lamont Society of Canada, the Clan Watson Society of Canada and in 2002
the Stewart/Stuart Association of Nova Scotia, helping all to get active
and, at various times, serving as President for each Society.
She served from 1996 to 2000 as President of the Royal Canadian Legion, in
Waverley, N. S. (Branch 90) during which time she received the Meritorious
Service Award for her work in preventing the closure of this Branch. She
is a 30-year member of the Legion and has been active in various Heritage
Societies and community endeavors.
In 2004 she was recognized by the St. Andrews Presbyterian College,
Scottish Heritage Center in Laurinburg, North Carolina for her work in
promoting "Tartan Day April 6th" and received the Flora Macdonald Award.
She served as a one-person committee for ten years following "Tartan Days"
initiation by the Federation of Scottish Clans In Nova Scotia in 1986 and,
as a result, has justly become known as "The Mother of Tartan Day."
As if all of this were not enough, at age 70 she had her first song
released on CD: "Isobel's Song" a ballad about the attack on Toward
Castle, in Argyll, Scotland in the 1700's.
2008
- Donald Stewart
Donald A. Stewart is Chief Executive Officer of Sun
Life Financial Inc.
A native of Scotland, Mr. Stewart joined the Sun Life
Assurance Company of Canada in London, England in 1969. He emigrated to
Montreal in 1972, after qualifying as a Fellow of the Institute of
Actuaries.
In 1974, Mr. Stewart left the Company to pursue a
career in benefits consulting in Toronto. He returned in 1980 to lead
the Canadian Group Retirement Services Division. From 1987 to 1992, Mr.
Stewart held overall responsibility for Information Technology. He was
appointed head of Sun Life Trust Company in September 1992. In 1996 he
was appointed President & Chief Operating Officer, and in 1998 Chief
Executive Officer.
Mr. Stewart led the successful demutualization of Sun
Life Assurance Company of Canada that was completed in March 2000. He
has since grown the parent company, Sun Life Financial Inc., through
acquisitions in Canada, the United States and Hong Kong.
Mr. Stewart is a director of the American Council of
Life Insurers, and international aluminium products company Novelis Inc.
He is also a trustee of CI Financial Income Fund.
Born in 1946, Mr. Stewart holds a degree in Natural
Philosophy from the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1968 with first
class honours.
2009 - Flora MacDonald
The
former cabinet minister who served in the Canadian federal government in
the 1970s and 80s. Flora MacDonald may not be foreign minister any
longer, but you wouldn't know it from her itinerary. At 82, she is still
adding to a travelogue that includes at least 100 countries in her
concern for the plight and progress of women in developing countries.
Named after the Scottish Jacobite heroine of Bonnie Prince Charlie fame,
Flora MacDonald was born in North Sydney, NS, a sixth generation
Canadian whose forebears came to Canada from the Scottish Highlands in
the 1790s. She was educated in public schools and business college in
Nova Scotia. Later she became the first woman enrolled in the National
Defence College’s year-long graduate course in international relations.
She was first elected to the Parliament of Canada in October 1972 and
served as MP for Kingston and the Islands until November 1988, holding
three cabinet posts: Secretary of State for External Affairs, the first
woman in Canada to be named to the prestigious Foreign Affairs Minister
portfolio; Minister of Employment and Immigration; and Minister of
Communications and Culture.
Prior to her election, Flora was administrative assistant and tutor in
the political studies department at Queen’s University, and was also
employed at the national headquarters of the PC Party of Canada becoming
acting national director.
Since leaving politics she has held numerous national and international
posts and has served on the board or advisory councils of many
organizations. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Companion of
the Order of Canada, and a member of the Order of Ontario. She has
received the Jordanian El Kawkab Medal by King Hussein for significant
contribution to public service; the Pearson Peace Medal; the Churchill
Society’s award for Excellence in the Cause of Parliamentary Democracy;
and was the first Canadian to receive the Padma Shri Award (India’s
highest award to civilians) from the President of India for
distinguished service in the field of public affairs. She holds honorary
degrees from universities in Canada, the United States and United
Kingdom.
2010 - Richard Wernham B.A. LL.B
18th
annual "Scot of the Year Award" presented to
Richard Wernham B.A. LL.B in recognition of his role in supporting
cultural and educational activities in Canada.
Richard is a
power to be reckoned with. He has more than twenty years’ experience in
the global wealth management industry and was the founder and Chief
Executive of Global Strategy Financial, one of Canada’s largest
independent mutual fund companies.
Currently the Chairman of the
Soutterham Group, he was formerly a lawyer with Torys, specializing in
securities and corporate law. Richard was also a Special Lecturer in
Law, Trinity College at the University of Toronto from 1977-1994 and
remains active in the academic community holding appointments as Chair
of the Board of Greenwood College School, as a Trustee and member of the
Foundation’s Joint Foundation/School Strategic Planning Committee of
Lakefield College School, and as a Chair of the Investment Committee for
Upper Canada College.
Richard has been a significant financial
supporter of the academic community, and with his wife, Julia, funded
the establishment of the Richard Wernham and Julia West Centre for
Learning at Upper Canada College. Richard also co-founded Greenwood
College School, a co-educational independent day school in Toronto. The
Robert L. Payton Award 2010 was presented to Richard by the Council for
Advancement and Support of Education. He is a Governor of the Royal
Ontario Museum.
2011
- Scots-Canadian mining engineer, businessman and philanthropist Robert
M. Buchan in recognition of his role in supporting philanthropic and
educational activities in Canada and Scotland.
Born in Aberdeen and brought up in Rosyth, Fife, Mr. Buchan graduated
with a B.Sc. (hons) in Mining Engineering from Heriot-Watt University in
Edinburgh in 1969 and in 1971 obtained a Masters in Mineral Economics
from Queen's University, in Kingston.
In 2009 he donated $10 million to Queen's University, the largest single
donation to mining education in Canadian history. In September 2010 it
was announced that Buchan was donating £1.3 million to his Scottish alma
mater, to fund their work on sustainable energy engineering, the largest
donation the university has ever received from an individual. He has
also donated £650,000 to help establish the Whitlock Energy
Collaboration Centre at Carnegie College in Fife, believed to be the
largest single private individual donation to a Scottish college since
the time of Andrew Carnegie.
From 1971 to 1974 Mr. Buchan worked as a design engineer at Joy
Manufacturing and then as a Securities Analyst at A.E. Ames from 1974 to
1978 and at BBN from 1978 to 1984.
He participated in the formation of CMP Funds, and served as its
President from 1984 to 1988 and also participated in the creation of
Dundee Bancorp in 1987 and served as its Vice-Chairman until 1994.
During that period, he ran the merchant banking division, DCC Equities.
In 1994, he left Dundee to form Kinross Gold Corporation acting as that
company's CEO from 1993 to 2004 and in 2005 he started Katanga Copper
Company, and served as that company's Chairman until 2007 when he formed
Allied Nevada Gold Corporation serving as that company's Chairman since
inception.
Throughout Mr. Buchan's career, he has served on numerous boards of
resource companies, as well as being Chairman of Quest Capital.
He has served on the foundations of Sunnybrook Hospital, the Art Gallery
of Ontario and chaired a capital campaign for the CNIB (2005-2007). He
has been elected to the Board of Trustees of Queen's University through
2014 and is a director of the Buchan Family Foundation, which is
involved in a number of philanthropic causes and campaigns.
2012
John Anderson Fraser
John
Anderson Fraser is one of Canada's most accomplished academics in the
field of journalism, born in Montreal in 1944 and raised in Toronto.
After graduating from Memorial University he took further degrees in
England and became a journalist with the old Toronto Telegram. At The
Globe and Mail he made the surprising direct ascent from Drama Critic to
Chinese Correspondent, which provided him with the material for his
successful book, "The Chinese, Portrait of a People" (1980).
He has since written seven other books, and last month published "The
Secret of the Crown -- Canada's Affair With Royalty" which explores the
endurance and allure of the Crown in Canada. With his trademark wit and
artful agility, John looks at the Crown's evolution from the Age of
Deference to the era of celebrity to the present popular revival. The
book was showcased at the event and John had his favourite pen set aside
with which to sign copies.
He was the Editor of Saturday Night Magazine from 1987 to 1994, moving
on in 1995 to his current position as Master of Massey College in the
University of Toronto. There, besides his teaching and administrative
duties, he busies himself with contributions to a host of volunteer
boards. Proudly aware of his own Scottish heritage, he is an active
participant in many Scottish events.
2013
Lewis MacKinnon
Lewis
MacKinnon is a Nova Scotia poet, writer, singer and songwriter who, in
2011, was crowned poet laureate for the Royal National Mòd - an
eight-day celebration of Gaelic music, dance, drama, arts and literature
held annually in Scotland. It was the first time in its more than
120-year history that a non-Scot has been named poet laureate.
MacKinnon is better known as the executive director of Gaelic Affairs
for the Province of Nova Scotia on Canada's east coast, though some
still know him as the young fellow from Antigonish County's Dunmore Road
who speaks and sings the Gaelic, even although it has been more than two
centuries since his people left Moidart and the Isle of Muck in
Scotland.
2014
The Hon. Roy MacLaren
Canadian
politician, diplomat, historian and author Roy MacLaren was born in
Vancouver in 1934 and is proud of his Scots ancestry. (His forebears
came to Canada in 1803 from Perthshire, settling in PEI.) Roy received a
Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia with a
major in History, a Master's degree from St Catharine's College,
Cambridge, a Master of Divinity degree from the University of Trinity
College and an honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters degree from the
University of Toronto, another honorary degree from the University of
Alabama, and in 1973 attended Harvard University's Advanced Management
Program. In 2002, he received the Alumni Award of Distinction from the
University of British Columbia. During twelve years with the Canadian
Foreign Service, Roy's postings included Hanoi, Saigon, Prague and the
United Nations in New York and Geneva. He served as the Canadian Chair
of the Canada-Europe Round Table and the Canadian Institute for
International Affairs. He has also served on the Canadian and British
board of directors of Deutsche Bank plus a number of other
multi-national corporations. He is also the Honorary Colonel of the 7th
Toronto Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. MacLaren is currently the
Honorary Chairman of the Canada-India Business Council. His historical
book, Canadians on the Nile, 1882-1898 was published in 1978 and the
following year he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the
Liberal MP for Etobicoke North. In June 1983, MacLaren was appointed by
Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as Minister of State [Finance]. In June
1984, he was appointed to John Turner's cabinet as Minister of National
Revenue and in 1988 he was again elected MP for Etobicoke North. After
the Liberals won the 1993 election, he was appointed Minister of
International Trade, but resigned that position and his seat in 1996,
when he was appointed High Commissioner for Canada in the United Kingdom
serving until 2000.
2015
Robert McEwen, CM
Canadian
gold mining legend and philanthropist Robert McEwen, CM is the Chairman
and CEO of McEwen Mining Inc., Chairman of Lexam VG Gold Inc. and was
the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Goldcorp Inc., which is the
world's second largest gold producer based on market capitalization.
Rob's philanthropic efforts are designed to encourage excellence and
innovation in health care and education. McEwen has donated in excess of
$25 million over the past four years including: $20 million to establish
the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the Toronto General
Hospital; $1.5 million to Schulich School of Business, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada; $1.0 million to the Red Lake Margaret Cochenour Memorial
Hospital, Red Lake, Ontario, Canada, and $0.7 million to two museums and
a church.
2016
Alice Munro
Alice
Ann Munro (born 10 July 1931) is a Canadian short story writer and Nobel
Prize winner. Her work has been described as having revolutionized the
architecture of short stories, especially in its tendency to move
forward and backward in time. Her stories have been said to "embed more
than announce, reveal more than parade." Munro's fiction is most often
set in her native Huron County in southwestern Ontario and her stories
explore human complexities in an uncomplicated prose style. Munro is the
recipient of many literary accolades, including the 2013 Nobel Prize in
Literature for her work as "master of the contemporary short story," and
the 2009 Man Booker International Prize for her lifetime body of work.
She is also a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for
fiction and was the recipient of the Writers' Trust of Canada's 1996
Marian Engel Award, as well as the 2004 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction
Prize for Runaway.
2017
Bruce Simpson
Is a senior partner of McKinsey & Company, where he
has worked for nearly 30 years. He was the managing director of the
Canada office for eight years and then convened the firm’s global
Operations Practice. Bruce now co-leads the New Ventures Competition (NVC).
This venture capital approach identifies, funds, and incubates startups
inside McKinsey, leveraging McKinsey’s unparalleled access to leading
companies and go-to-market channels to help them move rapidly from
startup to scale up. NVC also seeks promising disruptive technologies
outside the firm and builds collaborative partnerships with
entrepreneurs and research institutions to develop applications for
McKinsey clients.
Bruce serves major institutions in the aerospace, mining, and industrial
sectors, as well as in the public sector, and he is an advocate for
Canadian competitiveness in international business. His work includes
designing and implementing transformation programs with large companies
seeking to improve their business performance and achieve cultural
renewal while fully engaging and aligning employees at all levels. He
has extensive expertise in agile leadership, focusing on how leaders can
build skills to handle volatility and unpredictability in their
businesses. In addition, he helps clients develop strategies for
long-term success that also address stakeholders’ economic, social, and
environmental concerns.
Before moving to Canada in 2000, Bruce held various leadership roles at
McKinsey in New York and Paris. He spent 12 years cofounding then
helping to build the firm’s Operations Practice in Europe. Prior to
joining McKinsey, he held various marketing and product management
positions at P&G in Europe.
Bruce has published articles and given speeches on Canada in the Pacific
Century, public sector productivity, business in society, and
Canada-Japan and Canada-China business relationships. He is active in
the community on healthcare, corporate social responsibility, and human
rights issues. He serves on the boards of Catalyst, Human Rights Watch,
and the Trans Canada Trail.
He holds a BA and an MA in law from Cambridge University, an MBA from
The Wharton School, and an MA in international studies from the Joseph
H. Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies at the
University of Pennsylvania.
Bruce was awarded a Churchill Medallion by Her Majesty the Queen for
exploration in China, was a professional ski racer and musician, and is
a keen sea kayaker in the Arctic. He and his wife Tracy have three sons.
He was also awarded the Scot of the Year in 2017 by the Scottish Studies
Foundation of Toronto.
2018
Graham Fraser
It
was back in 1993 that we initiated our Annual Scot of the Year Award to
honour individuals with a Scottish connection who have achieved
distinction through their contribution to Canadian society or the
international community at large and at our 2018 event during which we
paid tribute to this year's recipient: Graham Fraser, Canada's sixth
Commissioner of Official Languages, a former Canadian journalist and a
writer whose Scots ancestry can be traced to the north of Scotland. We
were delighted to receive
congratulatory letters from Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
and Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland which were read out at
the event.
Graham is the son of Blair Fraser, a respected newspaper and magazine
reporter of the mid-20th century who sadly drowned on a canoe trip in
1968. Graham attended Upper Canada College and later studied at the
University of Toronto where he obtained a BA in 1968 and an MA in
History in 1973. During his career as a journalist, Fraser wrote for
Maclean's, The Globe and Mail, The Montreal Gazette, The Toronto Star
and Le Devoir.
Graham's unusual abilities as a journalist writing in both of Canada's
official languages gave him natural qualifications to be Canada's
Commissioner of Official Languages. In early 2006 he published a book,
Sorry, I Don't Speak French, which reviewed the successes and failures
of Canada's policy of official bilingualism. It was largely on the basis
of the book and of Fraser's bilingual work experience that he was
appointed Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages in September 2006.
His wife Barbara Uteck was Private Secretary for the Governor General of
Canada from 2000 to 2006 and lived at Rideau Cottage behind Rideau Hall.
Article and photos provided by
Marie Fraser, Clan Fraser Society
of Canada and added to by other contributors since.
