Melvin H. Smith,

Q.C. QC may refer to: Places * Quebec, a Canadian province ** Quebec City, its capital * Quezon City, Philippines * The Quad Cities, an American metropolitan area along the Mississippi River * QualiEd College, a Hong Kong high school Arts and entert ...

(1934–2000) spent 31 years in the public service of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Born in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

in 1934, Mel Smith graduated from UBC with Commerce and Law degrees. In 1960, Smith was called to the Bar of British Columbia. He became a B.C. public servant and served for 31 years. He was the ranking official on constitutional law and reform issues for four successive provincial administrations from 1967 to 1987. A key player in the patriation of the Constitution in 1981, Smith was also a leader in the "NO" campaign on the

Charlottetown Accord The Charlottetown Accord () was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canada, Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendums in Canada, referendum on October ...

. After retiring from government in 1991, he spent his time as a consultant, commentator and columnist for BC Report, and lecturer at

Trinity Western University Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The ...

. He authored the best-selling book "Our Home or Native Land?", among many other publications and essays. Mel believed Canadians are on the threshold of achieving greater opportunity for a stronger and more balanced Canada, and felt that Canadians, as a nation, must recommit themselves to the transcendent values of hard work, loyalty, honesty, and integrity.

The Mel Smith Collection

This Special Collection, housed in

's Archives, comprises a comprehensive set of professional and personal papers chronicling the events of the most crucial period of federal-provincial relations—1967 to 1992. The collection includes documents, briefing papers, position papers, correspondence, books, news clippings, photographs, and memorabilia relating to the events of these years viewed from a B.C. perspective. The collection is available to students and researchers from all institutions.

The Mel Smith Scholarship Award

An endowment fund has been established to grant an annual scholarship to a TWU student of exceptional academic ability, majoring in Canadian History or Political Science. Recipients of this award prepare a research paper on a constitutional issue, which is then published in the Archives.

The Mel Smith Lectures

Every year since 1999, TWU has hosted the Mel Smith Lecture & Scholarship Presentation. Lecture topics range from citizen engagement to aboriginal self-government. Speakers have included the following: *

Rafe Mair Kenneth Rafe Mair (31 December 1931 – 9 October 2017) was a Canadian lawyer, political commentator, radio personality and politician in British Columbia, Canada. He served in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly as the member for Kamloo ...

(1999) - "The Role of BC in Constitutional Reform" *

Preston Manning Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a retired Canadian politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tu ...

, CC (2000) - "Thinking Big About the Future" * Gordon Gibson, OBC (2001) - "B.C. and Canada: The Old Ways and New" * Nick Loenen (2002) - "Should Canada Consider Proportional Representation" *

Ted Morton Frederick Lee Morton (born 1949), known commonly as Ted Morton, is an American-Canadian politician and former cabinet minister in the Alberta government. As a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, he represented the constituency of ...

(2003) - "Our Turn: A New Course for the West" * John Weston, MP (2004) - "Why Never Give In" * Ken Carty (2005) - "Turning Voters Into Citizens" * David Elton (2006) - "Citizen Engagement: Democracy At Its Best" *

Chuck Strahl Charles Richard Strahl (February 25, 1957 – August 13, 2024) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2011. First elected for the Reform Party, he was the leader of the Democratic Representative C ...

, PC, MP (2007) - "Logging, Politics, Life: It Matters Where You Stand" *

Ralph Klein Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...

(2008) - "Government and Politics: Ralph's Way" *

Deborah Grey Deborah Cleland Grey (born July 1, 1952) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the Official Opposition in 2000, from March to September. Grey was elected to the House of Common ...

, OC (2009) - "Power, Parliament, and Preston Manning: My Life as a Reformer" * D. Martyn Brown, (2014)- "Visions versus Pipelines: Beyond the Effort"

References

External links

Mel Smith ArchivesTrinity Western University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Melvin H. Academic staff of Trinity Western University Smith, Melvin Q.C. Smith, Melvin Q.C. Smith, Melvin Q.C.