J. Gerald "Gerry" Godsoe (died April 1996) LL.B, QC, and

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Esta ...

, was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

lawyer, former executive director of the

MacDonald Commission The Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada, also known as the Macdonald Commission, was a historic landmark in Canadian economy policy. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed the Royal Commission in 1982, and ...

and president and CEO of

Nova Scotia Power Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a vertical integration, vertically integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Nov ...

. Godsoe was a frequent advisor to governments, both provincially and federally. In the 1970s, he advised on energy policies for his home province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. In the 1980s, he was a special advisor and counsel to the federal government of Canada on offshore mineral rights and the

Canadian constitution The Constitution of Canada () is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents are an amalgamation of various ...

. He is most well known for being the executive director of the

, which set the agenda for economic policy in Canada for years to come. In particular, it paved the way for free trade negotiations between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

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. He died in HalifaxSpeech by Mary Clancy
''Hansard'', House of Commons (Canada), April 16, 1996 at the age of 54, as a result of complications following treatment for

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. His family and

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

created the J. Gerald Godsoe ScholarshipEntrance Scholarships
Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University to honour his memory by supporting students with a passion for public policy issues facing Canada. He was survived by his wife, Dale Godsoe, and their three children, Suzanne, Stacey and Laura.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godsoe, Gerry 1940s births 1996 deaths 20th-century King's Counsel Dalhousie University alumni Canadian King's Counsel Deaths from leukemia in Canada Deaths from cancer in Nova Scotia 20th-century Canadian lawyers