Gordon Francis Joseph Osbaldeston (April 29, 1930 – March 6, 2019) was a Canadian civil servant.
Early life
Born in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, he received a
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce (BCom or B Com) is an undergraduate degree in commerce, accounting, mathematics, economics, and management-related subjects.
The degree is mainly offered in Commonwealth nations.
Structure
Bachelor of Commerce
The Bac ...
from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
in 1952 and a
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
from the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...
in 1953. He was the gold medalist at St. Michaels College, the University of Toronto and the gold medalist at the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. He has received honorary degrees of Doctor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario (1984),
York University
York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
(1984),
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 ...
(1985), and
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...
(1987).
In 1981 he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
and was promoted to Companion in 1997.
In 1953, he married Geraldine Margaret Keller of Kitchener, Ontario (deceased). They have four children Stephen, David, Robert and Catherine.
He joined the public service of Canada in 1953. He was posted to São Paulo, Brazil, Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California as a Canadian Government Trade Commissioner. On return to Ottawa in 1964, he served consecutively as Assistant Director, Personnel, Assistant Director, Planning and Executive Director of the Canadian Government
Trade Commissioner Service
Part of Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) is a network of more than 1000 trade professionals working in Canadian embassies, high commissions, and consulates located in 161 cities around the world and with offic ...
. In 1968, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the newly formed Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. In 1970, he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Board in charge of the Program branch. From 1972 to 1973, he was Deputy Minister of the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. From 1973 to 1976, he was Deputy Minister of the Treasury Board. From 1976 to 1978, he was Deputy Minister of the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce. In 1978, he was appointed Secretary, Minister of State for Economic Development. In 1982, he was Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs. From 1982 to 1985, he was the
Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. As such, he served three Prime Ministers, namely, the Right Honourables Pierre Elliott Trudeau, John Turner, and Brian Mulroney.
In 1986, he joined the faculty of the Ivey School of Business and in 1995 he was appointed as a Professor Emeritus.
In 1981, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service. In 1990, he received the Vanier Medal from the Institute of Public Administration of Canada in recognition of outstanding contribution in the field of public administration. In 1977, he was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal () is a commemorative medal created in 1977 to mark the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The medal is physically identical in all realms where it was awarded, save for Canada ...
. In 1992, he was awarded the
Commemorative Medal for the 125th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and in 2002, he was awarded The
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...
and in 2012 he received the
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...
.
He has been a director of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., National Film Board of Canada, Export Development Corporation, Federal Business Development Bank, DeHavilland Aircraft Co., International Development Research Center, The Molson's Co. Ltd., Canada Packers Co. Ltd., DuPont Canada Ltd., Rockwell International Canada, National Bank of Canada, Bell Canada, London Medical Association, Bow Valley Energy Corp., Ellis-Don Ltd., Life Imaging Systems Inc., Great West Lifeco Inc., London Life Insurance Co., Canada Life Insurance Co., and Honorary Director of "Let's Talk Science".
He is the author of ''Keeping Deputy Ministers Accountable''(1988) and ''Organizing to Govern'' (1992).
Osbaldeston died on March 6, 2019, in
London, Ontario
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
Honours
* He was sworn in as a Member of the
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, ...
on 13 February 1986 entitling him to the
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...
and the
post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters, or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation ...
"PC" for Life.
* He has received several
Honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s. These include
;Honorary Degrees
References
*
External links
Order of Canada Citation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osbaldeston, Gordon
1930 births
2019 deaths
Companions of the Order of Canada
People from Hamilton, Ontario
University of Western Ontario alumni
University of Toronto alumni
Clerks of the Privy Council (Canada)