Jeffrey Carl Simpson, OC (born February 17, 1949), is a Canadian journalist. Simpson was ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'''s national affairs columnist for almost three decades. He has won all three of Canada's leading literary prizes: the

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

for non-fiction book writing, the

National Magazine Award The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...

for political writing, and the National Newspaper Award for column writing. He has also won the Hyman Solomon Award for excellence in public policy journalism and the

Donner Prize The Donner Prize is an award given annually by one of Canada's largest foundations, the Donner Canadian Foundation, for books considered excellent in regard to the writing of Canadian public policy. The prize was established in 1998, and is meant t ...

for the best public policy book by a Canadian. In January 2000, he became 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 ...

. Simpson retired from the ''Globe and Mail'' at the end of June 2016.

Early life

Simpson was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and moved to

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 ...

when he was 10 years old. Educated at the

University of Toronto Schools University of Toronto Schools (UTS) is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school follows a specialized academic curriculum, and admission is determined by a written exam ...

, he graduated from Queen's University in 1971 in History and Political Science. There, he worked for the campus radio station CFRC and won the university's Tricolour Award in his graduating year. He then went on to the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

. In 1972 to 1973, he worked as a Parliamentary Intern in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, where he worked for

Ed Broadbent John Edward Broadbent (March 21, 1936 – January 11, 2024) was a Canadian social democracy, social-democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 1975 to 1989, and a Member of Parliament (Ca ...

. Then, he joined ''The Globe and Mail''.

Career

Simpson's career with the ''

Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...

'' began at City Hall in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and with coverage of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

politics. In 1977, he became a member of the paper's

, bureau and 18 months later, he was named as its Ottawa bureau chief. From 1981–1983, Simpson served as the paper's European correspondent, based in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. From January 1984 to June 2016, he wrote a daily ''Globe and Mail'' column on national affairs. Simpson has written numerous magazine articles for such publications as '' Saturday Night'', '' Report on Business Magazine'', the '' Journal of Canadian Studies,'' ''

Queen's Quarterly ''Queen's Quarterly'' is a Canadian quarterly peer-reviewed literary and academic journal of cultural studies. Established in 1893, Queen's Quarterly is Canada's oldest academic quarterly. This magazine has won numerous awards including awards and ...

'', and the '' Literary Review of Canada''. He has spoken at dozens of major conferences in Canada and internationally on a variety of domestic and international issues. Simpson is a frequent and enthusiastic participant in regular political debate on radio or television, in French and in English. He has been a guest lecturer at such universities as

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, Princeton,

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for mos ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and more than a dozen universities in Canada. In 1993–1994, Simpson was on leave from his column as a John S. Knight fellow at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

. He has been a Skelton-Clark fellow and Brockington Visitor at Queen's University. He has also been a John V. Clyne fellow at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, a distinguished visitor at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

, and a member of the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Leadership Seminar. He has been awarded honorary doctorates of laws from the University of British Columbia and 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 ...

. Simpson has been a member of the board of trustees at Queen's University; the board of overseers at Green College, University of British Columbia; the advisory board of the ''Review of Constitutional Studies'' at the University of Alberta; the editorial board of ''The Queen's Quarterly'', and the Canadian Consortium for Asia-Pacific Security at York University and the University of Toronto. He has been vice-chairman of the City of

Library Board. Simpson is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairsbr>
In 2006, Simpson was awarded the Charles Lynch Award in recognition of his outstanding coverage of national issues. Simpson is also an outspoken critic of the

monarchy of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's Government#Forms, form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is one of the key components of Canadian sovereignty and sits at the core of Canadian federalism, Canada's cons ...

and has written in favour of

republicanism Republicanism is a political ideology that encompasses a range of ideas from civic virtue, political participation, harms of corruption, positives of mixed constitution, rule of law, and others. Historically, it emphasizes the idea of self ...

in his column. Simpson is an avid

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. The Senators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Di ...

fan and in 2011 attempted to convince the team to replace its general manager, Bryan Murray by referencing his position as the national affairs columnist on the letterhead of the ''Globe and Mail'' to demand the change. He threatened to not renew his season tickets unless the team fired its general manager. Simpson is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Bibliography

Simpson has authored eight books: *1980 - ''Discipline of Power: The Conservative interlude and the Liberal Restoration'', winner of the 1980 Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction. *1988 - ''Spoils of Power: The Politics of Patronage'' *1993 - ''Faultlines: Struggling for a Canadian Vision'' *1996 - ''The Anxious Years: Politics In The Age Of Mulroney And Chretien'' *2000 - ''Star-Spangled Canadians: Canadians living the American Dream'' *2001 - '' The Friendly Dictatorship'' *2007 - ''Hot Air: Meeting Canada's Climate Change Challenge'' (co-authored with Mark Jaccard and Nicholas J. "Nic" Rivers) *2012 - ''Chronic Condition: Why Canada's Health Care System Needs to be Dragged into the 21st Century''

References

*Information provided by ''The Globe and Mail'', Toronto. {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Jeffrey 1949 births 20th-century Canadian journalists 21st-century Canadian journalists Alumni of the London School of Economics American emigrants to Canada Canadian Anglicans Canadian political commentators Canadian political journalists Canadian republicans Governor General's Award–winning non-fiction writers Living people Officers of the Order of Canada Queen's University at Kingston alumni The Globe and Mail columnists

Early life

Career

Bibliography

See also

References