John Allen Fraser

The Honourable
John Allen Fraser
PC OC OBC CD KC
Fraser in 1987
32nd Speaker of the House of Commons
In office
September 30, 1986 – January 16, 1994
MonarchElizabeth II
Governors GeneralJeanne Sauvé
Ray Hnatyshyn
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Kim Campbell
Preceded byJohn Bosley
Succeeded byGilbert Parent
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
In office
September 17, 1984 – September 23, 1985
Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney
Preceded byHerb Breau
Succeeded byErik Nielsen (interim)
Minister of the Environment
In office
June 4, 1979 – March 2, 1980
Prime MinisterJoe Clark
Preceded byLeonard Marchand
Succeeded byJohn Roberts
Member of Parliament
for Vancouver South
In office
October 30, 1972 – October 25, 1993
Preceded byArthur Laing
Succeeded byHerb Dhaliwal
Personal details
Born(1931-12-15)December 15, 1931
Yokohama, Empire of Japan
DiedApril 7, 2024(2024-04-07) (aged 92)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[1]
Political partyProgressive Conservative

John Allen Fraser PC OC OBC CD KC (December 15, 1931 – April 7, 2024) was a Canadian politician who was speaker of the House of Commons from 1986 to 1994. He also served as Canada's Minister of the Environment, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Ambassador to the United Nations for the Environment.

Life and career

Fraser was born on December 15, 1931, in Yokohama, Japan,[2] where his father was working as a lumber salesman. His parents returned to British Columbia when Fraser was four years old.[3] He grew up and was educated there and graduated from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law in Spring 1954.[4] Fraser first won a seat in Parliament in the 1972 general election as a Progressive Conservative from Vancouver.[2] He stood as a candidate at the 1976 Progressive Conservative leadership convention to replace Robert Stanfield, but did poorly and withdrew after the first ballot.[5] He was re-elected in 1974, 1979, 1980, 1984, and 1988.[2]

In 1979, Fraser became Minister of the Environment in the short-lived government of Joe Clark, returning to the Opposition benches in 1980. He returned to the Cabinet in the wake of Brian Mulroney's landslide victory in the 1984 federal election and became Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. He was forced to resign in 1985 as a result of the "Tainted Tuna" affair.[2]

In 1986, he became Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, the first to be elected by fellow Members of Parliament, and served in that capacity until his retirement from politics in 1993.[2]

In January 1994, Fraser was appointed as Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations for the Environment, a post he served until December 1997.[2]

Fraser died in Vancouver on April 7, 2024, at the age of 92.[6][7][1]

Honours

In 1995, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[8] In 2002, he was the recipient of the Vimy Award, which recognizes a Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of our nation and the preservation of our democratic values.[9][10]

Coat of arms of John Allen Fraser
Crest
Issuant from a coronet rim Argent set with maple leaves Gules alternating with thistle flowers Argent a demi cougar Azure holding in its dexter forepaw the baton of office of the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada that is a rod Vert at either end tipped and dovetailed inwards Argent ensigned with a lion sejant Argent its dexter forepaw resting on a coronet érablé Argent the rim set with twelve jewels Gules
Escutcheon
Azure on a chevron between three fraises Argent three roses Gules
Supporters
On a grassy mound strewn with shamrocks Vert two cougars Sable semé of fraises Or gorged with wing collars Argent;
Motto
NOUS SOMMES PREST (We Are Ready) [11]
Badge
A cougar's head erased Azure gorged with a coronet erablé Or the rim charged with three fraises Gules;

References

  1. ^ a b "John Fraser". The Globe and Mail. April 12, 2024. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via Legacy.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f John Allen Fraser – Parliament of Canada biography
  3. ^ Fraser, The Hon. John A. (1979). "The Environmental Partnership in North America". Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association. 29 (12): 1212–1213. doi:10.1080/00022470.1979.10470918.
  4. ^ Cholmondeley, Penny (2009). "The Honourable John A. Fraser" (PDF). UBC Law Alumni Magazine. University of British Columbia. pp. 16–17. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 18, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  5. ^ "Wagner led on every ballot – except the last one". The Gazette. Ottawa, Ontario. The Canadian Press. February 23, 1976. p. 11. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "National Flag of Canada half-masting notices". May 3, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2024. Additionally, the flag on the Peace Tower will fly at half-mast from sunrise to sunset on the day of the funeral or the memorial service (date to be determined) of the late John Allen Fraser, who passed away on April 7, 2024.
  7. ^ "John Allen Fraser, first House Speaker elected by secret ballot, has died". CBC News. April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  8. ^ Order of Canada citation
  9. ^ "2002 Vimy Award Recipient – The Honourable John A Fraser". Conference of Defence Associations Institute. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  10. ^ e-Veritas » Blog Archive » Misc Archived December 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Fraser, John Allen [Individual]". November 12, 2020.
Wikiquote has quotations related to John Allen Fraser.