The Honourable Allan J. MacEachen, P.C., O.C.
MacEachen, Hon. Allan J., 96, of East Lake Ainslie, passed away on September 12, 2017, in St. Martha's Regional Hospital, Antigonish.
Allan J. MacEachen was born in Inverness, Nova Scotia on July 6, 1921. The son of Angus and Annie (Gillies) MacEachen, a proud member of the Clan Eachainn, which originated in Scotland in 1420, and an ardent supporter and champion of the Gaelic and Celtic heritage of Cape Breton and everywhere in North America. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He was predeceased by his parents; brothers, John, William Gerald and Johnnie; and sisters, Mary Tena and Flora Jane.
Following graduation from St. Francis Xavier University in 1944 with a
B.A., he would go on to attain
an M.A. at the University of Toronto and
proceeded to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he began
doctoral studies. MacEachen would serve as Professor of Economics and
later Head of the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at St.
Francis Xavier University. During his time on the faculty he became a
leading proponent of the University’s Extension Department
programs of adult education and cooperatives.
The
son of a coal miner, he had first-hand exposure to the vulnerability
of working families in early
20th century Canada. His advocacy of social and
economic reforms led him into political action and he was nominated by
the Inverness-Richmond Liberal Association as their candidate for the
House of Commons in the 1953 Dominion general election. Re-elected
eight times, he served as the M.P., for Inverness-Richmond, 1953-58,
1962-68 and then for Cape Breton Highlands-Canso from 1968-84.
Summoned to the Senate in 1984, he would serve in the upper chamber
until reaching the statutory retirement age in 1996 having become one
of Canada’s most respected politicians and statesmen.
Sworn into the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada on April 22, 1963, MacEachen would serve as a Minister of the Crown in the Cabinets of Lester B. Pearson, Pierre E. Trudeau and John N. Turner, holding the most senior portfolios of economic, social and foreign policy.
He ran for the
leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in 1968 and would serve as
Interim Party Leader in 1979 prior to the return of Pierre Elliott
Trudeau to politics.
His most
satisfying and proudest achievements were the
Medical Care Act,
1966, which would become Medicare, the
Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors and the Canada Labour Code,
all which are now part of the Canadian social fabric and brought from
concept to reality through skilled and patient leadership.
The recipient of a number of honorary degrees,
MacEachen was appointed to be an Officer of the Order of Canada in
2008.
The Government of Nova Scotia
will be hosting a public celebration of the Honourable Allan J.
MacEachen’s life on Sunday September
17th at 2 p.m., at the Keating Centre, St.
Francis Xavier University, 1100 Convocation Boulevard, Antigonish. A
reception will follow the formal service. Guests are requested to be
seated by 1:30 p.m. The order of dress is Business Attire with
Decorations.
Visitation will be held Monday in Inverness Funeral Home, Inverness, NS, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9pm. Funeral Mass will be held Tuesday at 2:00pm in Stella Maris Catholic Church, Inverness, Reverend Bernie MacDonald presiding. Burial in the parish cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Allan J. MacEachen Institute (Dalhousie University), the Lake Ainslie Volunteer Fire Department, or the Stella Maris Cemetery Fund appreciated.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of C.L. Curry Funeral Home, Antigonish. Online condolences: www.clcurry.com