Walter McLean

Walter Franklin McLean, PC (born April 26, 1936) is a former Canadian politician.

Born in Leamington, Ontario, he grew up in Victoria British Columbia, the son of James Walter Lewis McLean (1905–1998), a Presbyterian minister, and Frances D. Blair McLean. He studied at the University of British Columbia, and Toronto's Knox College. Walter and his wife Barbara, were designated as presbyterian missionaries; Walter was the first CUSO coordinator in Nigeria in 1962.

Following the Biafran War in Nigeria, the McLeans returned to Canada, and settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where Walter was involved in that province's Centennial Celebrations in 1970.

In 1971, the family moved to Waterloo Ontario, and Walter became the Minister of Knox Church, and involved in local affairs. He was elected as a Progressive Conservative Party candidate in the 1979 federal election in the riding of Waterloo. He was re-elected in the 1980, 1984 and 1988 elections.

From 1984 to 1985, he was Secretary of State for Canada, and from 1985 to 1986, he was Minister of State (Immigration).

He has represented Canada as the Parliamentary Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, and as Special Representative for African and Commonwealth Affairs.

Within the Presbytrerian Church in Canada, he is now a "Minister in Association" with Knox Waterloo. He was co-ordinator of the "Celebrate 125" festivities in 1999-2000. He was rewarded with a Doctor of Divinity degree from Knox College in 2002. His wife Barbara has also served in the Church as Presbytery Clerk in the Waterloo-Wellington Presbytery, and in the national Church as Deputy Clerk of the Presbyterian Church in Canada's General Assembly from 1992 to 2003.

External links

• Walter McLean – Parliament of Canada biography

v t e Secretaries of State of Canada Langevin Aikins Christie Scott Aikins O'Connor Mousseau Chapleau Patterson Costigan Dickey Montague Ouimet (acting) Daly (acting) Tupper Scott Murphy Roche Coderre Blondin Patenaude Sévigny (acting) Meighen Burrell Sifton Drayton (acting) Monty Copp Foster Murphy (acting) Lapointe Perley Rinfret Cahan Rinfret Lapointe Casgrain McLarty Martin Gibson Bradley Pickersgill Pinard Fairclough Courtemanche Balcer Dorion Balcer Halpenny Pickersgill Lamontagne LaMarsh Connolly Marchand Pelletier Faulkner Roberts MacDonald Fox Regan Joyal McLean B. Bouchard Crombie L. Bouchard Weiner de Cotret Landry1 1The department was eliminated in 1993 when the government was reorganized. The position of Secretary of State for Canada was not legally eliminated until 1996 when its remaining responsibilities were assigned to other cabinet positions and departments, particularly the newly created position of Minister of Canadian Heritage.