Simon Reisman
| Simon Reisman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 19, 1919 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died |
March 9, 2008 (aged 88) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | McGill University |
| Occupation | federal civil servant |
| Known for | Negotiator for the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement |
| Religion | Judaism |
Sol Simon Reisman, OC (June 19, 1919 – March 9, 2008[1]) was a Canadian civil servant, and the country's chief negotiator for the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Kolman and Manya Reisman, Reisman graduated from Baron Byng High School[1] before receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science in 1941 and a Master of Arts degree in 1942 from McGill University.[2] He was a veteran of the Second World War, having served in Italy, the Netherlands and Germany with the Royal Canadian Artillery.[3] After the war, he studied at the London School of Economics.[3]
In 1946, he entered into public service joining the Department of Labour. Reisman was a member of Canada's delegation to the inaugural session of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in the late 1940s.[3] He made major contributions toward the drafting of the Canada-U.S. Auto Pact.[4] Reisman rose to senior positions in the public service, including deputy minister in the Department of Finance and the Department of Industry before retiring in 1975.[3] Following the election of Brian Mulroney, Reisman sent the new prime minister a memo advocating free trade negotiations with the United States.[3] Mulroney accepted Reisman's plan and, in 1985, tapped him to lead Canada's trade negotiations with the United States.[3]
Reisman was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1978[5] and received the Outstanding Public Service Award in 1974.[3]
He was married to Constance Carin for 65 years. They had three children,[1] John, Anna, and Harriet, and nine grandchildren.[1] He is uncle to Heather Reisman of Indigo Books of Toronto.
He died at Ottawa, Ontario on March 9, 2008, at the age of 88.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Death notice". Montreal Gazette.
- ↑ "Canadian Who's Who". University of Toronto Press.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Greenway, Norma (2008-03-10). "Tough-talking former trade negotiator Simon Reisman dies". CanWest News Service. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
- ↑ Simon Reisman Obituary
- ↑ "Order of Canada citation".
|