Introduction to MacEachen Series (2008)

DR. STEVEN HOLLOWAY, CHAIR
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

28 October 2008

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, honoured guests. I am Steven Holloway, Chair of Political Science and it is my great honour tonight to welcome you, and say a few things about the series, and then to introduce you to the person who is going to introduce our speaker tonight. This, of course, is the 11th year of the Allan J. MacEachen Lecture Series. So, we're into our second decade. I tried to do a little research before we begin today and I believe that 1997 was the first of our lecture series with Bob Rae who we managed to entice at that time to come and speak to us after he had just finished a term as the premier of Ontario, as the NDP premier, and most recently, last year, Jean Chrétien was our speaker. So we've had quite a distinguished series of speakers. And that brings me to an important point that if you would like to revisit some of those excellent speakers you have an opportunity to purchase the Reflections on Canadian Politics; it is available in the lobby. There is the first volume with many of the early people such as, Frank McKenna; Bob Rae's speech is also in that book. And I'm informed the second volume is coming out very shortly. You can order it now but if you buy it tonight, you'll get the first volume free. So there is a real deal to be had there.

Let me say a few words about the person and that I'm going to turn the microphone over to here, in a minute, who is then going to introduce the Honourable Flora MacDonald, and that is Senator Lowell Murray. Many of you know but many of you might not know that he is a native of Nova Scotia. He actually got his BA from here, from St. FX and did overlap with Brian Mulroney and so there is a connection here among all of these as the key members of the Progressive Conservative party. He also got his MA at Queen's and not too long ago, received an honorary degree from St. FX. Of course he's best known for being appointed to the Senate in 1979. He served from 1986-1993 as the Government Leader in the Senate during which, he was squaring off with Allan J. as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. So, there are many connections among the people we have here tonight.

I think that's as much as I should say at this point. I'll turn the floor over now to Senator Lowell Murray.