Jeffrey Simpson
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Carl Simpson, OC
(born 17 Feb 1949 in New York City, New York), is a Canadian journalist. He has been The Globe and Mail
' s national affairs columnist for almost three decades. He has won all three of Canada
's leading literary prizes — the Governor General's Award
for non-fiction book writing, the National Magazine Award for political writing, and the National Newspaper Award http://www.cna-acj.ca/client/cna/cna.nsf/web/NNA?OpenDocument for column writing. He has also won the Hyman Solomon Award http://www.ppforum.ca/en/testimonialdinner/pasthysolomonawardwinners.asp for excellence in public policy journalism. In January, 2000, he became an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
and moved to Canada when he was 10 years old. He was educated at the University of Toronto Schools
. He graduated from Queen's University in 1971 in History and Political Science. While at Queen's he worked for the campus radio station CFRC. He won the University's Tricolour Award in his graduating year. He then went on to the London School of Economics
. In 1972–1973, he worked as a Parliamentary Intern in Ottawa where he worked for Ed Broadbent
. A year later, he joined The Globe and Mail newspaper.
and with coverage of Quebec
politics. In 1977, he became a member of the paper's Ottawa
bureau, and eighteen months later he was named The Globe and Mail' s Ottawa bureau chief. From 1981–1983, Simpson served as The Globe and Mail' s European correspondent based in London
. Since January, 1984 he has written a critically acclaimed daily column on national affairs.
He has written numerous magazine articles for such publications as Saturday Night
, Report on Business Magazine, the Journal of Canadian Studies and Queen's Quarterly. He has spoken at dozens of major conferences in Canada and internationally on a variety of domestic and international issues.
Mr. Simpson is a frequent and enthusiastic participant in regular political debate on radio or television, in French and in English. He has been a guest lecturer at such universities as Oxford, Edinburgh, Harvard
, Princeton
, Brigham Young
, Johns Hopkins
, Maine
, California
plus more than a dozen universities in Canada
.
In 1993–1994, Simpson was on leave from his column as a John S. Knight fellow at Stanford University
in Palo Alto, California
. He has been a Skelton-Clark fellow and Brockington Visitor at Queen's University. He has also been a John V. Clyne fellow at the University of British Columbia
, a distinguished visitor at the University of Alberta
and a member of the Georgetown University
Leadership Seminar. He has been awarded honorary doctorates of laws from the University of British Columbia and the University of Western Ontario
.
Simpson has been a member of the board of trustees at Queen's University; the board of overseers at Green College, University of British Columbia; the advisory board of the Review of Constitutional Studies at the University of Alberta; the editorial board of The Queen's Quarterly, and the Canadian Consortium for Asia-Pacific Security at York University and the University of Toronto. He has been vice-chairman of the City of Ottawa Library Board.
Simpson is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
.http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/api/eng/index.asp
In 2006, Simpson was awarded the Charles Lynch Award
in recognition of his outstanding coverage of national issues.
Simpson is also an outspoken critic of the monarchy of Canada and has written in favour of republicanism
in his column.
Mr. Simpson is an avid Ottawa Senators fan and in 2011 attempted to convince the team to replace its general manager, referencing his position as the Globe's national affairs columnist on the newspaper's letterhead to demand the change. He threatened to not renew his season tickets, if the team did not fire the GM.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born 17 Feb 1949 in New York City, New York), is a Canadian journalist. He has been The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's leading literary prizes — the Governor General's Award
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
for non-fiction book writing, the National Magazine Award for political writing, and the National Newspaper Award http://www.cna-acj.ca/client/cna/cna.nsf/web/NNA?OpenDocument for column writing. He has also won the Hyman Solomon Award http://www.ppforum.ca/en/testimonialdinner/pasthysolomonawardwinners.asp for excellence in public policy journalism. In January, 2000, he became an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
Biography
Simpson was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and moved to Canada when he was 10 years old. He was educated at the University of Toronto Schools
University of Toronto Schools
The University of Toronto Schools is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. He graduated from Queen's University in 1971 in History and Political Science. While at Queen's he worked for the campus radio station CFRC. He won the University's Tricolour Award in his graduating year. He then went on to the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. In 1972–1973, he worked as a Parliamentary Intern in Ottawa where he worked for Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
. A year later, he joined The Globe and Mail newspaper.
Career
His ongoing career with the Globe began at City Hall in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and with coverage of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
politics. In 1977, he became a member of the paper's Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
bureau, and eighteen months later he was named The Globe and Mail
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Since January, 1984 he has written a critically acclaimed daily column on national affairs.
He has written numerous magazine articles for such publications as Saturday Night
Saturday Night (magazine)
Saturday Night was a Canadian general interest magazine. It was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1887.The publication was first established as a weekly broadsheet newspaper about public affairs and the arts, which was later expanded into a general interest magazine. The editor, Edmund E. Sheppard,...
, Report on Business Magazine, the Journal of Canadian Studies and Queen's Quarterly. He has spoken at dozens of major conferences in Canada and internationally on a variety of domestic and international issues.
Mr. Simpson is a frequent and enthusiastic participant in regular political debate on radio or television, in French and in English. He has been a guest lecturer at such universities as Oxford, Edinburgh, Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Brigham Young
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
, California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
plus more than a dozen universities in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
In 1993–1994, Simpson was on leave from his column as a John S. Knight fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
. He has been a Skelton-Clark fellow and Brockington Visitor at Queen's University. He has also been a John V. Clyne fellow at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
, a distinguished visitor at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
and a member of the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Leadership Seminar. He has been awarded honorary doctorates of laws from the University of British Columbia and the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
.
Simpson has been a member of the board of trustees at Queen's University; the board of overseers at Green College, University of British Columbia; the advisory board of the Review of Constitutional Studies at the University of Alberta; the editorial board of The Queen's Quarterly, and the Canadian Consortium for Asia-Pacific Security at York University and the University of Toronto. He has been vice-chairman of the City of Ottawa Library Board.
Simpson is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
The University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs is a professional public and international policy school in Ottawa, Canada. GSPIA offers a multidisciplinary master’s program focusing on public policy and international affairs...
.http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/api/eng/index.asp
In 2006, Simpson was awarded the Charles Lynch Award
Charles Lynch Award
The Charles Lynch Award is an annual award presented to a Canadian journalist in recognition of outstanding coverage of national issues as selected by their colleagues in the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery....
in recognition of his outstanding coverage of national issues.
Simpson is also an outspoken critic of the monarchy of Canada and has written in favour of republicanism
Republicanism in Canada
Canadian republicanism is the appreciation amongst Canadians for the replacement of the Canadian system of constitutional monarchy with a republican form of government in the sense of the state headed by a president. These beliefs are expressed either individually generally in academic circles or...
in his column.
Mr. Simpson is an avid Ottawa Senators fan and in 2011 attempted to convince the team to replace its general manager, referencing his position as the Globe's national affairs columnist on the newspaper's letterhead to demand the change. He threatened to not renew his season tickets, if the team did not fire the GM.
Books authored
Simpson has authored seven books:- 1980 - Discipline of Power, winner of the 1980 Governor General's Award for Non-Fiction1980 Governor General's AwardsEach winner of the 1980 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:*George Bowering, Burning WaterOther Finalists:...
. - 1988 - Spoils of Power
- 1993 - Faultines, Struggling for a Canadian Vision
- 1996 - The Anxious Years
- 2000 - Star-Spangled Canadians
- 2001 - The Friendly Dictatorship
- 2007 - Hot Air: Meeting Canada's Climate Change Challenge (co-authored with Mark JaccardMark JaccardDr. Mark Kenneth Jaccard is a professor of environmental economics in the at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Jaccard develops and applies models that assess sustainability policies for energy and material.Dr. Jaccard has been a professor at Simon Fraser University since 1986...
and Nic Rivers)