Marcel Massé
Encyclopedia
Marcel Massé, PC
, OC
, QC
(born June 23, 1940) is a former Canadian
politician
and civil servant.
He served as Clerk of the Privy Council
in 1979 during the government of Prime Minister
Joe Clark
. In his distinguished public service career, he also served as President of CIDA, on two occasions; was undersecretary for external affairs; and represented Canada as its executive director at the IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.
Massé's career in elected politics began when he ran as a candidate for Jean Chrétien
's Liberal Party
in the 1993 federal election
. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as Member of Parliament
for Hull—Aylmer
.
Following the election, he was appointed to the Canadian Cabinet as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
and Minister responsible for Public Service
Renewal.
In 1996, a Cabinet shuffle
moved him to the positions of President of the Treasury Board
and Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Massé was re-elected in the 1997 election
, but retired from Cabinet in 1999 and resigned his seat in the House of Commons.
In 1985, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
After the Liberal Party of Canada
's leadership convention in December 2006 he was asked to join the transition team of newly elected leader Stéphane Dion
. He served as Mr. Dion's Principal Secretary in the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition for a period after Dion's selection as leader. He later left the post for health reasons.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, OC
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...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born June 23, 1940) is a former Canadian
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and civil servant.
He served as Clerk of the Privy Council
Clerk of the Privy Council (Canada)
The Clerk of the Privy Council is the senior civil servant in the Canadian government. The Title and Office is in fact "Clerk of the Privy Council and the Secretary to the Cabinet"...
in 1979 during the government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
. In his distinguished public service career, he also served as President of CIDA, on two occasions; was undersecretary for external affairs; and represented Canada as its executive director at the IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.
Massé's career in elected politics began when he ran as a candidate for Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
's Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Hull—Aylmer
Hull—Aylmer
Hull—Aylmer is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917....
.
Following the election, he was appointed to the Canadian Cabinet as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the federal government's relations with the governments of the provinces and territories of Canada...
, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
In the Canadian cabinet, the President of The Queen's Privy Council for Canada is nominally in charge of the Privy Council Office. The President of the Privy Council also has the largely ceremonial duty of presiding over meetings of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, a body which only convenes...
and Minister responsible for Public Service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
Renewal.
In 1996, a Cabinet shuffle
Cabinet shuffle
In the parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a head of government rotates or changes the composition of ministers in their cabinet....
moved him to the positions of President of the Treasury Board
President of the Treasury Board (Canada)
The position of President of the Treasury Board was created as a ministerial position in the Canadian Cabinet in 1966 when the Treasury Board became a full-fledged department. From 1867 to 1966 the Treasury Board had been part of the Department of Finance....
and Minister responsible for Infrastructure.
Massé was re-elected in the 1997 election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, but retired from Cabinet in 1999 and resigned his seat in the House of Commons.
In 1985, he was made 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...
.
After the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
's leadership convention in December 2006 he was asked to join the transition team of newly elected leader Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
. He served as Mr. Dion's Principal Secretary in the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition for a period after Dion's selection as leader. He later left the post for health reasons.