William McDonough Kelly
Encyclopedia
William McDonough Kelly, CLJ
(born July 21, 1925) is a political strategist and retired Canadian
Senator.
Kelly was a civil engineer
by training and a consultant in the energy industry by profession. Politically he was a member of the Big Blue Machine
, a group of advisers, organizers and strategists around Ontario Premier
Bill Davis
and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was appointed to the Senate in 1982 by Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. At the time, the Liberals had been in power for almost all of the previous twenty years resulting in a steady decline in the number of Tory senators. Trudeau adopted a policy of replacing retiring Progressive Conservative Senators with other Progressive Conservatives in order to ensure the opposition caucus was large enough to be functional. The Leader of the Official Opposition would submit a short list of names from which the Prime Minister would choose an appointee for a vacant Tory Senate seat. Several senior Red Tories
such as Joe Clark
's chief of staff, Peter Harder as well as Norman Atkins, Hugh Segal
and Davis himself lobbied Clark to include Kelly on the short list and lobbied the Prime Minister's Office
to choose Kelly from the list.
As a Senator, Kelly served variously as caucus chairman and whip and served on various Senate committees, most notably as Chair of the Special Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence and the Special Senate Committee on Terrorism and the Public Safety. In the 1990s Kelly served as rapporteur and delegate on the second committee to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna. His Senate tenure was also notable for his having introduced a procedural intervention that succeeded in putting an end to the filibuster and the passing of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) bill in late 1990s. On his mandatory retirement from the Senate in 2000, Senate colleagues of both parties in the Senate lauded his distaste for partisanship and gentlemanly attributes.
Kelly has also served as a director of the Council on Drug Abuse, chairman of the Board of Governors
at Ryerson Polytechnic University and co-chairman of a 1984 task force on Crown corporations. He also served for a period as Chairman of the Board of Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc.
He has been director of numerous national and international companies and financial institutions and has been governor of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and a commander of the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.
During World War II
, Kelly served as a lieutenant
, of the Second Field Engineer Regiment.
Order of Saint Lazarus
This article concerns the order of knighthood named after Saint Lazarus. For other uses of the name Lazarus, see Lazarus .The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is an order of chivalry which originated in a leper hospital founded by the Knights Hospitaller in 1098 by the...
(born July 21, 1925) is a political strategist and retired 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...
Senator.
Kelly was a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
by training and a consultant in the energy industry by profession. Politically he was a member of the Big Blue Machine
Big Blue Machine
The Big Blue Machine was a nickname for the group of strategists and advisors to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario, Canada, in the 1970s and 1980s. The moniker was coined by journalist Claire Hoy of the Toronto Star in April 1971...
, a group of advisers, organizers and strategists around Ontario Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was appointed to the Senate in 1982 by Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. At the time, the Liberals had been in power for almost all of the previous twenty years resulting in a steady decline in the number of Tory senators. Trudeau adopted a policy of replacing retiring Progressive Conservative Senators with other Progressive Conservatives in order to ensure the opposition caucus was large enough to be functional. The Leader of the Official Opposition would submit a short list of names from which the Prime Minister would choose an appointee for a vacant Tory Senate seat. Several senior Red Tories
Red Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
such as Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
's chief of staff, Peter Harder as well as Norman Atkins, Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal, CM is a Canadian senator, political strategist, author, and commentator. Segal is credited with helping Stephen Harper become Prime Minister by moderating his image.-Life and career:...
and Davis himself lobbied Clark to include Kelly on the short list and lobbied the Prime Minister's Office
Office of the Prime Minister (Canada)
In Canada, the Office of the Prime Minister , located in the Langevin Block, on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, is one of the most powerful parts of the government. It is made up of the prime minister and his or her top political staff, who are charged with advising the prime minister on decisions,...
to choose Kelly from the list.
As a Senator, Kelly served variously as caucus chairman and whip and served on various Senate committees, most notably as Chair of the Special Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence and the Special Senate Committee on Terrorism and the Public Safety. In the 1990s Kelly served as rapporteur and delegate on the second committee to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna. His Senate tenure was also notable for his having introduced a procedural intervention that succeeded in putting an end to the filibuster and the passing of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) bill in late 1990s. On his mandatory retirement from the Senate in 2000, Senate colleagues of both parties in the Senate lauded his distaste for partisanship and gentlemanly attributes.
Kelly has also served as a director of the Council on Drug Abuse, chairman of the Board of Governors
Board of governors
Board of governors is a term sometimes applied to the board of directors of a public entity or non-profit organization.Many public institutions, such as public universities, are government-owned corporations. The British Broadcasting Corporation was managed by a board of governors, though this role...
at Ryerson Polytechnic University and co-chairman of a 1984 task force on Crown corporations. He also served for a period as Chairman of the Board of Rothmans Benson & Hedges Inc.
He has been director of numerous national and international companies and financial institutions and has been governor of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and a commander of the Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kelly served as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, of the Second Field Engineer Regiment.
Source
- Tributes to William Kelly on his retirement from the Senate, Hansard, June 20, 2000