Allan J. MacEachen

Child (unidentified) poses with Allen J. MacEachen in Mabou, Nova Scotia, 1983. Photo courtesy of Alfred LeBlanc.

“As I stood around in the cooperative store in Margaree Forks, a constituent who made his living on the land and in the forest said to me: ‘I hear you’re not running again. You certainly kept bread on the table here in the North all those years.’ As a compliment, it was enormous. As a summation of one’s political career from a citizen who made a living the hard way, it was heart-warming. His appraisal of the end of my service in the House of Commons took me back to its beginnings and why keeping bread on the table, in the widest interpretation of that expression, was the principal reason I left the university teaching post to enter politics” – Allan J. MacEachen

The Legacy of the Honourable Allan J. MacEachen

The Honourable Allan J. MacEachen dedicated his life to serving the Canadian people, both as an educator and a parliamentarian. His powerful legacy includes his reputation for integrity, his tireless dedication to his constituents, and his lasting contributions to the social and political landscape of Canada.

Born in 1921 to a coal-mining family in Inverness, Cape Breton, MacEachen never forgot his humble beginnings, even as he became one of Canada’s foremost politicians. His childhood was shaped by the Great Depression and his career demonstrated a powerful commitment to self-betterment through hard work, as well as a desire to give back to the community he loved.

First elected to office in 1953 under the Liberal government of Louis St. Laurent, MacEachen was a pivotal force in the design of Canada’s new social programs. As Minister of Labour, he was instrumental in the introduction of the Canada Labour Code, which established a federal minimum wage standard.

Allan MacEachen was the architect of the government’s social agenda of the 1960s. The landmark initiatives of this era—the Health Resources Fund, the Canada Assistance Plan, the Old Age Security Act—were introduced or amended during his term as Minister of National Health and Welfare. He piloted Medicare through the contentious debates in the House of Commons and oversaw the passage of the Medical Care Act in 1966, as well as the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors.

In addition to MacEachen’s many accomplishments in social policy, he was an exceptionally powerful leader in Parliament. He held the post of House Leader for a record seven years and was instrumental in keeping the Liberals in power in the early 1970s. He became Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1974 during the Cold War and then, at the request of Prime Minister Trudeau, he returned to his role as House Leader and in 1977 became the first person appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

In 1979, when the Progressive Conservatives under Joe Clark took power, Trudeau resigned and MacEachen became Leader of the Opposition. He led the successful effort to defeat the Clark government and convinced Trudeau to come out of retirement to lead the Liberals back to power in 1980. MacEachen served as Minister of Finance in the Trudeau government and then returned to the External Affairs portfolio in 1982. He became a Senator in 1984 and vigorously opposed the policies of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, before retiring from politics in 1996.

Allan J. MacEachen passed away on September 12, 2017. He served Canada as a member of Parliament for twenty-seven years, and as a senator for twelve. The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau issued a statement on September 13 of that year, and a celebration of life was held in Antigonish, NS four days later, on September 17.

July 6, 2021, marked the hundredth anniversary of the late Honourable Allan J. MacEachen's birth. In recognition of his legacy and his contributions to health care in Canada, the MacEachen Institute hosted a special online event, featuring a commemorative video created using selected excerpts from Mr. MacEachen's unpublished memoirs.

The MacEachen Institute honours Allan J. MacEachen through our mandate to improve citizen engagement, democratic governance, and progressive public policy for all Canadians.

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