Donald C. MacDonald
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Donald C. MacDonald CM OOnt |
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| Leader of the Ontario CCF and NDP | |
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In office 1953–1970 |
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| Preceded by | Ted Jolliffe |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Lewis |
| President of the New Democratic Party of Canada | |
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In office 1971–1975 |
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| Preceded by | Allan Blakeney |
| Succeeded by | Joyce Nash |
| Member of Provincial Parliament | |
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In office June 9, 1955 – November 4, 1982 |
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| Preceded by | William Beech (Progressive Conservative) |
| Succeeded by | Bob Rae (NDP) |
| Constituency | York South |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 7, 1913 Cranbrook, British Columbia |
| Died | March 8, 2008 (aged 94) Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Co-operative Commonwealth Federation/New Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Simone MacDonald |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Toronto, Ontario |
| Occupation | Teacher and Journalist |
| Religion | Unitarian |
Donald Cameron MacDonald, CM OOnt (December 7, 1913 – March 8, 2008) was a long time Canadian politician and political party leader and had been referred to as the "Best premier Ontario never had." He represented the provincial riding of York South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1955 to 1982. From 1953 to 1970 he was the leader of the social democratic Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section) and its successor, the Ontario New Democratic Party.
MacDonald was born in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and moved with his family to Tullochgorum, Quebec in 1923 and then earned a bachelor's and master's degree from Queen's University. He supported the Conservative Party of Canada in his youth, but became a democratic socialist after witnessing the social problems of the Great Depression. He worked for several years as a teacher and journalist, and was employed by the Montreal Gazette in the mid-1930s.
MacDonald joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, and served in Canada during World War II as secretary of a top-secret intelligence committee, the main responsibility of which was to transmit enemy submarine positions to the Royal Canadian Air Force. He later became editor of Canadian Digest, a magazine published by the military that provided a cross section of articles from Canadian periodicals and newspapers, and was the host of Serviceman's Forum, a regular series of broadcasts on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that were also aired by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Members of the military and civilian experts discussed issues of concern in these broadcasts.
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