The Honourable Jacob Austin PC CM OBC |
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Senator from British Columbia (Vancouver South) |
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In office August 19, 1975 – March 2, 2007 |
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Personal details | |
Born |
Calgary, Alberta |
March 2, 1932
Political party | Liberal |
Profession | Lawyer |
Portfolio | Minister of State, Minister of State for Social Development, Leader of the Government in the Senate |
Jacob "Jack" Austin PC CM OBC (born March 2, 1932) is a Canadian former politician and former member of the Canadian Senate. He was appointed to the upper house by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on August 8, 1975 and represented British Columbia. At the time of his retirement he was the longest-serving senator.
Austin was born in Calgary, Alberta. Prior to entering the Senate, Austin had careers as a lawyer and then as a senior civil servant. In the 1950s, Austin was a legal partner of Nathan Nemetz who later served as Chief Justice of British Columbia. Nemetz recruited Austin to join the Liberal Party.
In the early 1960s, Austin's political career began when he served as executive assistant to Arthur Laing while he was Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources. While in Ottawa he was asked by Paul Martin, Sr. to serve on the legal team that negotiated the Columbia River Treaty on behalf of the government.
Austin's only attempt to win an election was as the Liberal candidate in Vancouver—Kingsway in the 1965 federal election but was defeated by Grace MacInnis of the New Democratic Party.
In 1970, he was appointed deputy minister of Energy, Mines and Resources and was part of the first Canadian trade mission sent to the People's Republic of China. He also played a key role in the establishment of Petro-Canada and Expo 86 in Vancouver.