Flora Isabel MacDonald
Flora Isabel MacDonald
Doctor of Civil Law
Born and educated in North Sydney, the Honorable Flora Isabel MacDonald graduated from Empire Business College and the National Defense College in Canadian and International Studies. For 16 years (1972-1988) she served as Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands during which time she held three Cabinet positions: Secretary of State of External Affairs (1979-1980), Minister of Employment Immigration (1984-1986), and Minister of Communications (1986-1988).
Ms. MacDonald served as Executive Director of the Progressive Conservative National Headquarters from 1957 to 1966 and for the next three years (1966-1969) was National Secretary of the Progressive Conservative Association of Canada. She was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Canadian Studies of the University Edinburgh from September to December 1989, and Special Adviser to the Vancouver based Commonwealth of Learning from August 1990 to October 1991. Ms. MacDonald hosted a popular TV series North South (a weekly human affairs series featuring countries in the developing world) from 1990 to 1994.
From 1992 to 2001 Ms. MacDonald served with several organizations - as the Chairperson the International Development Research Centre; the Carnegie Commission on the prevention of Deadly Conflict; was the Co-Chairperson of the Canada Coordinating Committee, UN Year of Older persons; and was the Chairperson of HelpAge Internationals. She is currently the Chair of the following organizations: Future Generations, World Federalists of Canada and Shastri Indo-Canada Advisory Council. Ms. MacDonald also serves on Several Boards including Canadian Council for Refugees, CARE Canada, National Museum of Scotland and Friends of the National Library. In 1989, the Secretary-General of the United Nations appointed her Member: Eminent Person's group to study Trans-National Corporations in South Africa.
Ms. MacDonald has received honorary degrees from universities across Canada and the United States including two this spring in Atlantic Canada. First named as an Officer of the Order of Canada (1993), in 1999 she was named Companion of the Order of Canada. She has also received the Order of Ontario (1995) and, in 1999, she was awarded the Pearson Peace Medal.