The Honourable Bob Rae PC CC OOnt ECO KC
Rae in 2019
25th Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
In office August 1, 2020[1] – November 17, 2025
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau Mark Carney
Preceded by	Marc-André Blanchard
Succeeded by	David Lametti
Vice-President of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court
In office 2021–2023
Appointed by	Assembly of States Parties
Preceded by	Michal Mlynár
Succeeded by	Michael Kanu
InterimLeader of the Liberal Party
In office May 25, 2011 – April 14, 2013
Preceded by	Michael Ignatieff
Succeeded by	Justin Trudeau
21st Premier of Ontario
In office October 1, 1990 – June 26, 1995
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Lincoln Alexander Hal Jackman
Preceded by	David Peterson
Succeeded by	Mike Harris
Leader of theOntario New Democratic Party
In office February 7, 1982 – June 22, 1996
Preceded by	Michael Cassidy
Succeeded by	Howard Hampton
Leader of the Opposition of Ontario
In office September 10, 1987 – October 1, 1990
Preceded by	Larry Grossman
Succeeded by	Robert Nixon
Parliamentary constituencies Member of Parliament forToronto Centre In office March 17, 2008 – July 31, 2013 Preceded by Bill Graham Succeeded by Chrystia Freeland Member of Provincial Parliament forYork South In office November 4, 1982 – February 29, 1996 Preceded by Donald MacDonald Succeeded by Gerard Kennedy Member of Parliament forBroadview—Greenwood Broadview (1978–1979) In office October 16, 1978 – May 2, 1982 Preceded by John Gilbert Succeeded by Lynn McDonald
Personal details
Born	Robert Keith Rae (1948-08-02)August 2, 1948 (age 77)[2] Ottawa,Ontario, Canada
Party	Liberal (1968; 2006–present) New Democratic (1974–1998)
Other political affiliations	Ontario New Democratic (1974–1998)
Spouse	Arlene Perly ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	3
Parent	Saul Rae (father)
Relatives	Jackie Rae (uncle),John A. Rae (brother)
Alma mater	University of Toronto (BA,LLB) Balliol College, Oxford (BPhil)
Profession	Lawyer academic
Website	pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/2020/07/06/honourable-bob-rae

Robert Keith Rae^[3] (born August 2, 1948)^[4] is a Canadian politician and diplomat who served as theCanadian Ambassador to the United Nations from 2020 to 2025.^[5][6] Rae previously served as the 21stpremier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of theOntario New Democratic Party from 1982 to 1996, andinterim leader of theLiberal Party of Canada from 2011 to 2013. Between 1978 and 2013, he was elected 11 times tofederal (Broadview, Broadview-Greenwood, Toronto Centre) andprovincial (York South)parliaments.^[4] Since December 11, 2025, Rae has been serving as the Visitor ofMassey College.^[7]

Rae was aNew Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament from 1978 to 1982. He then moved to provincial politics, serving as leader of the Ontario NDP from February 7, 1982, to June 22, 1996. After leading his party to victory in the1990 provincial election he served as the21stPremier of Ontario from October 1, 1990, to June 26, 1995, and was the first person to have led a provincial NDP government east ofManitoba. While in office, he brought forward initiatives which were unpopular with traditional NDP supporters, such as theSocial Contract. Rae's government was defeated in the1995 provincial election. His subsequent disagreement with the leftward direction of the NDP led him to resign his membership.

In 2006, Rae joined the Liberals; he had previously been a Liberal in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In2006, Rae was a candidate for theleadership of the Liberal Party, but was eliminated after placing third on the third ballot. He returned to theHouse of Commons on March 31, 2008, as a Liberal MP after winning aMarch 17, 2008 by-election, holding the riding that had previously been held by LiberalBill Graham. He was re-elected in the2008 federal election. Rae ran againfor party leadership but withdrew on December 12, 2008. He was re-elected in the Toronto Centre riding in the2011 federal election and was named interim leader of the Liberal Party afterMichael Ignatieff resigned his leadership;^[8] he served in that position untilJustin Trudeau'selection as party leader in April 2013.^[9]

On June 19, 2013, Rae announced his resignation from parliament in order to become chief negotiator for James Bay areaFirst Nations in their negotiations with the provincial government.^[10] His resignation from parliament became effective July 31, 2013.^[11] Rae joined Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, a law firm specializing in representing Aboriginal clients, as a partner in February 2014. Rae sits as an advisor toCanada's Ecofiscal Commission. Rae was Canada'sspecial envoy toMyanmar from October 2017 to April 2018 and advised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on theRohingya crisis.^[12][13][14] He is also a Senior Fellow to theRaoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights and a Distinguished Fellow at theMunk School at theUniversity of Toronto.^[15] On July 6, 2020, Rae's appointment as theCanadian Ambassador to the United Nations was announced byPrime Minister Trudeau. He served until November 17, 2025.

Rae was born inOttawa, Ontario. His parents were Lois Esther (George) andSaul Rae,^[16] an eminent Canadian career diplomat who had postings in Washington,Geneva, New York, Mexico, and The Hague.^[17] Rae's paternal grandparents immigrated fromScotland, and his mother had English ancestry. Rae was raised as an Anglican. As an adult, he found out that his paternal grandfather wasJewish and was from a family of Lithuanian immigrants to Scotland.^[18]

Rae's elder brotherJohn A. Rae (born 1945) was an executive vice-president and director ofPower Corporation and a prominent member of the Liberal Party. He was also an adviser toJean Chrétien when he was Indian Affairs Minister in 1968, and then again from 1993 until 2003 while Chrétien was prime minister.^[19][20] Rae's younger brother, David, was diagnosed withlymphatic cancer in 1987. Despite a bone marrow transplant from his brother, he died ofleukemia in 1989 at age 32.^[21]

Rae learned of his family's Jewish origins in 1968. The revelation had a strong impact on him: he sought to explore his Jewish culture, dated Jewish girls exclusively and ultimately married a Jewish woman.^[22] Upon his marriage toArlene Perly Rae, Rae agreed to raise their three daughters in his wife's Jewish faith.^[23] Rae is a member ofHoly Blossom Temple, aReform Jewish congregation in Toronto.^[24]

His uncle, the lateJackie Rae, was an entertainer and former host ofThe Jackie Rae Show onCBC and also performed on British television.

Rae attendedCrichton Street Public School in Ottawa, Horace Mann Public School and Gordon Junior High School in Washington, D.C. (1956–1961), and theInternational School of Geneva, Switzerland. His first job was a paper route delivering the Washington'sEvening Star newspaper, which he later described as "one of the worst newspapers in the history of modern journalism". His customers includedRichard Nixon andEstes Kefauver. Rae later joked that Kefauver gave him a $20 tip one Christmas, whereasPat Nixon only gave him a quarter and made him more sympathetic toDemocrats from that moment.^[25]

Rae graduated with honours fromUniversity College, University of Toronto, where he also later received his law degree.Michael Ignatieff, who later became Rae's rival for the Liberal Party leadership, was his roommate for a time.^[26] He first became involved in politics by volunteering on Trudeau's1968 Liberal leadership campaign, and later worked on LiberalCharles Caccia's campaign in the1968 federal election.^[27] Rae and Caccia have remained personal friends through their political careers. During his final year as an undergraduate, Rae was a student representative on the Bissell Commission on University Government.^[28]

As a result of his strong student record, Rae was awarded aRhodes Scholarship to theUniversity of Oxford,^[29] where he studied atBalliol College, Oxford underIsaiah Berlin.^[30] HisBachelor of Philosophy thesis criticized thecultural imperialism of earlyFabian socialists in the United Kingdom, such asSidney andBeatrice Webb. During his period in Britain he became involved with social work, helping squatters find rental accommodation in London. He attributes the experience with helping him develop a deepened commitment to social justice and, on his return to Canada in 1974 Rae joined thesocial democratic NDP.^[31] He worked inlabour law during the mid-1970s.^[32][2]

Rae was elected to theHouse of Commons of Canada in a 1978^[2] by-election, defeatingProgressive ConservativeTom Clifford by 420 votes in theTorontoriding ofBroadview. Rae won the NDP nomination over former MPJohn Paul Harney and activist Kay Macpherson.^[33]

He won a full term in the1979 federal election from the renamed riding ofBroadview—Greenwood,^[2] and gained national prominence as the NDP's finance critic. WhenClark's proposed budget came up for debate that December, Rae introduced a subamendment stating that the House of Commons did not approve of the budget.^[34] It was this motion's passage that toppled Clark's government after only eight months.

Rae was elected to parliament for a third time in the1980 federal election, and marriedArlene Perly days later.^[35] In caucus, he sided with party leaderEd Broadbent in supportingpatriation of theCanadian Constitution with aCharter of Rights and Freedoms.^[36] He also articulated his party's policy on the Canadian Bank Act, and criticized theBank of Canada's high interest rate policy.^[37][2]

During the same period Rae was in Ottawa, theOntario New Democratic Party was suffering from internal disunity under the leadership ofMichael Cassidy. Cassidy resigned as leader after a poor performance in the1981 provincial election, and a movement began to draft Rae as his replacement.^[38] Rae initially declined a request from a provincial delegation led byMember of Provincial Parliament (MPP)Dave Cooke, but reconsidered after further entreaties from former Ontario NDP leaderStephen Lewis and many others.

Eleven of the party's 21 MPPs endorsed hiscandidacy, as did much of the labour movement. Rae's supporters in caucus wereMarion Bryden,Brian Charlton,Dave Cooke,Odoardo Di Santo,Tony Grande,Donald C. MacDonald,Robert Mackenzie,Elie Martel,Ed Philip,George Samis andMel Swart.^[39] He was the most centrist candidate in the contest, and easily defeatedRichard Johnston andJim Foulds at a leadership convention in early 1982.

When Rae won the NDP leadership, theOntario Progressive Conservative Party had governed Ontario since 1943 and was widely regarded as unbeatable. Rae was strongly critical of theBill Davis government's approach to social issues, and used his acceptance speech to describe the PC Party's Ontario as "Toryland", "essentially a country club in which women and people of colour were not welcome". His comments were criticized by some in the media, though Rae himself would later write that his words seemed "particularly apt" in retrospect and "certainly aroused an angry response which often means a target has been hit".^[40]

After Rae won the party leadership, there was a delay of several months before he was able to contest a by-election to enter theOntario legislature.Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs)Jim Renwick,Marion Bryden andTony Grande all declined to relinquish their seats, before former party leaderDonald C. MacDonald agreed to stand down in theYork South constituency.^[41] Rae defeatedLiberal candidateJohn Nunziata, aYork councillor in a by-election on November 4, 1982. Counting the leadership contest, this was his fifth election in just over four years.

The opposition Liberals were led by the inexperiencedDavid Peterson. Many senior NDP strategists believed their party could surpass the Liberals for second place, and Rae and Peterson became frequent rivals for media attention and public support between 1982 and 1985.^[42] The NDP took two seats from the Liberals in late 1984 by-elections, and polling byDecima Research from this period put them slightly ahead of the Liberals, although still well behind the PCs.

The NDP did not make the anticipated gains in the1985 provincial election held on May 2, 1985. They won 25 seats out of 125, only a modest improvement from their 1981 showing. The Progressive Conservatives lost support after Davis retired and right-wing candidateFrank Miller was chosen as their new leader. However, it was the Liberals rather than the NDP who were able to reposition themselves in the political centre and reap the benefits of this change.

Rae nonetheless played a pivotal role in bringing the Progressive Conservative Party's 42-year dynasty to an end. The 1985 election resulted in a minority parliament, in which the Tories held four more seats than David Peterson's Liberals, but were eleven seats short of a majority. Rae entered into negotiations with both Premier Miller and Peterson, the latter begun by a phone call from Rae to Peterson shortly after election day. Rae and Peterson signed a "Liberal-NDP Accord"^[2] in which the NDP agreed to support a Liberal government in office for two years. The Liberals, in turn, agreed to implement some policies favoured by the NDP. Rae had personally supported a full coalition, but did not strongly argue this case with other members of his party. Peterson later indicated that he would not have accepted a coalition in any event.^[43][44]

The Progressive Conservatives were defeated in a no-confidence motion on June 18, 1985, andLieutenant-GovernorJohn Black Aird asked Peterson to form a new government. Rae himself moved the motion of non-confidence, as he had done in the defeat of Joe Clark's government six years earlier.^[45] With support from Rae, Peterson's minority government implemented socially progressive legislation on matters such as pay equity, brought an end to extra-billing by doctors, and established campaign spending limits.^[46] Rae often criticized Peterson's approach to specific issues, but never moved to bring down the government.^[47]

Rae advocated pension reform in early 1986, following revelations that some corporate leaders in Ontario had been given permission to withdraw money from their employees' pension funds. He was especially critical ofConrad Black, who then held a controlling interest in Dominion Stores Ltd., for withdrawing $62 million at a time when many laid off company workers were unable to receive severance pay. During a legislative debate, Rae described Black as "that most symbolic representative of bloated capitalism at its worst".^[48] The Liberal government declined to act on the matter. Later in the same year, Rae argued that the Peterson government should reform the Ontario Human Rights Code to include provisions for group defamation and systematic discrimination.^[49]

Some members of the NDP disapproved of the party's accord with the Liberals.^[50] Party activist Ian Orenstein challenged Rae for the provincial leadership in 1986 in a symbolic protest against the party's centrist tilt. Rae won without difficulty.^[51]

Peterson's minority government was very popular during its two years in office, and the Liberal Party won a landslide majority government in the1987 provincial election, called after the conclusion of the Liberal-NDP accord. The NDP was reduced to nineteen seats and Rae was nearly defeated in his own riding, defeating high-profile Liberal challengerAlan Tonks by only 333 votes. The Progressive Conservatives underLarry Grossman suffered an even more serious defeat, falling to only sixteen seats. As a result, Rae becameLeader of the Opposition once the legislature resumed.

In September 1989, Rae took part in a highly publicized protest in support of native land claims in the middle of theTemagami Forest inNorthern Ontario. Following discussions with ChiefGary Potts, Rae agreed to participate in a road sit-in to protect a strand of old pine, a key aspect of the native claim. After the protest, Rae was escorted to a police wagon by members of theOntario Provincial Police and driven to the nearby town ofElk Lake. He was not charged with an offense.^[52]

There was considerable speculation that Rae would seek the federal NDP leadership in 1989, after the resignation ofEd Broadbent. High-profile party members such as former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis,Allan Blakeney andRoy Romanow ofSaskatchewan,Gary Doer ofManitoba andAlexa McDonough ofNova Scotia all encouraged him to run, as did several representatives of organized labour.^[53] Expecting Rae to resign,Bud Wildman,Ruth Grier and Richard Johnston began preparing campaigns to succeed him as leader of the Ontario NDP. On October 5, 1989, however, Rae announced that he would not return to federal politics and would remain as provincial leader. Several of Rae's associates, including Arlene Perly Rae, declared their support forHoward McCurdy, and later moved toAudrey McLaughlin after McCurdy was dropped from the ballot at the leadership convention. Rae declined to endorse a candidate.^[54]

Rae was an international observer forLithuania's first multi-party elections in early 1990. A lifelong opponent ofcommunism, he later wrote that he was impressed by the spirit of the oppositionSąjūdis party, which won the election.^[55] He was also very critical of theKremlin's harsh response to the opposition's victory.^[56]

Peterson called asnap election for1990. The NDP entered the campaign with low expectations, as the Liberals still held a significant lead in opinion polls and all signs indicated that they would win another majority government. Rae later acknowledged that he did not expect to win the election, and planned to leave electoral politics at some point in the next sitting of the legislature.^[52] A number of prominent MPPs, includingRichard Johnston,Marion Bryden andDavid Reville, chose not to seek re-election.Floyd Laughren was also planning to retire, but had not finalized his plans when Petersondropped the writ.

Contrary to expectations, the Liberal Party's support base declined significantly in mid-campaign. The snap election was unpopular, and the Liberals suffered lingering effects from an earlier scandal involving Liberal fundraiserPatti Starr undermined public confidence in the government. Peterson's prominent role in drafting and supporting the troubledMeech Lake Accord for constitutional reform proved a particular liability. There were also signs of an economic downturn by this time and some believed that Peterson had called the snap election to avoid its full impact.^[57] The Progressive Conservatives were led by the inexperiencedMike Harris, who ran a narrow campaign focused on tax issues and was unable to capitalize on the Liberal slide. As such, Rae's NDP was the primary beneficiary. Rae himself was more confident than in the 1985 and 1987 campaigns, and took a more aggressive stance against the Peterson government.^[58] A poll taken late in the campaign showed the NDP holding a slight lead over the Liberals.^[59]

The election results were nonetheless a surprise to political observers across the province, even to longtime NDP supporters. The NDP was elected to a strong majority government with 74 seats. The popular vote was very close, with the NDP outpolling the Liberals 37% to 34%. Several ridings were won by narrow margins. However, the NDP managed to take many seats from the Liberals in theGreater Toronto Area, and also did better than ever before (or in some cases, since) in many other cities and rural areas. Due to the nature of the first-past-the-post electoral system, which ignores the popular vote and only awards power based on the number of ridings won, this decimated the Liberal caucus. The Liberals lost 59 seats, the worst defeat in their history and the second-worst defeat for a governing party in Ontario. The NDP even managed to unseat Peterson in his own riding.^[2]

On October 1, 1990, Rae was sworn in as the first, and to date the only,New Democraticpremier of Ontario.^[60][61] He also took theIntergovernmental Affairs portfolio, giving himself a direct voice in future constitutional negotiations.

Bob Rae was in power for 1650 days, the longest term for an Ontario premier since theSecond World War. He became one of the few Ontario premiers who could speak French.^[62]

He was very popular for his first six months as Premier, with a poll from March 1991 showing the NDP at 52% support.^[63] The federal NDP also received 56% support in Ontario in a January 1991 poll.^[64]

The government was unable to sustain its popularity, however, and by late 1992 had fallen to third place in public opinion polls. The party's popularity continued to ebb throughout 1993, followed by only a modest recovery in the next two years. This, among other factors, partially contributed to a significant decline in support for the federal NDP.^{[citation needed]}

There are many reasons for the Rae government's loss of popularity between 1991 and 1993. The NDP had never governed Ontario before, and Ontario was experiencing its worstrecession since theGreat Depression. The government backtracked on several campaign promises, most notably the introduction of publicauto insurance, which caused disagreements among the party and supporters, especially from members of the progressive wing of the party such as cabinet ministersHoward Hampton andShelley Martel. A number of scandals in cabinet and caucus due to the large number of rookie MPPs also cut into the government's popularity.^{[citation needed]}

In the1993 federal election, the NDP fell to a historic low of 6% support in Ontario. All 10 New Democrat MPs from Ontario lost their seats to Liberal challengers as the Liberals won all but one seat in the province. Besides many NDP supporters nationwide voting Liberal to ensure that the Conservatives would be defeated (to avoid the vote-splitting of the 1988 election), the Rae government's unpopularity was a major factor in the federal NDP's losses. On the day after the election, defeated MPSteven Langdon called on Rae to resign. Langdon had openly campaigned against Rae's austerity measures. Although he lost by 13,000 votes to the Liberal candidate, he received a higher percentage of votes than any other NDP candidate in the province.^{[citation needed]}

Notwithstanding its setbacks, the Rae government achieved some positive accomplishments during its time in office. It saved many jobs in northern Ontario through its bailout ofAlgoma Steel, and negotiated a similar contract for paper mill workers inKapuskasing. Other popular initiatives included theTTC Eglinton West subway line in Toronto (even though the official transit plan only recommended a busway for current needs), support for public housing, and the Jobs Ontariojob creation program. Rae's decision to approvecasino gambling for the province was also opposed by many in the party but it provided a steady source of revenue.^{[citation needed]}

Ontario's economic forecast was bleak when Rae took office in October 1990. The Liberal government had forecast a small surplus earlier in the year, but a worsening North American economy led to a $700 million deficit before Rae took office.^[65] In October, the NDP projected a $2.5 billion deficit for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 1991.^[66] Some economists projected soaring deficits for the upcoming years, even if the Rae government implemented austerity measures.^[67] Rae himself was critical of the Bank of Canada's high interest rate policy, arguing that it would lead to increased unemployment throughout the country.^[68] He also criticized the 1991 federal budget, arguing the Finance MinisterMichael Wilson was shifting the federal debt to the provinces.^[69]

The Rae government's first budget, introduced in 1991, increased social spending^[62] to mitigate the economic slowdown and projected a record deficit of $9.1 billion. Finance MinisterFloyd Laughren argued that Ontario made a decision to target the effects of the recession rather than the deficit, and said that the budget would create or protect 70,000 jobs. It targeted more money to social assistance, social housing and child benefits, and raised taxes for high-income earners while lowering rates for 700,000 low-income Ontarians.^[70]

In April 1991, the government introduced a one-year program to protect the pay of workers whose firms had shut down due to the recession. Labour MinisterBob Mackenzie estimated that the plan would help 56,000 workers.^[71]

Rae claims he faced a true emergency in the spring of 1993 a crisis of government on which he had to act. Upon returning from Davos, Rae gave a speech on 9 February describing international business leaders' despair over government deficits and inefficiencies in Europe, where they stressed "the worldwide trend to redesign organizations, downsizing wherever possible and trying to make their organizations more responsive". Rae left Davos convinced that major changes in Ontario public services were needed, where these changes were of the kind long-proposed by the more conservative and business leaders of Ontario.^[72]

Indeed, [Rae's] speech to the U. of T. students was so emphatic on the importance of making government more efficient and cutting spending that reports, remembering the antagonism between Mr. Rae and business leaderConrad Black, joked that the Premier had gone from being 'Comrade Bob to Conrad Bob'

As a result, his government brought in theSocial Contract, austerity legislation which reopened collective bargaining agreements with the province's public sector unions. This legislation imposed a wage freeze and introduced what became known as "Rae days", requiring civil servants to take up to twelve days off without pay per year.^[73] These measures generated nearly 2 billion dollars in savings for Ontario, without laying off any public sector workers.^[73] These cutbacks led to a falling-out with both the public sector unions, most notablyOntario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), and theCanadian Auto Workers (CAW) and its leaderBuzz Hargrove.Sid Ryan, Ontario President of theCanadian Union of Public Employees stated that Rae's passing of the "Social Contract" was unforgivable.^[73][74]

Macleans reported that Rae had been delivered "a secret ultimatum" "by Canadian and international bond dealers". If he didn't get the deficit under $10 billion, they would demand junk-bond interest rates in order to finance Ontario's debt. Richard Walkom suggested it was a sudden panic of an NDP party aware of the stereotype it could not manage a budget, using the crisis as an opportunity to demonstrate it would use extreme measures in the appropriate circumstances. Regardless of whether Davos visit provided an epiphany, pressure or panic, this event is agreed as the beginning of the Ontario government's concessions to international corporations.^[72]

Indeed, no less than a year later at Davos, Rae arrived as a pro-business head of government. He approached the World Economic Forum as a unabashed champion of the international corporation working against the expansion of workers' wages and government services. He proposed giving a large majority of Ontario's investment planning to international banking and securities firms, meeting withDeutsche Bank,Goldman Sachs andNomura Securities, all of whom sold Ontario bonds on the global market. Instead of selling more bonds, he was now asking them to "sell Ontario through their global networks", looking to "plug into" them instead of spending government money to control publicly-controlled avenues to investment.^[72]

This breach between the NDP and thelabour movement struck at the party's foundations. The NDP was founded as an alliance between the oldCooperative Commonwealth Federation and the labour movement, and Rae's policy decisions alienated many traditional NDP voters. Thousands of members resigned from the party, and several unions turned against the NDP and vowed to defeat the government in the next election. The Rae government later attempted to regain labour support by passing Bill 40, a measure which (among other things) introduced anti-scab provisions to the province. This was not enough to bridge the gap with organized labour, however, and the party was unable to regain significant union support.^{[citation needed]}

As Premier, Rae placed a cap on enrollment into medical schools.^[75] The Rae government also delistedhome care from OHIP coverage but introduced a new comprehensive program to deliver the service mostly on a non-profit basis by publicly run, regional multi-service agencies and passed the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 to facilitate this. The Harris government subsequently rejected this model for a brokerage model in which Community Care Access Centres would hire a home care provider to service a region rather than provide the service directly and lifted the 10% limit on the use of for-profit service delivery that the Rae government had imposed.^[76]

The New Democratic Party campaigned on a promise to introducepublic auto insurance in the 1987 and 1990 campaigns. After assuming office, Rae appointedPeter Kormos, one of the most vocal proponents of public insurance, as the minister responsible for bringing forward the policy.^[77] With the onset of the recession, however, both business and labour groups expressed concern about layoffs and lost revenues.^[78] The government backtracked from the policy in 1991. Kormos, who had already been dropped from cabinet, became Rae's most vocal critic in the NDP caucus.

Rae's government attempted to introduce a variety of socially progressive measures during its time in office, though its success in this field was mixed. In 1994, the government introduced legislation,Bill 167, which would have provided for same-sex partnership benefits in the province. At the time, this legislation was seen as a revolutionary step forward for same-sex recognition. It was defeated, however, when twelve NDP MPPs (including two junior ministers) voted against it, while the opposition Liberals led byLyn McLeod also withdrew their support.^{[citation needed]}

The Rae government established an employment equity commission in 1991,^[79] and two years later introducedaffirmative action to improve the numbers of women, non-whites, aboriginals and disabled persons working across the private and public sectors.^[80] This policy was controversial, and it cost the NDP support among its unionized working-class base of support.

In November 1990, the Rae government announced that it would restrict most rent increases to 4.6% for the present year and 5.4% for 1991. The provisions for 1990 were made retroactive. Tenants' groups supported these changes, while landlord representatives were generally opposed.^[81]Dave Cooke, the minister responsible for implementing the policy, later announced that he would work to factor in the costs of legitimate building renovations.^[82]

When campaigning in 1990, Rae promised that he would eliminatefood banks through anti-poverty initiatives. After taking office, however, his government committed a significant sum of money to support Ontario's existing food banks.Gerard Kennedy, leader of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, criticized Rae for not targeting the money toward affordable housing and welfare reforms.^[83] In April 1991,Community and Social Services ministerZanana Akande announced that food banks would have to remain open in light of changed economic circumstances.^[84]

Rae increased the basic social assistance allowance by 7% in 1991, and increased the maximum payment for shelter allowances by 10%.^[85]

Rae supports abortion rights, saying "The rights of women to choose, to have control over their own bodies, is not a right which is going to be taken away by the Parliament of Canada, and it is not a right which should be subject to some private member's bill which is going to affect the rights of women to have choice, to have genuine equality and to have full and complete access to the medicare and the health care that they need."^[86]

Soon after assuming office in 1990, Rae announced his support for native Canadians' "inherent right to self-government".^[87] He later worked to help six aboriginal bands inNorthern Ontario gain reserve status,^[88] and called for self-government on theAkwesasne Indian Reserve, in part to help the reserve leaders combat smuggling.^[89] Rae also pushed for native rights to be included in future constitutional reforms.^[90]

In November 1990, the Rae government announced an indefinite moratorium on the construction of new nuclear plants in Ontario.^[91] He consistently opposed plans to privatizeOntario Hydro.^[92]

In March 1991, Rae announced that he would support a new round of constitutional negotiations between the federal government and the provinces, which ultimately proved to be unsuccessful. He indicated that Ontario was willing to recognizeQuebec as a distinct society, and called for aboriginal and women's rights to be entrenched in the Canadian Constitution. Rae also supported the creation of a "social charter", to establish national standards for social programs such as medicare.^[93]

Early in his term, Rae indicated that his government would continue a long-standing development freeze in Toronto's Harbourfront area, to ensure the survival of cultural programs in the area.^[94]

Rae was initially one of the most prominent opponents of theNorth American Free Trade Agreement in Canada. During a meeting with Mexican PresidentCarlos Salinas de Gortari in 1991, he argued that any proposed North American free trade zone would have to incorporate common environmental and labour standards.^[95]

Rae endorsedSusan Eng's successful bid to chair the MetroToronto Police Services Board in early 1991, over the opposition of several police officers.^[96] Rae later introduced policies requiring Ontario police services to hire more women, disabled people, native Canadians and members of visible minority groups.^[97]

When Rae assumed office, the Retail Business Holidays Act of Ontario had recently been found unconstitutionalby the Supreme Court of Ontario, meaning that many stores were allowed toopen legally on Sundays for the first time. Rae announced that his government planned to introduce legislation for a "common pause day" across Ontario, "to help strengthen family and community life while protecting small business and the rights of workers". In practice, this initiative would have required many retail establishments to close on Sundays, with exemptions for religious minority communities.^[98] The province also appealed the court ruling to a higher court, theOntario Court of Appeal, which restored the previous status quo.

However, many retail owners as well as members of the general public preferred Sunday shopping to be legal,and in 1992 the Rae government yielded to the pressure and reversed its position, amending the Retail Business Holidays Act so that only statutory holidays, and not Sundays, would be common pause days.^[99][100]

The Rae government created a Royal Commission on Learning – co-chaired byGerald Caplan andMonique Bégin – which delivered its report and recommendations: "For the Love of Learning" in January 1995. Among the reports' more prominent recommendations were:

• the creation of a common curriculum for Ontario schools
• the equalization of funding per pupil
• the elimination of grade 13
• the appointment of pupil representatives on Ontario school boards
• the creation of a College of Teachers (recommendation #58)
• the implementation of uniform testing of students at various grade levels.^[101]

Rae's popularity had recovered somewhat by 1995, but by the time thewrits were dropped for that year'sprovincial election it was obvious that the NDP would not be re-elected.^[102]

The official opposition Liberals were expected to be the primary benefactors of the NDP's unpopularity, having recovered from their severe defeat of five years earlier, and leading in opinion polls since 1992. However, several unpopular policy reversals and mistakes by Liberal leaderLyn McLeod allowedMike Harris and the Tories to benefit from the swing in support away from the NDP. During the leaders' debates, while Rae and McLeod traded barbs, Harris used his camera time to speak directly to the camera about the PC's platform. Several working-class ridings which had long voted NDP became disgruntled with the party due to the Social Contract and affirmative action, so they were attracted by Harris' populism and shifted to the Tories. While the NDP polled considerably better in northern Ontario than it did in 1990, it lost much of its support in rest of the province, especially the905 region where they had won many seats five years earlier. In the end the Tories shot from third place to a landslide majority government, sweeping the NDP from power. The Liberals lost six seats, but retained their status as the official opposition, while the NDP fell to only seventeen seats and third place in the Legislative Assembly.^{[citation needed]}

Rae himself was reelected in his own riding by over 3,000 votes. However, on February 29, 1996; he resigned as NDP leader and MPP for York South and moved to positions in law, academia and the private sector. He joined the law firm of Goodmans LLP.^[2] He was eventually succeeded as party leader byHoward Hampton, who was formerlyNatural Resources Minister in Rae's cabinet and a longtime left-wing rival. LiberalGerard Kennedy succeeded Rae as MPP for York South.^[2]

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Rae resigned from the New Democratic Party in 1998 due to his appointment to theSecurity Intelligence Review Committee. There was some speculation thatPrime Minister Jean Chrétien would have him appointedGovernor General in 1999, but he was passed over in favour ofAdrienne Clarkson.^[103] There was further speculation that Rae would return to the federal Liberals and run under their banner in the2000 election, though nothing came of this at the time.^{[citation needed]}

Rae was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada in 2000, and in 2004 he was appointed to theOrder of Ontario.^{[citation needed]} He was appointed the sixth chancellor ofWilfrid Laurier University on July 2, 2003, and was installed at that school's fallconvocation in October.^{[citation needed]} Rae also became a partner atGoodmans LLP, aToronto-based corporate law firm, an adjunct professor at theUniversity of Toronto, and a Senior Fellow ofMassey College.^{[citation needed]} He has written a number of books:From Protest to Power: Personal Reflections on a Life in Politics (1996),Three Questions: Prosperity and the Public Good (1998),Canada in the Balance (2006),Exporting Democracy: The Risks and Rewards of Pursuing a Good Idea (2010), andWhat's Happened to Politics? (2016). He was the national spokesperson for the Leukemia Research Foundation.^{[citation needed]}

Rae helped theToronto Symphony Orchestra restructure following an extended strike by its musicians at the beginning of the 1999–2000 season.^[2]

Rae returned to active politics on April 16, 2002, two days afterMike Harris announced his resignation as premier, with an opinion piece in theNational Post newspaper. In an article entitled, "Parting Company with the NDP", Rae strongly criticized what he perceived as a bias againstIsrael in the federal party, and also criticized the NDP for rejectingTony Blair'sThird Way concept and for refusing to acceptglobalization and open markets. He suggested that the party's economic policies were insufficient for the 21st century, and that the party as a whole was no longer "worthy of support".^[104]

The Ontario NDP distanced itself from Rae's policies under Hampton. During the2003 provincial election, Hampton argued that Rae was wrong to reverse the NDP's commitment to public auto insurance. The party's relations with the labour movement have not completely healed, although the situation has improved since 1993. Relations with the CAW remain especially fraught, and memories of the social contract have hurt the NDP's credibility with a new generation of public sector workers, despite the party's efforts to distance itself from the measure. Nonetheless, the Ontario NDP remained in third place in the Legislative Assembly, and would not win more than 20 seats in the legislature until 2014 under Hampton's successor,Andrea Horwath. It would not come out of the political wilderness until 2018, when it won 40 seats–its most since 1990–and opposition status.

Rae worked on theRed Cross tainted blood issue and also worked towards a resolution of the fishing conflict inBurnt Church, New Brunswick.^[105]

In 2005, Rae wrote a report for the Liberal government ofDalton McGuinty on post-secondary education, commonly referred to as theRae Report.^[105] His report called for increased government funding to colleges and universities, and enhanced student aid especially for low-income students. The report also suggested that individual institutions ought to be able to determine what rate of tuition fees to charge, free from government controls, which generated controversy. Student groups including theCanadian Federation of Students have objected, noting the significant recent increases in tuition fees in Ontario under the government of Mike Harris, and the 57 per cent increase in tuition fees during Rae's own tenure as premier. Ontario NDP leader Howard Hampton also criticized the report. Rae defended his report, arguing that low income non-university individuals would not benefit from a tuition freeze/lowering, as well as being forced to bear the tax burden needed to enact it.^{[citation needed]}

Rae has also become involved with international issues; in 2002 and 2003, as chair of the Forum of Federations he helped oversee constitutional discussions between the government ofSri Lanka andTamil Tiger rebels.^[106] On April 26, 2005, he was appointed to advise Deputy Prime MinisterAnne McLellan on whether or not there should be a government inquiry into the 1985Air India disaster. On November 23, 2005, Rae recommended further inquiry into the investigation and prosecution.^[107]

In July 2005,The Globe and Mail and theNational Post both reported that Rae was again being considered for appointment to the position of Governor General.^{[citation needed]} However, Rae was passed over again, this time in favour ofMichaëlle Jean.

In a July 2005 interview withMichael Valpy, Rae indicated that he was still committed to public life and public service. Valpy's feature on Rae included a comment by Arlene Perly Rae that he could return to politics if there was anational unity crisis.^{[citation needed]}

On November 23, 2005, Rae presented his recommendations that there should be a formal but focused inquiry into theAir India disaster. Two days later, Deputy Prime MinisterAnne McLellan announced Rae's appointment to conduct a limited inquiry intoAir India under a governmentorder-in-council. Rae produced a comprehensive report outlining the key issues that could be addressed, leaving Air India Victims' families spokeswomanLata Pada "encouraged that demands for answers will be addressed".^{[citation needed]}

On August 24, 2005, theToronto Star reported that Rae was under "mounting pressure" to run for the federal Liberals in the2006 general election. Though it was unclear how long the Air India inquiry was to last, Rae's appointment precluded any possibility of his running as a candidate in the January 23 election. A poll by SES Research suggested that Rae was tied for second place behindFrank McKenna as a prospective candidate to lead the federal Liberals. McKenna decided afterwards not to contest the leadership.^{[citation needed]}

The new government ofStephen Harper appointed a judge to handle the Air India inquiry in March 2006 thus releasing Rae from his previous commitment and freeing him for a possible run for theLiberal Party leadership.^{[citation needed]}

In a speech to the Canadian Club ofWinnipeg on March 13, 2006, Rae expressed his interest in uniting the "progressive" forces of Canada to regain a majority government in theHouse of Commons of Canada. "There's a progressive record that's shared by a majority of Canadians, but so far, we have not succeeded in becoming a majority in the House of Commons, so we must think a bit about how that can happen."^[2]

On April 5, 2006, Rae applied for membership in theLiberal Party of Canada. His candidacy for the federal party leadership was supported byGreg Sorbara andGeorge Smitherman,^[108] former Chrétien aidesEddie Goldenberg and Rae's brother John,^[109] as well as former top Martin advisor John Webster and others associated with the Martin camp.^[110] He announced his candidacy on April 24, 2006. At his campaign launch he responded to his critics by saying, "I made mistakes before I was in politics, I made mistakes when I was in politics, I made mistakes as premier ... I can only tell you I have learned from those mistakes and I am the wiser for them."^[111] Rae's predecessor as premier,David Peterson, who was supportingMichael Ignatieff, criticized Rae's entry into the race due to his record as NDP provincial premier, though insisting that he did not hold a personal grudge against Rae.^[112]

On May 12, 2006,Trudeau-era Deputy Prime MinisterAllan MacEachen backed Rae's leadership bid becoming honorary campaign chair.^[113] On June 16, former Ontario Liberal Party leader and provincial treasurerRobert Nixon, who sat as leader of the opposition to Rae's Ontario government for a time, endorsed Rae.^[114] He was also endorsed byMPsIrwin Cotler,Ujjal Dosanjh,Lawrence MacAulay,Diane Marleau andBrian Murphy, as well as severalSenators.^[115] Rival candidateMaurizio Bevilacqua withdrew from the contest on August 14 to endorse Rae,^[116] andCarolyn Bennett did the same on September 15,^[117] followed byHedy Fry on September 25^[118] andJohn Godfrey on October 20.On the night of December 1 at the Convention, Rae spoke freely without notes rather than make a formal speech.^{[citation needed]} Rival candidateJoe Volpe announced his support for Rae after the speeches were concluded. On the morning of December 2, after finishing second on the first ballot, rival candidateScott Brison, moved to Rae and yet another rival candidate,Ken Dryden, moved to him after the second ballot. However, Rae lost his bid for the leadership in the third round of Convention balloting, placing third behind bothMichael Ignatieff andStéphane Dion, who had leapfrogged into first after receiving the support ofGerard Kennedy. Rae then freed his delegates and did not indicate whom he supported on the final ballot; Dion won the leadership.

Despite the loss of the Liberal leadership, Rae had indicated that he would like to run for a federal seat in the House of Commons in the next federal election.^[119] On March 7, 2007, Rae announced that he would seek the Liberal nomination inToronto Centre.^[120] On March 26, 2007, he won the party's nomination, defeating Toronto lawyer and human rights advocate Meredith Cartwright with 532 votes to her 267.^[121]

Several days following his defeat at the leadership convention it was reported that Rae's wife,Arlene Perly Rae was approached by a delegate who did not know who she was, and who told her that she should not vote for Rae because his wife is Jewish. A flyer was also sent electronically to convention delegates, stating that Rae's wife was a vice-president of theCanadian Jewish Congress and that he was a supporter ofIsraeli apartheid.^[122] The Canadian Press reported that the flyer was produced by Ron Saba, the editor of a small Montreal journal. Newly elected Liberal leader Stéphane Dion issued a press release condemning the "hateful comments" made against Rae and his wife, saying that they are "reprehensible and will not be tolerated within the Liberal Party of Canada", adding that "there is no room for abhorrent comments such as these within our Party".^[123]

Rae was named co-chair of the Liberals' platform development committee, withScott Brison.^[2]

In the by-election held on March 17, 2008, Rae won handily.^[2] Toronto Centre had historically been one of the few ridings in the formerMetro Toronto where the old Progressive Conservatives had a realistic chance of winning. However, since 1993, the Liberals have dominated the riding (as has been the case with most Toronto ridings), carrying it by 10,000 votes or more. Rae kept this tradition going; he finished almost 11,000 votes ahead of his closest opponent and with more than 4,400 votes than his five opponents combined (14,187 to 9,764). Rae's candidacy was endorsed by the former Conservative candidateMark Warner, who was dropped due to disagreements with the party on social and urban issues. Rae had denounced the Tories' decision to drop Warner, calling it a "national disgrace."^[124]

Rae returned to Parliament on March 31, 2008, after a 25-year absence. He was immediately promoted to the Liberal shadow cabinet as Foreign Affairs critic (shadow foreign minister). In that role he publiclysupported Iraq War resisters seeking asylum in Canada before and during the 2008 election campaign. He was re-elected to his Commons' seat in the fall 2008 federal election. When Dion announced that he would resign the leadership in May 2009 after the party's poor results, Rae became a candidate in theensuing Liberal leadership election.^{[citation needed]}

Rae took part in negotiations for the Liberals to form a coalition with the NDP, with support from the Bloc Québécois. They planned to pass a motion of non-confidence in the Conservative government, not unlike what Rae had done in 1979 and 1985. After Prime Minister Harper convinced the Governor General to prorogue parliament on December 4, 2008, and with Dion pressured to resign immediately as party leader, Rae took on the role of coalition spokesman.^{[citation needed]}

Rae found it more difficult to garner support than he had in the last leadership contest, with his 2006 campaign co-chair now supporting Ignatieff. As it was obvious that Ignatieff had lined up enough support to become the party's leader, Rae withdrew on December 9, 2008. He has since criticized Ignatieff's decision to withdraw from the coalition with the NDP.^[125]

He served as Foreign Affairs critic in theshadow cabinets of both Dion and Ignatieff. On June 9, 2009, Rae was denied entry by Sri Lankan Immigration officials at theBandaranaike International Airport, Colombo,Sri Lanka on grounds that he was "a threat to national security and sympathetic to theTamil Tigers rebel group". Rae responded, "Sri Lanka is afraid of dialogue, afraid of discussion, afraid of engagement ... If this is how they treat me, imagine how they treat people who can't speak out." Rae has described Sri Lanka as 'a very dangerous place to be a journalist. "It's a very dangerous place to be any kind ofTamil right now and this is nuts."^{[126][127][128]}

In November 2009, Rae sponsored a motion for Canada to recognizeBlack Ribbon Day to commemorate the victims of Nazi and Communist regimes.^[129]

In the aftermath of the 2011 federal election in which the Liberals were reduced to third place behind the NDP, Rae speculated on national television about the possibility of future co-operation between the two parties.^[130] Following Ignatieff's announcement that he would be resigning as leader, Rae was touted as a possible successor. However, his advocacy of a possible Liberal-NDP merger caused consternation among some Liberals. Former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien reportedly called senior Liberals urging Rae's selection as interim leader.^[131] However, the Liberal National Board announced that the interim leader position could only be held by an individual who agreed not to seek the permanent leadership and not to seek to change the party or merge it with another party during his tenure.^[132]

On May 19, 2011, Rae declared that he would not be running for leadership for the Liberal Party, but would instead seek theinterim leadership position. He was chosen over Quebec MPMarc Garneau for the interim leadership on May 25, 2011.^[133][134] While Rae had been widely expected to resign the post of interim leader and make a bid for the permanent leadership^[135] he announced on June 13, 2012, that he would not be a candidate in theLiberal leadership election.^[136]

Earlier in 2011, Rae was votedMaclean's Parliamentarian of the Year by members of the41st Parliament.^[137] Journalist Carol Goar viewed Rae as the de facto leader of the Opposition in the six months between the death of NDP leaderJack Layton in August 2011 and the election ofThomas Mulcair in March 2012.^[138] WhenJustin Trudeau was elected the new permanent leader in April 2013,^[133] Rae had become the longest serving interim leader, having served almost two years in this capacity. As new leader, Trudeau named Rae the Liberal party's foreign affairs critic.^[139]

When Justin Trudeau won the 2015 elections and became Prime Minister, Rae was given considerable credit for laying the foundations for the turnaround in the fortunes of the Liberal Party.^[140]

On June 19, 2013, Rae announced that he would be leaving parliament^[141] in order to serve as chief negotiator and counsel for theMatawa First Nations inNorthern Ontario's Ring of Fire;^[10] his resignation took effect on July 31.^[11] Rae also joined theUniversity of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance as a distinguished senior fellow, effective July 1, 2013.^[142] On July 13, Rae joined the National Advisory Board forFair Vote Canada, an organization promotingelectoral reform for Canadian elections.^[143] Later in July, Rae became the chairman of the board for the FN (PTP) Group Limited Partnership (FNLP), which represents the 15 British Columbian First Nations that signed a $200 million commercial deal with the Pacific Trail Pipelines Limited Partnership, a part of the Kitimat LNG Project that plans to use a pipeline to moveliquified natural gas to a terminal on the coast of British Columbia.^[144] In February 2014, Rae became a partner in the law firm Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, a law firm which specializes in representing Aboriginal communities across the country.^{[citation needed]}

After stepping down, Rae has also become a public speaker focusing on Canada's role in the world, Aboriginal issues, human rights, healthcare, and education.^[145]

In August 2018,Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador, and froze trade with Canada.^[146] Rae wrote on Twitter: "The Brits and the Trumpians run for cover and say 'we're friends with both the Saudis and the Canadians. Thanks for the support for human rights, guys, and we'll remember this one for sure."^[147]

In late 2017, Prime Minister Trudeau appointed Rae Canada's special envoy toMyanmar in response to theRohingya human rights crisis and the suspectedethnic cleansing^[148] of the minority population by the Myanmar government. Rae advised the prime minister on the issue and was expected to attempt to obtain permission from Myanmar to visitRakhine province. He also has a mandate "to promote accountability for alleged crimes perpetrated against vulnerable populations, including the Rohingya Muslim community, other religious and ethnic minorities, and women and girls".^[12] His term ended on April 3, 2018, upon delivering his report to Trudeau.^[14]

On March 10, 2020, Rae was named Canada's Special Envoy on Humanitarian and Refugee Issues.^[149]

On July 6, 2020, Trudeau named himCanadian Ambassador to the United Nations.^[5]

In November 2020, Rae called on the UN to investigate evidence of genocide against the Uighur minority in China.^[150] After thekilling of Russia military bloggerVladlen Tatarsky in April 2023, Rae made a statement on Twitter describing him as a "vitriolic propagandist" for his support of theRussian invasion of Ukraine. In response, Russia lodged a formal diplomatic protest to Canada.^[151] He was appointed co-facilitator of the 8th Review of the UN's Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,^[152] a process he led to a consensus adoption by the UN General Assembly in June 2023.

On 25 July 2024, Rae was elected the eightieth President of the Economic and Social Council for the 2025 session.^[153] He retired as Canada's UN ambassador in 2025, withDavid Lametti being appointed to succeed him on November 17.^[6][154]

In November 2025, Rae presented a lecture atQueen's University at Kingston at their School of Policy Studies,^[155] whereafter it was announced that he would be joining the university as aFellow in Global Public Policy^[156] for a three year term.

**as compared to the 2006 General Election

Location	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
Canada	May 31, 2001 – February 12, 2016	Officer of the Order of Canada[158]	OC
Canada	February 12, 2016 – Present	Companion of the Order of Canada[159][160]	CC
Ontario	2003 – Present	Member of the Order of Ontario[161]	O.Ont
Canada	1992	125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal
Canada	2002	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (Canadian Version)	[162]
Canada	2012	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (Canadian Version)	[163]

Location	Date	Appointment	Post-nominal letters
Estonia	February 2, 2011 – Present	Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (3rd Class)	[164]
Lithuania	March 10, 2022 – Present	Diplomatic Star	[165]

Location	Date	School	Degree
Ontario	1998	Law Society of Upper Canada	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[166]
Ontario	June 1999	University of Toronto	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[167]
Ontario	2001	Assumption University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)
Ontario	November 14, 2002	Huntington University	Doctor of Sacred Letters[168]
Ontario	November 11, 2005	Fanshawe College	Bachelor of Applied Studies[169]
Ontario	May 25, 2006	Queen's University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[170]
Ontario	June 2006	McMaster University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[171]
Israel	November 14, 2010	University of Haifa	Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Ontario	April 11, 2014	Carleton University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[172][173]
Ontario	2014	Lakehead University	Doctor of Laws (LL.D)[174]
Quebec	2014	Bishop's University	Doctor of Civil Law (DCL)[175]

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(October 2015)

Location	Date	Institution	Position
Canada	1984 – Present	Government of Canada	King's Counsel (KC)
Canada	April 30, 1998 – Present	Queen's Privy Council for Canada	Member (PC)

Location	Date	Institution	Award
Canada	2018	Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians	Lifetime Achievement Award[176]
Prince Edward Island	October 30, 2020	Confederation Centre of the Arts	The Symons Medal[177]

Location	Date	Institution	Position
Ontario	2005 – Present	The Royal Conservatory of Music	Honorary Fellow (FRCMT)[178]

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