Philippe Deane Gigantès (August 16, 1923 – December 9, 2004) was a veteran of the Second World War, journalist, war correspondent, POW of theKorean War, author, television commentator, Greek minister of culture, and Canadian senator.

Gigantès served in the BritishRoyal Navy during the Second World War. After the war, he became a journalist, working for theLondon Observer, in Greece, North Africa, and South Asia, from 1946 to 1961.

Gigantès covered theKorean War as thewar correspondent fromInternational News Service.

Whilst covering theKorean War he was taken prisoner, and spent 33 months in aNorth Korean prison camp. During this time he was interned withGeorge Blake.^[1] After his release he wrote the bookI was a Captive in Korea, which he published under the name “Philip Deane,” and returned to his career in journalism. He became the Washington correspondent for theLondon Observer andThe Globe and Mail.^[2]

From 1965 to the 1970s, he was a journalist inCanada.^[3] During the 1970s he was speech writer and top aide toCanadian Prime MinisterPierre Trudeau.^[4]

He worked as aUnited Nations official. In 1964 he was appointed to the post of associate Greek Minister of Culture, serving until 1965. He later resumed his career in the media as a television commentator^[2] from 1965 to 1970s.

From 1965 to 1968 completed his Bachelor of Arts, Master and PhD at theUniversity of Toronto.^[5]

After his graduation he served as Dean of Arts atBishop's University and Dean of Arts and Science atUniversity of Lethbridge.^[5]

In the 1970s he served with theOfficial Languages Commission and theTreasury Board.^[5]

In 1980 he ran for MP in the Canadian riding ofBroadview-Greenwood, but was defeated byBob Rae. In 1984 while working as an editorialist at theMontreal Gazette he was appointed to theSenate of Canada byPierre Trudeau, for whom he had worked between 1978 and 1980 as a researcher then head of theLiberal Caucus Research Office. He served in the Senate until his 75th birthday in 1998.

While in the Senate he served on many committees but was particularly proud of his work as chair of an adhoc committee on the future of work. His report of this work was published by Parliament under the titleOnly Work Works and in French under the title"Il n'y a que le Travail qui Vaille.

He was the author of 15 books includingI Should Have Died,^[2]Is the Free Trade Deal Really for You? (1988) andPower and Greed: A Short History of the World (2002).

In his bookNice Work: The Continuing Scandal of Canada's Senate, journalist and author Claire Hoy wrote that Gigantes, during a filibuster in the Senate, read one of his books into the record; another senator suggested that he did this to get the work translated into French for free by parliamentary staff responsible forHansard.

Gigantès died on December 9, 2004, ofprostate cancer inMontreal.^{[citation needed]} He left behind his wife Susan, his first wife Molly, three daughters Eleni, Claire and Eve Marie, two grandsons and a granddaughter. He was predeceased by his second wife Sylvie. His ashes were scattered in the waters of theMediterranean Sea near Kefalonia,Greece.^[4]

• Philippe Gigantès – Parliament of Canada biography

• 1923 births
• 2004 deaths
• Canadian senators from Quebec
• Candidates in the 1980 Canadian federal election
• Liberal Party of Canada senators
• Politicians from Montreal
• Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
• University of Toronto alumni
• Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
• Greek emigrants to Canada
• War correspondents of the Korean War
• 20th-century members of the Senate of Canada
• Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament

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