John Savage (politician)

Last updated
The Honourable
John Savage
OC, ONS
23rd Premier of Nova Scotia
In office
June 11, 1993 –July 18, 1997
Monarch Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor Lloyd Crouse
James Kinley
Preceded by Don W. Cameron
Succeeded by Russell MacLellan
MLA for Dartmouth South
In office
May 25, 1993 –March 24, 1998
Preceded by Roland J. Thornhill
Succeeded by Don Chard
Leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party
In office
June 20, 1992 –March 20, 1997
Preceded by Vince MacLean
Succeeded by Russell MacLellan
Personal details
Born May 28, 1932
Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales
Died May 13, 2003(2003-05-13) (aged 70)
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Political party Liberal
Spouse(s) Margaret
Children 7
Alma mater Queen's University Belfast
Occupation Physician

John Patrick Savage, OC, ONS (May 28, 1932 – May 13, 2003) was a Welsh-born Canadian physician and politician. Savage was the 23rd Premier of Nova Scotia between 1993 and 1997. He was born in Wales, and educated in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. He immigrated to Canada in 1967 and was a noted family physician in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He became the mayor of Dartmouth in 1985, and won re-election twice. He then became the leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party in 1992 and stepped down as mayor. In 1993, he defeated the incumbent provincial government and became premier. Savage was a controversial premier, bringing in many reforms in taxation, regional government, and government hiring practices. He resigned as premier in 1997 due to his low approval ratings in public polls. He died of cancer at the age of 70 in 2003. He was the father of Mike Savage, current mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Order of Canada order

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order and the second highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada. It comes second only to membership in the Order of Merit, which is the personal gift of Canada's monarch.

The Order of Nova Scotia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Instituted on 2 August 2001, when Lieutenant Governor Myra Freeman granted Royal Assent to the Order of Nova Scotia Act, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour current or former Nova Scotia residents for conspicuous achievements in any field, being thus described as the highest honour amongst all others conferred by the Nova Scotia Crown.

Nova Scotia Province of Canada

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime Provinces, and one of the four provinces that form Atlantic Canada. Its provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest of Canada's ten provinces, with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi), including Cape Breton and another 3,800 coastal islands. As of 2016, the population was 923,598. Nova Scotia is Canada's second-most-densely populated province, after Prince Edward Island, with 17.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (45/sq mi).

Contents

Early life

Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, he was the son of an Irish Roman Catholic doctor father and a Welsh Baptist housewife mother. [1] He attended school at Prior Park College, Bath, before attending Queen's University of Belfast to become a physician. [1]

Prior Park College school in Bath and North East Somerset, UK

Prior Park College is a mixed Roman Catholic public school for both day and boarding students. Situated on a hill overlooking the city of Bath, Somerset, in southwest England, Prior Park has been designated by Historic England as a Grade I listed building.

Physician professional who practices medicine

A physician, medical practitioner, medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a professional who practises medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining, or restoring health through the study, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of disease, injury, and other physical and mental impairments. Physicians may focus their practice on certain disease categories, types of patients, and methods of treatment—known as specialities—or they may assume responsibility for the provision of continuing and comprehensive medical care to individuals, families, and communities—known as general practice. Medical practice properly requires both a detailed knowledge of the academic disciplines, such as anatomy and physiology, underlying diseases and their treatment—the science of medicine—and also a decent competence in its applied practice—the art or craft of medicine.

Nova Scotia

He was generally unhappy with the United Kingdom's government-run healthcare system known as the National Health Service. [1] When he saw an advertisement for doctors in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, Savage decided to pack up his family and move across the ocean to continue his medical practice in 1967. [1] [2] He made a name for himself as the "hippie doctor" in the 1970s, due to his beard and progressive health stances. [1] By setting up a detox centre — and a free clinic in the economically disadvantaged and mostly black community of North Preston — he assured his reputation as a left-winger. [1]

National Health Service publicly funded healthcare systems within the United Kingdom

The NHS in England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and the affiliated Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland were established together in 1948 as one of the major social reforms following the Second World War. The founding principles were that services should be comprehensive, universal and free at the point of delivery. Each service provides a comprehensive range of health services, free at the point of use for people ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, apart from dental treatment and optical care.

Canadians citizens of Canada

Canadians are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Canadian.

North Preston Community in Nova Scotia, Canada

North Preston is a community in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada.

He started his political life running for federal office in the Halifax area in the 1970s. He was defeated twice as a federal Liberal Party candidate. In 1985, he ran successfully to become the mayor of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where he lived. [3] While mayor, he received a reputation as a left-wing free spender. [4] He was re-elected as mayor in both 1988 and 1991. [3]

Liberal Party of Canada oldest federal political party in Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada is the oldest and longest-serving governing political party in Canada. The Liberals form the current government, elected in 2015. The party has dominated federal politics for much of Canada's history, holding power for almost 69 years in the 20th century—more than any other party in a developed country—and as a result, it is sometimes referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".

In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town.

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Urban Community in Nova Scotia, Canada

Dartmouth is a former city and urban community located in the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada. Dartmouth is located on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour. Dartmouth has been nicknamed the City of Lakes, after the large number of lakes located within its boundaries.

Premier of Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party was having its annual general meeting in Dartmouth on February 29, 1992. Savage attended a session of the meeting to bring greetings from the City of Dartmouth, in his capacity as its mayor. Little did he realize that the party's rank and file were about to oust their long-time leader, Vince McLean. He was approached to run for the Liberal leadership and took a leave of absence from his mayoral duties. The election was held by computerized telephone balloting, and he won on the second ballot in June 1992. [2]

Nova Scotia Liberal Party political party in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party is a socially liberal, fiscally conservative political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. The party currently forms government in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of Premier Stephen McNeil. It has held power in the province since the 2013 election, and the current government led by Stephen McNeil was the first in Nova Scotia to win 2 consecutive majorities since the government of John Buchanan, after the victory in the 2017 Nova Scotia election.

On May 25, 1993, Savage defeated sitting Premier Donald Cameron and the governing Progressive Conservatives in the 1993 provincial election, winning 40 of the legislature's 52 seats. [5]

Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia Canadian political party, moderate right-of-centre, based in Nova Scotia

The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, commonly called the PC Party, is a moderate, centrist political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. They have been historically associated with the "Red Tory" wing of Canadian conservatism. The party is currently led by Pictou East MLA Tim Houston.

During his term as premier, saddled with huge operating debts left by the previous government and declining equalization payments from the federal government of Jean Chrétien, he became a tough fiscal conservative, balancing the provincial budget in 1996 for the first time since 1978.

In doing so, he cut social spending drastically and cut the wages of thousands of civil servants. Other programs such as constructing a toll highway, municipal amalgamations by creating the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the Halifax Regional Municipality, and the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax were initiated under his watch. [6]

His government also led the country in the creation of tougher anti-smoking legislation, consolidation of school boards and local health authorities, creation of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, the establishment of one of the most modern emergency health services in North America along with province-wide emergency field communications systems, and he waged a tough and ultimately successful fight against an entrenched patronage system in the provincial Department of Transportation and Public Works, as well as within his own political party.

Savage's detractors labelled him as inexperienced and stubborn. [6] Faced with increasing discontent from within his own party over some of his anti-patronage policies, and after surviving a July 1995 leadership review vote, [7] he resigned as premier in 1997. [4] In its editorial page on March 22, 1997, The Globe and Mail, after citing his list of reforms, called him "the best premier in a generation," and berated both Liberal party members and the public for forcing him to resign. [8]

Later life and death

After Savage resigned, he and his wife, Margaret, traveled to Africa to perform missionary work. They worked in The Gambia, providing HIV/AIDS education to youth. [9] In 2001, he acknowledged he had stomach cancer, [9] which spread throughout his body until his death on May 13, 2003. Just three days before his death, he was made an officer of the Order of Canada. [10] He died in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, about six weeks after his wife's death, also from cancer. [11] [12] Savage and his wife had seven children, with their son Mike Savage following in his father's footsteps and becoming the mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality in 2012. [13]

Related Research Articles

John Hamm Canadian politician

John Frederick Hamm, is a Canadian physician and politician and was the 25th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1999 to 2006.

Alexa McDonough former Canadian MP for Halifax, born 1944

Alexa Ann McDonough, is a Canadian politician who became the first woman to lead a major, recognized political party in Canada, when she was elected the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's (NSNDP) leader in 1980. She served as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature from 1981 to 1994, representing the Halifax Chebucto and Halifax Fairview electoral districts. She stepped down as the NSNDP's leader and as a member of the legislature in 1994. She subsequently ran for, and was elected, leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1995. McDonough was elected the Member of Parliament (MP) for the federal electoral district of Halifax in 1997. She stepped down as party leader in 2003, but continued to serve as an MP for two more terms, until 2008, when she retired from politics altogether. In 2009, she became the interim president of Mount Saint Vincent University and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in December of that year.

Robert Stanfield Canadian politician, Premier of Nova Scotia and Federal Leader of the Queens Loyal Opposition

Robert Lorne Stanfield, was the 17th Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He was born into an affluent Nova Scotia clothing manufacturing and political family in 1914. He graduated from Dalhousie University and Harvard Law School in the 1930s. Stanfield became the leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party in 1948, and after a rebuilding period, led the party to government in 1956. As premier, he won three straight elections. His government was credited with modernizing the way the province delivered education and medical services. In 1967, he resigned as premier and became the leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party. He was the leader of the Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition and fought three general elections, losing each time to the Liberals under Pierre Trudeau. He resigned as leader in 1976 and from public office in 1979. In retirement, he lived mostly in Ottawa, and died there in 2003 from complications due to pneumonia. He is sometimes referred to as "the best prime minister Canada never had". As one of Canada's most distinguished and respected statesmen, he was one of several people granted the style "The Right Honourable" who were not so entitled by virtue of an office held.

Russell MacLellan Canadian politician

Russell Gregoire MacLellan is a Canadian politician who served as the 24th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1997 to 1999.

Donald William Cameron was the 22nd Premier of Nova Scotia, Canada, from February 1991 to June 1993. He represented the electoral district of Pictou East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1974 to 1993, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. Following his political career, he was appointed as the Canadian Consul General to New England.

Michael John "Mike" Savage is an Irish-born Canadian politician, who was elected Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality on October 20, 2012. He previously served as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament for the riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour from 2004 to 2011.

Laurel C. Broten is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2013, who represented the Toronto riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. She served in the cabinets of Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty.

James Bernard "Bernie" Boudreau, is a Canadian lawyer and politician.

Danny Graham is a lawyer and former politician in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Robert Chisholm (Canadian politician) Canadian politician

Robert Lawrence Chisholm is a former trade unionist and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented the Halifax Atlantic riding in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1991 to 2003. He succeeded Alexa McDonough as leader of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1996. He served as the leader of the Official Opposition in the Nova Scotia Legislature from 1998 to 1999. He subsequently founded a consulting firm, was co-chair of the 2010–11 United Way of Halifax Region campaign, and sat on the Board of Governors of Dalhousie University. On May 2, 2011, Chisholm was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Dartmouth—Cole Harbour riding in Nova Scotia. As a member of the Official Opposition, he served as the Critic for Fisheries and Oceans and Deputy Critic for Employment Insurance until his defeat in the 2015 election.

1998 Nova Scotia general election

The 34th Nova Scotia general election was held on March 24, 1998 to elect members of the 57th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Liberal party and the New Democratic Party tied in the seat count, with 19 each, while the Progressive Conservatives won 14 seats. The Liberals went on to form a minority government with the support of the Progressive Conservatives.

2007 Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party held a leadership election on April 27, 2007 at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, following the resignation of Francis MacKenzie, shortly after failing to win a seat in the 2006 election. This was the third leadership convention for the Liberals since 2002. It was won by Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil.

Keith Wayne Colwell is a Canadian politician and member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, representing the riding of Preston-Dartmouth for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

Donald Richard Downe is a farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Lunenburg West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1993 to 2003 as a Liberal member.

Gordon Howard "Paddy" Fitzgerald was a Canadian politician in the province of Nova Scotia. He was a former Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Fitzgerald was born in Cochrane, Ontario.

Gerald "Gerry" Fogarty is a former sportscaster and politician. He was the last Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia to be appointed by the Premier rather than elected by his peers.

Thomas Johnson McInnis is a Canadian senator. He also represented the electoral district of Halifax Eastern Shore in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1978 to 1993, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia.

Ron Stewart (politician) Canadian politician

Ronald Daniel Stewart is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Cape Breton North in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1993 to 1997. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

James Alexander Smith is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Dartmouth East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1984 to 2003. He was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

David Hendsbee is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Preston in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1999 to 2003. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. Today he sits on the Halifax Regional Council.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Staff (23 May 2003). "John Savage". The Telegraph. London, UK. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 Cox, Kevin (27 May 1993). "N.S. assets not for sale, premier-elect declares". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A10.
  3. 1 2 McIlory, Anne; Greenspon, Edward (21 March 1997). "Savage quits as N.S. premier". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. pp. A1–A4.
  4. 1 2 Harper, Tim (21 March 1997). "Liberal premier of Nova Scotia resigns amid party grumbling". The Toronto Star. Toronto. p. A14.
  5. ↑ Cox, Kevin (26 May 1993). "Nova Scotia Liberals romp into power". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. pp. A1, A4.
  6. 1 2 Chew, Patricia (17 January 2012). "Nova Scotia Elections: A Savage sweep". CBC Digital Archives. Toronto. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
  7. ↑ Canadian Press (8 July 1995). "Savage survives vote of Nova Scotia Liberals". The Toronto Star. Toronto. p. A8.
  8. ↑ Editorial (22 March 1997). "Nice going, Nova Scotia". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. D6.
  9. 1 2 "Former Nova Scotia premier has cancer". CBC News. Halifax, Nova Scotia. July 16, 2001. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  10. ↑ "Savage receives Order of Canada". The Chronicle Herald. 11 May 2003. Archived from the original on 5 October 2003. Retrieved 2014-11-26.
  11. ↑ "Former N.S. premier Savage dead at 70". CBC News. Halifax, Nova Scotia. May 13, 2003. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  12. ↑ "Hundreds attend Savage memorial". CBC News. Halifax, Nova Scotia. May 16, 2003. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  13. ↑ Canadian Press (20 October 2012). "Mike Savage Becomes Halifax Mayor: Former Liberal MP Continues Family Dynasty In Atlantic Canada's Largest City". The Huffington Post Canada. Toronto. Retrieved 2013-09-07.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.