McColm, George T., 1917-2003 : George T. McColm was born in New Richmond, Quebec in 1917. He attended McGill University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Economics in 1943. He achieved First Class Honours in Economics and Political Science and was awarded the Allen Oliver Gold Medal and Fellowship. McColm then served in the Canadian Army from 1943 to 1945 and resigned from the Directorate of Staff Duties (Weapons) with the rank of Lieutenant. After the war, he attended Graduate School at Harvard University and received his Masters of Arts in Economics in 1948.
From 1948 to 1955, McColm worked as a Statistician with the Statistical Office of the United Nations Foreign Trade Statistics in New York. He was concerned primarily with foreign trade statistics, including the development of value quantum and price indexes, and was involved in preparing a manual of weights and measures for economic purposes.
McColm returned to Canada in 1955 and worked on various studies of the Royal Commission on Canada's Economic Prospects (Gordon Commission) and on the preparation of the final report regarding foreign ownership in various sectors of the Canadian manufacturing industry. In 1958, he became the first economist on the National Research Council staff. He was responsible for the preparation of studies on research and development, particularly standards and statistics, as well as analyzing the economic and other implications of various programmes, including the support of research in universities.
During 1961-1962, McColm was loaned by the National Research Council to serve on the Project Group of Scientific Research and Development of the Royal Commission on Government Organization (Glassco Commission), for the study and preparation of data on scientific research and development, and to assist in the preparation of the Commission's report on the area.
In 1966, McColm became a Science Advisor with the Science Secretariat in the Privy Council Office in Ottawa, where he worked on studies and reports for the Science Council. He was also the project officer for the study of scientific and technical information and continued with the Secretariat, when it provided services to the Chief Science Advisor to the Cabinet. Upon the establishment of the Ministry of State for Science and Technology in 1971, McColm remained as Science Advisor with the Planning Branch.
George McColm died on 9 August 2003 at the age 86.
