Kirby, Michael, 1941- : Michael Kirby was born in Montreal in 1941. Over his active public service career, he was many things - a lecturer, operations analyst, professor and senior public servant.
He gained a B.Sc. And M.A. in mathematics from Dalhousie University, and in 1965 earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Northwestern University. (In 1997, for outstanding contributions in societal service, Dalhousie granted Kirby an honorary Doctorate of Laws). He then taught at the Schools of Business Administration and Public Administration at Dalhousie, as well as at the Business Schools of the Universities of Chicago and Kent (U.K)
In 1970 he became Principal Assistant to the Premier of Nova Scotia, Gerald Regan and rose up the ladder of public administration. In 1974 Prime Minister Trudeau made him an advisor. From 1980 to 1983 he served as Secretary to the Cabinet for Federal-Provincial Relations and as Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council. In these offices he played a significant role in the patriation of the Constitution and in the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
He was an established academic and authored nine books, five chapters in books and a number of articles.
In 1984 he was called to the Senate, as Liberal Party Senator for South Shore, NS. He represented that constituency in the Senate from 1984 to 2006, and was active on numerous committees, as follows:
Joint Committees
Standing Joint Committee on the Printing of Parliament (1984-1986)
Special Joint Committee on the Process for Amending the Constitution of Canada (1989-1993)
Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada (1991-1993)
Senate committees (member)
Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (1983-1984)
Special Committee on Aboriginal Issues (1983-1984)
Committee on Standing Rules and Order (1983-1984)
Standing Committee on National Finance (1984-1986, 2001-2002)
Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce (1984-1986, 1989-1993, 1996-1999, 2001-2002)
Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (1989-1991, 2002-2003, 2004-2007)
Standing Committee on Fisheries (1994-1996)
Standing Committee on Pearson Airport Agreements (1994-1996)
Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (1996-1997)
Subcommittee to update "Of Life and Death" of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (1999-2000)
Standing Committee on Transport and Communications (1999-2000)
Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (1999-2000)
Standing Committee of Selection (1999-2000, 2001-2002)
Subcommittee on the Preservation and Promotion of a Sense of Canadian Community of the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2004-2006)
Senate Committees (Chairman)
Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce (1996-1999)
Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (1999-2007)
Under his chairmanship, the Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology produced 11 health care reports, including the first-ever national report on mental health, mental illness and addiction (The "Kirby Report") which proposed taxation on liquor to fund mental health system improvements.
In private life, Kirby, in addition to lecturing, worked in business, consulting to the beer industry, and in the energy utility industry and financial services sector.
