Murray Thomson
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Murray McCheyne Thomson Template:Post-nominals (December 19, 1922 – May 2, 2019) was a Canadian peace activist<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Thomson was born in Honan, China where his parents were Christian missionaries. Thomson founded many non-profits in Canada.<ref name="utpress">Template:Cite web</ref> He was the 1990 recipient of the Pearson Medal of Peace<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="PBIC">Template:Cite web</ref> for his work in peace and justice<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001.<ref name="OC Announcement">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="OC page">Template:Cite web</ref> He was also awarded the (Canadian) Golden Jubilee Medal<ref name="Recipients">Template:Cite web</ref> and the Diamond Jubilee Medal<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Recipients"/> He is a former Executive Director of CUSO.<ref name="PBIC" />
He is credited in helping the formation of:
- Grindstone IslandTemplate:Citation needed
- The Peacefund Canada Foundation (1980s)
- Peace Brigades International<ref name="OC page" /><ref name="PBIC" /> (1981)
- Project Ploughshares<ref name="OC page" /><ref name="PBIC" /> (1976)
- Group of 78 (1980)
- Canadian Friends of Burma (1990)
- Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention (2012)Template:Citation needed
Murray was a recognized international expert and advisor to governments, aid organizations, and lobbyists on disarmament and arms control.<ref name="OC page" /> He was significantly involved in starting the United Nations World Disarmament Campaign and drafting its policy document, which was passed by the United Nations General Assembly.<ref name="OC page" /> He continued to be active in advocating for disarmament into 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For several years he led a campaign among members of the Order of Canada in calling for an international Nuclear Weapons Convention. Over 1,030 members of the Order have signed the statement as of May 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
He died on May 2, 2019, in Ottawa, Canada.<ref>Murray Thomson at Peaceweb/Peace/Ottawa</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
His archives are held by William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
Works
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- A Time to Disarm: A Discussion Guide for Stimulating a National Dialogue on Canada and the UN's Special Session on Disarmament, 23 May - 28 June 1978 By Ernie Regehr and Murray Thomson
- Daring Confidence: The Life and Times of Andrew Thomson in China 1906–1942. By Murray Thomson
- Toward a Culture of Peace: Can We Afford to Pay the Price? By Murray Thomson
References
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