View source for Mitchell Sharp

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1911–2004)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix  = [[The Honourable]]
| name              = Mitchell Sharp
| honorific-suffix  = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|FRCMT(hon)|size=100%}}
| image             = Mitchell Sharp 1962 Toronto Star (Restored) (cropped 3-4).jpg
| imagesize         = 
| caption           = Sharp, {{circa|1962}}
| office             = [[Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]]
| primeminister      = [[Pierre Trudeau]]
| term_start         = 8 August 1974
| term_end           = 13 September 1976
| predecessor        = [[Allan MacEachen]]
| successor          = Allan MacEachen
| office1          = [[President of the Privy Council]]
| primeminister1   = Pierre Trudeau
| term_start1      = 8 August 1974
| term_end1        = 13 September 1976
| predecessor1     = Allan MacEachen
| successor1       = Allan MacEachen
| office2            = [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|Secretary of State for External Affairs]]
| primeminister2    = Pierre Trudeau
| term_start2        = 20 April 1968 
| term_end2          = 7 August 1974
| predecessor2       = [[Paul Martin Sr.]]
| successor2         = Allan MacEachen
| office3           = [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]
| primeminister3    = [[Lester B. Pearson]]
| term_start3       = 18 December 1965
| term_end3         = 19 April 1968<br />{{small|Acting: 11 November 1965 – 17 December 1965}}
| predecessor3      = [[Walter L. Gordon]]
| successor3        = [[Edgar Benson]]
| office4          = [[Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry#Preceding offices|Minister of Trade and Commerce]]
| primeminister4   = Lester B. Pearson
| term_start4      = 22 April 1963
| term_end4        = 3 January 1966
| predecessor4     = [[Malcolm Wallace McCutcheon]]
| successor4       = [[Robert Winters]]
| riding5           = [[Eglinton (federal electoral district)|Eglinton]]
| parliament5       = Canadian
| term_start5       = 8 April 1963
| term_end5         = 1 May 1978
| predecessor5      = [[Donald Fleming]]
| successor5        = [[Rob Parker (Canadian politician)|Rob Parker]]
| birth_name        = Mitchell William Sharp
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1911|05|11|df=y}}
| birth_place       = [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]], Canada
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2004|03|19|1911|05|11|df=y}}
| death_place       = [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| party             = [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
| spouse            = {{Unbulleted list|{{Marriage|Daisy Boyd|1938|1975|end=died}}|{{Marriage|Jeannette Dugal|1976|1998|end=died}}|{{Marriage|Jeanne d'Arc Labrecque|2001}}}}
| alma_mater        ={{plainlist|
* [[University of Manitoba]] 
* [[London School of Economics]]
}}
| profession        = {{hlist|Economist|Businessman}}
| residence         =
| website           =
}}

'''Mitchell William Sharp''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|FRCMT(hon)|size=100%}} (11 May 1911 – 19 March 2004) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] civil servant and politician, most noted for his service as a [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]] minister. He served in both the private and public sectors during his long career.

==Background==
Sharp was born in [[Winnipeg]], [[Manitoba]]. He earned his [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from the [[University of Manitoba]] in 1934 and completed post-graduate work at that university and then at the [[London School of Economics]]. During this time, he worked as a writer focusing on the [[grain trade]].

Sharp started his long career in public service in 1942<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Global Affairs |date=2019-04-25 |title=Mitchell Sharp |url=https://www.international.gc.ca/gac-amc/programs-programmes/od_skelton/mitchell_sharp_bio.aspx?lang=eng |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=GAC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=General |first=Office of the Secretary to the Governor |title=The Honourable Mitchell Sharp |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-13308 |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=The Governor General of Canada}}</ref> when he was offered a position at the Department of Finance. In 1947 he was named director of the department's Economic Policy Division.<ref name="auto"/>  From 1951 to 1957, Sharp served as the Associate Deputy Minister of Trade and Commerce.  During his tenure, he was responsible for international trade relations.  Soon after, Sharp served a short term as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Commerce.

==Politics==
In 1963, Mitchell Sharp was elected as a [[member of Parliament (Canada)|member of Parliament]] (MP) representing [[Eglinton (federal electoral district)|Eglinton]]. Shortly thereafter, he was assigned the portfolio of [[Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry|Minister of Trade and Commerce]].  From 1965 through 1968, Sharp was the [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]].  Other ministerial positions held include [[Secretary of State for External Affairs (Canada)|Secretary of State for External Affairs]] (1968–1974), where he developed the [[Third Option|third option,]] a proposal to diversify Canada away from the United States to maintain “assure greater Canadian independence.”,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haggart |first=Blayne |date=2025-02-04 |title=Trump's trade war is forcing Canada to revive a decades-old plan to reduce U.S. dependence |url=http://theconversation.com/trumps-trade-war-is-forcing-canada-to-revive-a-decades-old-plan-to-reduce-u-s-dependence-248433 |access-date=2025-11-11 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> President of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada|Privy Council]] (1974–1978) and [[Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Canada)|Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]] (1974–1978).  Sharp resigned as a parliamentarian in 1978.

Sharp disliked Canada's constitutional structure, revealing in his 1994 memoirs that because of his negative views on [[Monarchy of Canada|the monarchy]], he refused to accept [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Pierre Trudeau]]'s offer to recommend him for appointment as [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]].{{sfn|Sharp|1995|p=224}} He also stated that "Canada should have its own head of state who isn't shared by others" and that the status quo gave the impression that "Canada had not yet achieved full independence from Britain."{{sfn|Sharp|1995|p=223}}

[[File:President Nixon and Prime Minister Trudeau at the signing ceremony for the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement - NARA - 194763 (restored).jpg|thumb|The signing ceremony for the [[Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement]]. At the table, left to right: Secretary of State [[William P. Rogers]], President [[Richard M. Nixon]], Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]] and Mitchell Sharp.]]
Sharp's support was influential in securing a prominent position for the [[Canadian Pavilion]] at [[Expo 67]] during the [[Canadian Centennial]], which had initially been proposed to be much smaller, limited to a single acre.<ref name=Lownsbrough>{{cite book|last=Lownsbrough|first=John|title=The History of Canada Series: The Best Place to Be: Expo 67 and its Time|publisher=Kobo Edition (eBook)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1XFNPiLbpdkC&q=Fiset+expo+67+pavilion&pg=PT97|access-date=2 September 2012|date=2012-04-06|isbn=9780143184010}}</ref>

==After politics==
Sharp re-entered the public sector as the commissioner of the Northern Pipeline Agency, an agency formed under the Northern Pipeline Act (1978) to give effect to the U.S.-Canada Agreement on Principles Applicable to a Northern Natural Gas Pipeline (1977), from 1978 until 1988.  His public service continued as he served as a co-chairman of a task force on [[conflict of interest]] and published a report on ethical conduct in the public service in 1984.  Other posts included head of the ''Canadian group'' and deputy chairman of the [[Trilateral Commission]] (1976–1986).  From 1988 through 1993, he served as a policy associate with Strategion.  He was a personal adviser to [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]] from 1993 to 2003, a job for which he was paid [[Canadian dollar|$]]1 a year.

On February 22, 2004, Sharp fell and broke his [[collarbone]] in his [[home]]. He was taken to [[Elizabeth Bruyere Health Centre (hospital)]], in [[Ottawa]], where he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of [[prostate cancer]]; that disease claimed his life on March 19 of that year. He was 92. He is buried in Ottawa.

==Honours==
Mitchell Sharp was sworn in as a member of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]] on 22 April 1963, giving him the honorific prefix [[The Honourable]] and the [[List of post-nominal letters in Canada|post-nominal letters]] "PC" for life.

<div class="center">
<br />
[[File:Order of Canada (CC) ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
[[File:Canada100 ribbon.png|100px]]
<br />
[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
[[File:125canada ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
</div>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;"
!Ribbon !! Description !! Notes
|-
|[[File:Order of Canada (CC) ribbon bar.svg|40px]] || [[Order of Canada]] (CC) ||
* Officer – 11 April 1984
* Companion – 23 September 1999
* <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=1533&t=12&ln=Sharp|title = Recipients|date = 11 June 2018}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Canada100 ribbon.png|40px]] || [[Canadian Centennial Medal]] ||
* 1 July 1967
|-
|[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal]] ||
* 1977
* Canadian Version of this Medal
|-
|[[File:125canada ribbon.png|40px]] || [[125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal]] ||
* 1992
|-
|[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] ||
* 2002
* Canadian Version of this Medal
* <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=71&t=6&ln=Sharp|title = Recipients|date = 11 June 2018}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Honorary Degrees==
Michell Sharp received several [[honorary degree]]s in recognition of his service to Canada.

;Honorary Degrees
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
! style="width:20%;"| Country
! style="width:15%;"| Date
! style="width:25%;"| School
! style="width:40%;"| Degree
|-
| {{Flagu|Manitoba}} || '''1965''' || [[University of Manitoba]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D)  <ref>{{cite web | url=http://umanitoba.ca/admin/governance/senate/hdr/834.html | title=Honorary Degree recipients &#124; Governance &#124; University of Manitoba }}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''6 June 1977''' || [[University of Western Ontario]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/senate/honorary/honorary_degrees_by_year.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210723022840/https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/senate/honorary/honorary_degrees_by_year.pdf|url-status=dead|title=|archivedate=23 July 2021|website=www.uwo.ca}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''1994''' || [[Carleton University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]]  (LL.D) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://carleton.ca/senate/honorary-degrees/honorary-degrees-awarded-since-1954/|title = Honorary Degrees Awarded Since 1954 - Senate}}</ref>
|-
| {{Flagu|Ontario}} || '''June 1995''' || [[McMaster University]] || [[Doctor of Laws]] (LL.D) <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/reports_lists/S_HD_Recipients.pdf|title = University Secretariat}}</ref>
|-
|}

{{Incomplete list|date=May 2017}}

==Further reading==

* {{cite book|author= Mitchell Sharp|title= Which Reminds Me...: A Memoir|url= https://archive.org/details/whichremindsmeme0000shar|year= 1995|publisher= [[University of Toronto Press]]|location= Toronto|isbn= 0-8020-7152-X|ref= {{harvid|Sharp|1995}}|url-access= registration}}

== Archives ==
There is a Mitchell Sharp [[fonds]] at [[Library and Archives Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data2.archives.ca/pdf/pdf001/p000000524.pdf|title=Finding aid to Mitchell Sharp fonds, Library and Archives Canada}}</ref>

== References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=15088}}
*[https://archive.today/20070930030531/http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1533 Order of Canada Citation]
*{{Find a Grave|8536671}}

{{CanMinFinance}}
{{CA-Ministers of Foreign Affairs}}
{{CA-Presidents of the Privy Council}}
{{CA-Ministers for International Trade}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Mitchell}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics]]
[[Category:Canadian economists]]
[[Category:Canadian republicans]]
[[Category:Ministers of finance of Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian secretaries of state for external affairs]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Ontario]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in Canada]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:Politicians from Winnipeg]]
[[Category:University of Manitoba alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]