Former senator and chief of staff to PM Mulroney, Hugh Segal, dies at 72

Hugh Segal, a well-known figure in Canadian politics and a former senator, has passed away at the age of 72.

In a political career that spanned five decades, Segal served as chief of staff to prime minister Brian Mulroney and to Ontario premier Bill Davis. Most recently, Segal served as principal of the University of Toronto’s Massey College.

A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Segal was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2005 by Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin. He was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, until his resignation in 2007.

Segal retired from the upper chamber 12 years before his mandatory retirement date, to become the head of Massey College in 2014. He was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2003, and then an officer of the Order of Ontario in 2016.

In a post on platform X, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his sorrow on Segal’s death, saying “Hugh Segal cared deeply about our country. He dedicated his life to public service. And he brought people together. Canada is a better place because of him. I’m sending my deepest condolences to his loved ones, and everyone who is mourning this loss.”

Other major politicians, such as former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, also expressed his condolences in a post calling Segal a “great Canadian.”

In addition to politics, he wrote many books and columns on Canadian politics and public policy throughout his career, including his book Two Freedoms: Canada’s Global Future which was published in April 2016.

Rahat Sandhu