1984 Fredericton Convocation - Ceremony A
Masse, Marcel
Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
Orator: Galloway, David R.
Citation:
CONVOCATION, OCTOBER, 1984
MARCEL MASSÉ
to be Doctor of Laws
Mr. James Byrnes, a former American Secretary of State, once said that there were two happy moments in a public man's life — the moment when he takes up office and the moment when he lays it down. There must indeed be many happy people in Ottawa today, and the task of an orator is difficult because he must wonder whether he may have to change his citation suddenly during the course of its delivery.
Cependant, Marcel Massé, à qui nous rendons hommage aujourd'hui, a, dans une période de temps relativement courte, atteint les sommets, et est destiné a poursuivre son ascension vers les cimes. On a pu dire qu'il était le Canadien par excellence lui qui se trouve parfaitement à l'aise dans le milieu anglais aussi bien que dans le milieu français. Nationaliste, au vrai sens du terme, il représente le Canada dans toute sa diversité. Mais sa connaissance aigue des problèmes des autres pays fait qu'il est aussi un véritable internationaliste.
His internationalism was exemplified at an early age with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Montreal, a Bachelor of Law from McGill, a Diploma in International Law from the University of Warsaw, a Bachelor of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Oxford, diplomas from L'École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal in International Affairs, Economics, Spanish, German and Italian.
The theoretical application of his studies has borne fruit in his publications on international law and economics. The practical application flourished in his work in the Administration and Economics Division of the World Bank in Washington; as Economic Adviser to the Privy Council Office in Ottawa; as Deputy Minister of Finance, and Chairman of the Cabinet Secretariat for the Province of New Brunswick; as Secretary to the Cabinet in Ottawa; and as President of the Canadian International Development Agency, where he became passionately involved with the economic problems of the Third World and a zealous advocate of increased western aid to underdeveloped countries. Since 1982, he has been Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs.
While in New Brunswick, from 1973 to 1977, M. Massé introduced a form of budgeting known as the "envelope system," and then, with that lack of provincialism for which he is renowned, introduced it to Ottawa when he went there. To the layman, at least, it is not known whether this system helped to clarify relations between Ottawa and New Brunswick or further confused them.
Marcel Massé's desire to scale the heights took a very practical turn during his stay in New Brunswick, because it was from here that he went on a mountain climbing expedition to the Himalayas which, according to one of his colleagues, "was quite an effort for anyone, particularly someone like Marcel who was not known as a very athletic person."
Even the name, Marcel Massé, somehow conjures up leaders in haute cuisine and haute couture, but, although M. Masse likes good cooking, he is not a living exemplar of the world of fashion, for he sometimes wears white socks on inappropriate occasions, and his trousers are, like M. Hulot's, often a little too short.
Bien sûr, il est difficile, en si peu de temps, de rappeler tous les hauts faits de Marcel Massé. Nous lui rendons hommage aujourd'hui pour ce qu'il a déjà accompli, mais nous savons bien que le meilleur est encore a venir.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2
MARCEL MASSÉ
to be Doctor of Laws
Mr. James Byrnes, a former American Secretary of State, once said that there were two happy moments in a public man's life — the moment when he takes up office and the moment when he lays it down. There must indeed be many happy people in Ottawa today, and the task of an orator is difficult because he must wonder whether he may have to change his citation suddenly during the course of its delivery.
Cependant, Marcel Massé, à qui nous rendons hommage aujourd'hui, a, dans une période de temps relativement courte, atteint les sommets, et est destiné a poursuivre son ascension vers les cimes. On a pu dire qu'il était le Canadien par excellence lui qui se trouve parfaitement à l'aise dans le milieu anglais aussi bien que dans le milieu français. Nationaliste, au vrai sens du terme, il représente le Canada dans toute sa diversité. Mais sa connaissance aigue des problèmes des autres pays fait qu'il est aussi un véritable internationaliste.
His internationalism was exemplified at an early age with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Montreal, a Bachelor of Law from McGill, a Diploma in International Law from the University of Warsaw, a Bachelor of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Oxford, diplomas from L'École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Montreal in International Affairs, Economics, Spanish, German and Italian.
The theoretical application of his studies has borne fruit in his publications on international law and economics. The practical application flourished in his work in the Administration and Economics Division of the World Bank in Washington; as Economic Adviser to the Privy Council Office in Ottawa; as Deputy Minister of Finance, and Chairman of the Cabinet Secretariat for the Province of New Brunswick; as Secretary to the Cabinet in Ottawa; and as President of the Canadian International Development Agency, where he became passionately involved with the economic problems of the Third World and a zealous advocate of increased western aid to underdeveloped countries. Since 1982, he has been Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs.
While in New Brunswick, from 1973 to 1977, M. Massé introduced a form of budgeting known as the "envelope system," and then, with that lack of provincialism for which he is renowned, introduced it to Ottawa when he went there. To the layman, at least, it is not known whether this system helped to clarify relations between Ottawa and New Brunswick or further confused them.
Marcel Massé's desire to scale the heights took a very practical turn during his stay in New Brunswick, because it was from here that he went on a mountain climbing expedition to the Himalayas which, according to one of his colleagues, "was quite an effort for anyone, particularly someone like Marcel who was not known as a very athletic person."
Even the name, Marcel Massé, somehow conjures up leaders in haute cuisine and haute couture, but, although M. Masse likes good cooking, he is not a living exemplar of the world of fashion, for he sometimes wears white socks on inappropriate occasions, and his trousers are, like M. Hulot's, often a little too short.
Bien sûr, il est difficile, en si peu de temps, de rappeler tous les hauts faits de Marcel Massé. Nous lui rendons hommage aujourd'hui pour ce qu'il a déjà accompli, mais nous savons bien que le meilleur est encore a venir.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2
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