J. Gerald "Gerry" Godsoe (died April 1996)

LL.B Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

, QC, and

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

lawyer and former executive director of the MacDonald Commission and president and CEO of

Nova Scotia Power Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a vertical integration, vertically integrated electric utility in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB). Nov ...

. Godsoe was a frequent advisor to governments, both provincially and federally. In the 1970s, he advised on energy policies for his home province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. In the 1980s, he was a special advisor and counsel to the federal government of Canada on offshore mineral rights and the Canadian constitution. He is most well known for being the executive director of the MacDonald Commission, which set the agenda for economic policy in Canada for years to come. In particular, it paved the way for free trade negotiations between

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He died in HalifaxSpeech by Mary Clancy
''Hansard'', House of Commons (Canada), April 16, 1996 at the age of 54, as a result of complications following treatment for

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

. His family and

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

created the J. Gerald Godsoe ScholarshipEntrance Scholarships
Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University to honour his memory by supporting students with a passion for public policy issues facing Canada. He was survived by his wife, Dale Godsoe, and their three children, Suzanne, Stacy and Laura.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godsoe, Gerry 1940s births 1996 deaths 20th-century King's Counsel Dalhousie University alumni Canadian King's Counsel Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in Nova Scotia 20th-century Canadian lawyers