Martin Patrick O'Connell, (August 1, 1916 – August 11, 2003) was a Canadian politician. Born in Victoria, British Columbia, he received a Bachelor of Arts from

Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

. During World War II, he was a captain in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps. After the war, he received an MA and a Ph.D from the University of Toronto. In

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

, he ran for the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

for the riding of

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth C ...

. He was defeated but was elected in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

in the riding of

Scarborough East Scarborough East was a Canadian electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 2003. It initially consisted the eastern part of the Borough of Scarborough, although its boundaries were adjusted several times. It ...

. A Liberal, he was defeated in the

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

elections but was re-elected again in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

. He ran twice more unsuccessfully in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

and

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

. From 1969 to 1971, he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Regional Economic Expansion. From 1971 to 1972, he was the Minister of State and in 1972 he was the Minister of Labour. After his defeat in the 1972 General Election, O'Connell served as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Trudeau from 1973 until he was once again elected to the House of Commons in the 1974 General Election. From 1978 to 1979, he again was the Minister of Labour. From 1984 to 1989, he was the Chairman of the Council of Governors of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. In 1993 he was the co-founder and first co-chairman of The Canadian Foundation for the Preservation of Chinese Cultural and Historical Treasures.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Martin 1916 births 2003 deaths Canadian people of Irish descent Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia Queen's University at Kingston alumni University of Toronto alumni Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Royal Canadian Army Service Corps officers