Melvin H. Smith,

Q.C. QC may refer to: * Queen's Counsel, the title of a King's Counsel, a type of lawyer in Commonwealth countries, during the reign of a queen * Quality control, the process of meeting products and services to consumer expectations Places * Quebec, ...

(1934–2000) spent 31 years in the public service of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Born in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

in 1934, Mel Smith graduated from UBC with Commerce and Law degrees. In 1960, Smith was called to the Bar of British Columbia. He became a B.C. public servant and served for 31 years. He was the ranking official on constitutional law and reform issues for four successive provincial administrations from 1967 to 1987. A key player in the patriation of the Constitution in 1981, Smith was also a leader in the "NO" campaign on the

Charlottetown Accord The Charlottetown Accord (french: Accord de Charlottetown) was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October ...

. After retiring from government in 1991, he spent his time as a consultant, commentator and columnist for

BC Report ''BC Report'' (, later ) was a newsmagazine published in British Columbia, Canada, that was noted for its right-wing or conservative editorial stance. ''BC Report'' was published by the producers of the comparable ''Alberta Report'' and '' Weste ...

, and lecturer at

Trinity Western University Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The sch ...

. He authored the best-selling book "Our Home or Native Land?", among many other publications and essays. Mel believed Canadians are on the threshold of achieving greater opportunity for a stronger and more balanced Canada, and felt that Canadians, as a nation, must recommit themselves to the transcendent values of hard work, loyalty, honesty, and integrity.

The Mel Smith Collection

This Special Collection, housed in

's Archives, comprises a comprehensive set of professional and personal papers chronicling the events of the most crucial period of federal-provincial relations—1967 to 1992. The collection includes documents, briefing papers, position papers, correspondence, books, news clippings, photographs, and memorabilia relating to the events of these years viewed from a B.C. perspective. The collection is available to students and researchers from all institutions.

The Mel Smith Scholarship Award

An endowment fund has been established to grant an annual scholarship to a TWU student of exceptional academic ability, majoring in Canadian History or Political Science. Recipients of this award prepare a research paper on a constitutional issue, which is then published in the Archives.

The Mel Smith Lectures

Every year since 1999, TWU has hosted the Mel Smith Lecture & Scholarship Presentation. Lecture topics range from citizen engagement to aboriginal self-government. Speakers have included the following: *

Rafe Mair Kenneth Rafe Mair (31 December 1931 – 9 October 2017) was a Canadian lawyer, political commentator, radio personality and politician in British Columbia, Canada. He served in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly as the member for Kamloop ...

(1999) - "The Role of BC in Constitutional Reform" *

Preston Manning Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tur ...

, CC (2000) - "Thinking Big About the Future" *

Gordon Gibson Gordon Fullerton Gibson, (born 1937) is a political columnist, author, and politician in British Columbia (BC), Canada. He is the son of the late Gordon Gibson, who was a prominent businessman and Liberal Party politician in British Columbia in ...

, OBC (2001) - "B.C. and Canada: The Old Ways and New" * Nick Loenen (2002) - "Should Canada Consider Proportional Representation" *

Ted Morton Frederick Lee Morton (born 1949), known commonly as Ted Morton, is an American-Canadian politician and former cabinet minister in the Alberta government. As a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, he represented the constituency of Fo ...

(2003) - "Our Turn: A New Course for the West" * John Weston, MP (2004) - "Why Never Give In" * Ken Carty (2005) - "Turning Voters Into Citizens" *

David Elton David Elton is Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Lethbridge, and past President of Max Bell Foundation. Elton taught at the University of Lethbridge for over thirty years. In 1980 Dr. Elton began working as President of ...

(2006) - "Citizen Engagement: Democracy At Its Best" *

Chuck Strahl Charles Richard "Chuck" Strahl (born February 25, 1957) is a Canadian businessman and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2011. First elected for the Reform Party, he was the leader of the Democratic Representative Caucus that ...

, PC, MP (2007) - "Logging, Politics, Life: It Matters Where You Stand" *

Ralph Klein Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...

(2008) - "Government and Politics: Ralph's Way" *

Deborah Grey Deborah Cleland Grey, (born July 1, 1952) is a retired Canadian member of Parliament from Alberta for the Reform Party of Canada, the Canadian Alliance, and the Conservative Party of Canada. She was the first female leader of the Opposition in ...

, OC (2009) - "Power, Parliament, and Preston Manning: My Life as a Reformer" * D. Martyn Brown, (2014)- "Visions versus Pipelines: Beyond the Effort"

References

External links

Mel Smith ArchivesTrinity Western University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Melvin H. Academic staff of Trinity Western University Smith, Melvin Q.C. Smith, Melvin Q.C. Smith, Melvin Q.C.