UBC Reports | Vol. 48 | No. 13 | Nov. 7, 2002

Alumni Spotlight

Roy MacLaren, PC, BA’55, MSc, MDiv

Alumni Award of Distinction

The Honourable Roy MacLaren has distinguished himself as a politician, diplomat, writer, publisher, corporate director and entrepreneur.

He spent 12 years with the Canadian Foreign Service in Hanoi, Saigon, Prague and the United Nations in New York and Geneva. From 1996 to 2000 he was High Commissioner for Canada in the UK and Northern Ireland.

His professional writings draws from his experiences as a diplomat, much of it concentrating on Canada's historical role in international affairs.

MacLaren was first elected as an MP in 1979. He served as Parliamentary Secretary for Energy, Mines and Resources, Minister of State (Finance) and Minister of National Revenue. As Minister of International Trade he negotiated the final stages of NAFTA and the Uruguay Round of GATT, which created the World Trade Organization.

He is a strong proponent of multilateral free trade. When in 1998 he stood as Canada's candidate for the directorship of the WTO, he stressed the disadvantages faced by developing countries in the global system and the need for fairness. He is presently Canadian Chair of the Canada-Europe Round Table, the Canada-India Business Council and the Canadian Institute for International Affairs.

MacLaren gives back to his alma mater by sitting on the advisory council for the Faculty of Graduate Studies.