The Honourable Hugh Segal, CM, LLD (born October 13, 1950) is a Canadian senator and political strategist. He played an important role in the 2005-2006 campaign that led to the election of Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper as Prime Minister of Canada. The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable ( or formerly The Honble) is a title of quality attached to the names of certain classes of persons. ... The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means, Desiring a better country. ... Legum Doctor (English: Doctor of Laws; abbreviated to LL.D.) In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, the LL.D. is a higher doctorate usually awarded on the basis of exceptionally insightful and distinctive publications, containing significant and original contributions to the science or study of law. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Senate (French: Sénat) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, which also includes the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the House of Commons. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-of-centre political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... Stephen Joseph Harper, PC, MP, MA (born April 30, 1959) is leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Leader of the Official Opposition, and, since January 24, 2006, the Prime Minister-designate of Canada. ... Paul Martin is the current Prime Minister of Canada. ...

Segal finished second to Joe Clark in the 1998 Progressive Conservative leadership race. He had also briefly considered running for the leadership in 1993, while serving as chief of staff to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The Right Honourable Charles Joseph Clark, PC , CC , AOE , MA , LL.D (born June 5, 1939) was the sixteenth prime minister of Canada from June 4, 1979, to March 2, 1980. ... The first Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership convention was held in 1927, when the party was called the Conservative Party. ... The Right Honourable Martin Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ, LL.D (born March 20, 1939), was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993. ...

Segal's political career dates back decades. He was inspired by a visit by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker to his Montreal high school in the early 1960's. He was an aide to federal Progressive Conservative (PC) Leader of the Opposition Robert Stanfield in the early 1970s, while still a university student. At age 21, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Canadian House of Commons in the 1972 general election. He was defeated again in 1974. The Right Honourable John George Diefenbaker, CH , PC , QC , BA , MA , LL.B , LL.D , DCL , FRSC , FRSA , D.Litt , DSL (September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada (1957 – 1963). ... The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) was a Canadian centre-right conservative political party that existed from 1867 to 2003. ... The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government. ... The Right Honourable Robert Lorne Stanfield, PC (April 11, 1914-December 16, 2003) was Premier of Nova Scotia and leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. ... The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ... The House of Commons after the 1972 election The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ...

As a member of the Big Blue Machine, Segal was a senior aide to Ontario PC Premier Bill Davis in the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980's and 90's, Segal became well known as a TV pundit, newspaper columnist and author. Segal has also taught at Queen's University in Kingston and served as President of The Institute for Reseach on Public Policy, a Montreal think tank. In the private sector, Segal has been an executive in the advertising, brewing, and financial services industries. The Big Blue Machine was a nickname for the group of strategists and advisors to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in the 1970s and 80s. ... The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party of Ontario, also known as Tories) is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. ... A premier is an executive official of government. ... William (Bill) Grenville Davis (born July 30, 1929 in Brampton, Ontario) was the Progressive Conservative Premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. ... Queens University, or simply Queens, is a coeducational, non-sectarian university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on the edge of Lake Ontario. ...

Witty and urbane, Segal has been called a "happy warrior." He exuberantly espouses a moderate brand of conservatism that has litttle in common with British Thatcherism or U.S. Neo-Conservatism. Segal is a Red Tory in the tradition of Benjamin Disraeli and Sir John A. MacDonald. This political philosophy stresses the common good and promotes social harmony between classes. It is often associated with One Nation Conservatism. The focus is on order, good government and mutual responsibility. Individual rights and personal freedom are not considered absolute. Thatcherism is the system of political thought attributed to the governments of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. ... Neoconservatism describes several distinct political ideologies which are considered new forms of conservatism. ... Red Tory is an appellation given to a political tradition in Canadas conservative political parties. ... Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (December 21, 1804 - April 24, British Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and author. ... The Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, KCMG, GCB, QC, PC, DCL, LL.D (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada from July 1, 1867 – November 5, 1873 and October 17, 1878 – June 6, 1891. ... One Nation, One Nation Conservatism, or Tory Democracy is a term used in political debate in the United Kingdom and sometimes Canada to refer to the moderate wing of the Conservative Party, and the Red Tory wing of the original Progressive Conservative Party in Canada who like to describe themselves...

In his 1996 memoir No Surrender (page 225) Segal wrote: "Progressive Conservatives cannot embrace the nihilistic defeatism that masquarades as a neo-conservative polemic in support of individual freedom and disengagement." He went on to deplore "American fast-food conservatism." In a speech to the National Press Club on June 21, 1995, Segal referred to the "selfish and directionless nature of the American revolution -- which was more about self-interest, mercantile opportunity, and who co1lected what tax than it was about tolerance or freedom."

Segal opposed on civil liberties grounds the imposition of the War Measures Act by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the October Crisis of 1970. He favors strengthening Canada's military and encouraging investment, while maintaining a strong social safety net. His 1998 proposal to reduce Canada's Goods and Services Tax from 7% to 6% (and then 5%) was adopted by Stephen Harper in 2005. Civil liberties are protections from the power of governments. ... The War Measures Act (enacted in August 1914) was a Canadian statute that allowed the government to assume sweeping emergency powers. ... The Right Honourable Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau PC, CC, CH, QC, MA, LL.D, FRSC (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 3, 1979, and from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984. ... Military cordon in support of police taking surrender of terrorist Liberation cell, December 3, 1970 The October Crisis was a series of dramatic events triggered by two terrorist kidnappings in the province of Quebec, Canada, in October 1970, which ultimately resulted in a brief invocation of the War Measures Act... The social safety net is a term used to describe a collection of services provided by the state (such as welfare, universal healthcare, homeless shelters, and perhaps various subsidized services such as transit), which prevent any individual from falling into poverty beyond a certain level. ... The Canadian Goods and Services Tax or GST (Taxe sur les produits et services, TPS) is a multi-level sales tax introduced in Canada in 1991 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. ...

In 2003, Segal was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on in 2005. Segal served as national co-chair of the 2005-2006 Conservative campaign. He travelled on the campaign plane and is credited with moderating Stephen Harper's image. The Order of Canada is Canadas highest civilian honour, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the Orders Latin motto Desiderantes meliorem patriam, which means, Desiring a better country. ...