View source for Don Mazankowski

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1935–2020)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]<!--Do not change; see reference near end of article, and Talk page-->
| name                = Don Mazankowski
| honorific-suffix    = {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|AOE|size=100%}}
| office              = 4th [[Deputy Prime Minister of Canada]]
| term_start          = June 30, 1986
| term_end            = June 25, 1993
| primeminister       = [[Brian Mulroney]]
| predecessor         = [[Erik Nielsen]]
| successor           = [[Jean Charest]]
| office1             = [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]
| primeminister1      = [[Brian Mulroney]]
| term_start1         = April 21, 1991
| term_end1           = June 24, 1993
| predecessor1        = [[Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)|Michael Wilson]]
| successor1          = [[Gilles Loiselle]]
| riding2             = [[Vegreville (federal electoral district)|Vegreville]]
| parliament2         = Canadian
| term_start2         = June 25, 1968
| term_end2           = October 25, 1993
| predecessor2        = [[Frank Fane]]
| successor2          = [[Leon Benoit]]
| office10            = [[#External links|More...]]
| birth_name          = Donald Frank Mazankowski
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1935|7|27}}
| birth_place         = [[Viking, Alberta]], Canada
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2020|10|27|1935|7|27}}
| death_place         = 
| occupation          = Businessman, consultant
| party               = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]]
| residence           = [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]], Canada
| spouse              = 
}}

'''Donald Frank Mazankowski''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|AOE}} (July 27, 1935 – October 27, 2020) was a Canadian politician who served as a [[cabinet minister]] under [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime ministers]] [[Joe Clark]] and [[Brian Mulroney]], including as [[Deputy prime minister of Canada|deputy prime minister]] under Mulroney.

After retiring from politics in 1993, Mazankowski was a consultant with the law firm of [[Gowlings|Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP]]. He also served as a director or trustee for several companies, including [[Weyerhaeuser|Weyerhaeuser Co.]], [[ATCO|ATCO Ltd.]], [[Shaw Communications|Shaw Communications Inc.]], and [[Power Corporation of Canada]].

==Early life==
Mazankowski was born in [[Viking, Alberta]], on July 27, 1935.<ref name=Hillmer>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Hillmer|first=Norman|encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]]|title=Donald Frank Mazankowski|url=https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/donald-frank-mazankowski|date=December 15, 2013|access-date=October 29, 2020|publisher=[[Historica Canada]]}}</ref> His parents, Frank and Dora (Lonowski), were of [[Poland|Polish]] descent and had come to Canada from the United States in 1921.<ref name=Rose>{{cite magazine|last=Rose|first=Michael|date=July 14, 1986|editor1-last=Doyle|editor1-first=Kevin|title=The new right-hand man|url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1986/7/14/the-new-right-hand-man|magazine=[[Maclean's]]|location=Toronto|volume=99|issue=28|page=11|access-date=October 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029092805/https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1986/7/14/the-new-right-hand-man|archive-date=October 29, 2020}}</ref> After he completed high school, Mazankowski moved to [[Chicago]], where he worked as a dispatcher in a trucking business. He later returned to Alberta and started his own [[Filling station|gas station]] in [[Innisfree, Alberta|Innisfree]]. Together with his brother Ray, he opened a car dealership on the outskirts of [[Vegreville]].<ref name=Rose/>

==Political career==
Mazankowski's first taste of politics came during his five-year tenure as a trustee of a local [[separate school]]. This inspired him to seek the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative Party]] nomination in his local riding of [[Vegreville (federal electoral district)|Vegreville]], which he won in 1968.<ref name=Rose/> During the [[1968 Canadian federal election|federal election that year]], he was elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] as the [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for Vegreville.<ref name=Hillmer/>

During the short-lived Clark government, Mazankowski served as [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Clark Cabinet|work=The Globe and Mail|date=June 5, 1979 |page=9}}</ref> When the Tories returned to power under Mulroney in the [[1984 Canadian federal election|1984 election]], Mazankowski again became Minister of Transport.<ref>{{cite news|title=40-member cabinet includes 23 first-time ministers|work=The Globe and Mail|date=September 18, 1984 |page=4 |location=Ottawa |author=The Ottawa Bureau}}</ref>  In 1986, he was promoted to [[Deputy Prime Minister of Canada|Deputy Prime Minister]] and [[Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Canada)|Government House Leader]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Mulroney fires 4 ministers in mid-term cabinet shuffle|work=The Globe and Mail|date=July 1, 1986 |first=Hugh |last=Winsor |location=Ottawa |page=A1}}</ref> Mazankowski became one of the most widely known public faces of the Tory government. He played an especially important role as an advocate for the [[Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement]] and the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]].<ref>{{cite news|title='He was a giant': Don Mazankowski, former deputy PM in Mulroney government, dies at 85|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/he-was-a-giant-don-mazankowski-former-deputy-pm-in-mulroney-government-passes-away-at-85|first=Brian|last=Platt|date=October 28, 2020|access-date=October 29, 2020|newspaper=National Post|location=Toronto}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Alberta MP, former deputy prime minister Mazankowski dead at 85|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/alberta-mp-former-deputy-prime-minister-mazankowski-dead-at-85/|first=Alex|last=Antoneshyn|date=October 28, 2020|access-date=October 29, 2020|publisher=CTV News}}</ref>

A bill to restore the death penalty was defeated by the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] on June 30, 1987, in a 148–127 vote. (The then [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] government led by [[Pierre Trudeau]] had abolished the death penalty in Canada in 1976.) While Prime Minister Mulroney, [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Minister of Justice]] [[Ray Hnatyshyn]], and [[Minister of External Affairs (Canada)|Minister of External Affairs]] Clark opposed the bill, Mazankowski and most PC MPs supported it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/crime-justice/the-death-penalty-debate/abolition-upheld.html|title=CBC Archives|date=April 10, 2013|work=cbc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccadp.org/deathpenalty-canada.htm |title=The Death Penalty in Canada: Facts, Figures and Milestones |publisher=Canadian Coalition Against The Death Penalty |access-date=July 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019091212/http://ccadp.org/deathpenalty-canada.htm |archive-date=October 19, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1127764--majority-of-canadians-support-return-of-death-penalty-poll-finds|title=Majority of Canadians support return of death penalty, poll finds|date=February 8, 2012|work=thestar.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-02-14/news/8701100413_1_capital-punishment-death-penalty-special-committee|title=Canada Considers Restoring Death Penalty|work=tribunedigital-sunsentinel|location=Ottawa|access-date=2018-07-18|archive-date=2014-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808075200/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1987-02-14/news/8701100413_1_capital-punishment-death-penalty-special-committee|url-status=dead}}</ref> He became [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Finance Minister]] during a [[cabinet reshuffle]] in April 1991, replacing [[Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)|Michael Wilson]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Canada's Mulroney Shuffles Cabinet|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-04-22-9102050775-story.html|first=Storer H.|last=Rowley|date=April 22, 1991|access-date=April 23, 2020|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423122920/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-12-21-0112210267-story.html|archive-date=April 23, 2020}}</ref>

==After politics==
Mazankowski retired from politics on June 7, 1993.<ref name="Senate seat">{{cite news|title=Retiring Mazankowski rejects Mulroney's offer of Senate seat|work=The Globe and Mail|date=June 8, 1993 |first=Miro |last=Cernetig |location=Edmonton |page=A4}}</ref> When [[Kim Campbell]] succeeded Mulroney as PC leader and prime minister two weeks later, Mazankowski was replaced as Finance Minister by [[Gilles Loiselle]]. Mazankowski did not run in the [[1993 Canadian federal election|1993 election]] that saw his party reduced to two seats in the House of Commons. He returned to the private sector and served on the boards of several organizations, including the [[University of Alberta]]. Mazankowski declined an offer of a [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] seat made by Mulroney in his final days as prime minister.<ref name="Senate seat"/>

In August 2001, [[Ralph Klein]], the [[Premier of Alberta]] at the time, established the Premier's Advisory Council on Health, with Mazankowski as chair. He put the Council of twelve men in charge of reviewing Alberta's health care system and offering recommendations for health reform.<ref name="CBC_20020109">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mazankowski-report-prescribes-health-care-changes-1.304361|title=Mazankowski report prescribes health care changes|work=CBC News|date=January 9, 2002|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref> The Council released [[Mazankowski report|its report]] on January&nbsp;8, 2002, and the Alberta government accepted all of the recommendations.<ref name="Mazankowski_200112">{{Cite report| publisher = Premier's Advisory Council on Health| title = A framework for reform: report of the Premier's Advisory Council on Health| location = Edmonton|editor-last=Mazankowski |editor-first=Don| date = December 2001 |access-date=August 10, 2020 |url=https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/a2a779b1-9539-4d31-b6cf-399901520575/resource/098ed295-c86b-464b-9900-51c4c73feaa7/download/mazankowski-report-2001.pdf}}</ref><ref name="AB_GOV_20020108">{{cite report |quote=Alberta: Health first: Building a better public health care system |title=Alberta government response to the Premier's Advisory Council on Health report |date=January 2002 |work=Government of Alberta|url=https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/e1f05ef3-93ec-4b4f-a50c-49736314e8cd/resource/75cfdc03-15cf-497f-8370-6b7bd7e0e8dc/download/25859832002alberta-health-first-building-a-better-public-health-care-system.pdf|location=Edmonton, Alberta |ISBN=0-7785-1547-8}}</ref> The report focused on market-consumerism with emphasis on [[consumer choice]] and market competition.<ref name="Makarenko_20070401">{{cite web |url=https://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/2002-mazankowski-report-health-care-alberta |title=Analysis of the Mazankowski  |date= April 1, 2007 |first=Jay |last=Makarenko |publisher=Mapleleaf Web }}</ref>

Mazankowski played an important role in the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the [[Canadian Alliance]] in 2003,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/secret-talks-held-to-unite-the-right-1.377517|title=Secret talks held to unite the right|work=CBC News|date=September 18, 2003|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref> and he was a strong supporter of the new [[Conservative Party of Canada]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Tory opponents mobilize for push to derail pact|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/tory-opponents-mobilize-for-push-to-derail-pact/article18432917/|first=Brian|last=Laghi|date=October 17, 2003|access-date=October 29, 2020|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|location=Toronto}}</ref> Mazankowski died on October 27, 2020, at the age of 85.<ref name="CBC obit">{{cite news|title=Former Alberta MP, deputy prime minister Don Mazankowski dies at 85|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/don-mazankowski-conservative-mp-alberta-1.5780571|date=October 28, 2020|access-date=October 29, 2020|publisher=CBC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Former Alberta MP Don Mazankowski dies|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7427758/alberta-vegreville-m-p-don-mazankowski-dies/|first=Emily|last=Mertz|date=October 28, 2020|access-date=October 29, 2020|publisher=Global News}}</ref>

==Honours==
In 1992, Mazankowski was one of a few prominent Canadians who were given the [[honorific]] [[Style (form of address)|style]] of "[[The Right Honourable#Canada|Right Honourable]]" without having held any of the offices that would entitle them to it automatically.<ref name=CanadianHeritage>{{cite web | work = Table of titles to be used in Canada (as revised on June 18, 1993) | title = Canadian Heritage: Titles | publisher = Government of Canada | date = September 10, 2014 | url = https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/protocol-guidelines-special-event/table-titles-canada.html | access-date = March 28, 2015 }}</ref>

In 2000, Mazankowski was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]], and he was promoted to Companion in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15482&lan=eng|title=Governor General Announces 90 New Appointments to the Order of Canada|date=December 30, 2013}}</ref> He was inducted to the [[Alberta Order of Excellence]] in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200310/15282.html|title=Lieutenant Governor announces Alberta Order of Excellence inductees|publisher=Government of Alberta|date=October 9, 2003|access-date=June 4, 2015 |author=News Release}}</ref>

==Archives==
There is a Donald Mazankowski [[fonds]] at [[Library and Archives Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donald Mazankowski fonds |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]] |url=http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=107229&lang=eng|access-date=September 15, 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=6128}}
*{{OCC|6024}}

{{s-start}}
{{Canadian federal ministry navigational box header |ministry=24}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post6         = [[Deputy Prime Minister of Canada]]
| post6years    = 1986&ndash;1993
| post6note     = 
| post6preceded = [[Erik Nielsen]]
| post6followed = [[Jean Charest]]

| post5         = [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]
| post5years    = 1991&ndash;1993
| post5note     = 
| post5preceded = [[Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)|Michael Wilson]]
| post5followed = [[Gilles Loiselle]]

| post4         = [[President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada]]
| post4years    = 1986&ndash;1991
| post4note     = 
| post4preceded = [[Ray Hnatyshyn]]
| post4followed = [[Joe Clark]]

| post3         = [[Minister of Agriculture (Canada)|Minister of Agriculture]]
| post3years    = 1988&ndash;1991
| post3note     = 
| post3preceded = [[John Wise (Canadian politician)|John Wise]]
| post3followed = [[Bill McKnight]]

| post2         = [[President of the Treasury Board (Canada)|President of the Treasury Board]]
| post2years    = 1987&ndash;1988
| post2note     = 
| post2preceded = [[Robert de Cotret]]
| post2followed = [[Pat Carney]]

| post1         = [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport]]
| post1years    = 1984&ndash;1986
| post1note     = ''second time''
| post1preceded = [[Lloyd Axworthy]]
| post1followed = [[John Crosbie]]
}}
{{ministry box special parl
| post1         = [[Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Canada)|Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]]
| post1years    = 1986&ndash;1989
| post1note     = 
| post1preceded = [[Ray Hnatyshyn]]
| post1followed = [[Doug Lewis (politician)|Doug Lewis]]
}}
{{Canadian federal ministry navigational box header |ministry=21}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post1         = [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport]]
| post1years    = 1979&ndash;1980
| post1note     = ''first time''
| post1preceded = [[Otto Lang]]
| post1followed = [[Jean-Luc Pépin]]
}}
{{s-end}}

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{{Shaw Communications}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazankowski, Don}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
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[[Category:Canadian people of American descent]]
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[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Canada]]
[[Category:Directors of Power Corporation of Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the 21st Canadian Ministry]]
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[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs]]
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