Wade MacLauchlan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wade MacLauchlan
CM OPEI
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| 32nd Premier of Prince Edward Island | |
| In office 23 February 2015 – 9 May 2019 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Frank Lewis Antoinette Perry |
| Deputy | George T. Webster (2015) |
| Preceded by | Robert Ghiz |
| Succeeded by | Dennis King |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island for York-Oyster Bed | |
| In office 4 May 2015 – 26 March 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Vessey |
| Succeeded by | electoral district abolished |
| Leader of the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party | |
| In office 21 February 2015 – 8 May 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Ghiz |
| Succeeded by | Robert Mitchell (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 December 1954 Stanhope, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Domestic partner | Duncan McIntosh |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Academic, Writer |
| Profession | Politician |
Wade MacLauchlan (born 10 December 1954) is a Canadian leader. He has been a university president, a lawyer, and a politician. He was the fifth president of the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) from 1999 to 2011. Later, he became the 32nd Premier of Prince Edward Island from 2015 to 2019. He stepped down as Premier after his party lost the election in 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Wade MacLauchlan was born on December 10, 1954. He grew up in Stanhope, Prince Edward Island. His family had a long history in the area.
His parents, Harry and Marjorie MacLauchlan, were business owners. They ran a general store, and later got into tourism, fishing, and construction. Wade learned about business early. By age 10, he had two newspaper delivery routes. His father told him to read the newspaper before selling it. This taught him to always know what he was talking about in business.
Wade worked in many of his family's businesses. He helped with tasks like salting fish and building golf courses. At 19, he even worked as a guide on bus tours across Canada.
After grade school, he went to Charlottetown Rural High. He was active in student government. A key experience was serving as a page in the PEI legislature in 1970 and 1971. This gave him an early look at how government works.
He earned a business degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. Then, he studied law at the University of New Brunswick and Yale University. He won many awards for his studies.
Before starting his career, Wade traveled and worked. He worked in construction in Quebec and on an oil rig in Alberta. He also volunteered in France.
Career in Education
After law school, MacLauchlan worked at the Supreme Court of Canada. He helped Justice W.Z. Estey with legal research. This was an important time, as the court was working on the Constitution Act, 1982. This act included the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
From 1983 to 1991, he taught law at Dalhousie University. He focused on public law. He also worked to improve equality in legal education.
He became the Dean of Law at the University of New Brunswick in 1991. During his time, he helped raise money for the law school. He also helped the university with a big fundraising campaign.
Leading UPEI
In 1999, MacLauchlan became the fifth president of the University of Prince Edward Island. He was the first person from PEI to hold this job. He wanted UPEI to be as good as any university in Canada.
When he started, he aimed to increase student numbers. UPEI had 2,450 full-time students. He wanted to reach 2,700. This goal was met quickly. By 2010-2011, UPEI had almost 4,000 full-time students. More students came from PEI, other parts of Canada, and other countries.
He also wanted to increase money for research. In 1999, UPEI received $2 million for research. By 2007, this grew to $13.2 million. UPEI became known for its growth in research funding. New research centers were built on campus.
MacLauchlan believed in good teaching. He taught classes himself to connect with students. He also helped create awards for students who wrote well. These are called the MacLauchlan Prizes for Effective Writing. Another award, the H. Wade MacLauchlan Raised Expectations Awards, helps high school students who improve their grades go to UPEI.
During his time, many new buildings were added to UPEI. These included a new Student Centre, new dorms, and a new business school. He made sure these projects were built without adding debt to the university.
When he left UPEI in 2011, he was named president emeritus. This means he kept an honorary title for his service.
After UPEI and as an Author
After leaving UPEI, MacLauchlan stayed involved in public life. He wrote about the need for more people to move to PEI. He said that without growth, people would leave the island.
He also helped organize the Georgetown Conference. This event brought people together to talk about how to help rural communities grow.
His main project was writing a book about Alex B. Campbell. Campbell was PEI's longest-serving premier. The book, Alex B. Campbell: The Prince Edward Island Premier Who Rocked the Cradle, came out in 2014. For the book, MacLauchlan interviewed many people and looked through old documents.
He also served as a local councillor for North Shore. He was re-elected without opposition in 2014.
Premier of Prince Edward Island
In November 2014, the Premier of PEI, Robert Ghiz, announced he would step down. Wade MacLauchlan decided to run to become the new leader of the Liberal party. He said he wanted to lead a government that would solve problems like money, population, and the environment.
He was the only person to run for leader. He became the new leader on February 21, 2015. He was sworn in as the 32nd Premier of Prince Edward Island on February 23, 2015. He also took on roles like Minister of Finance.
His government faced questions about how transparent it was. MacLauchlan asked for a review and made changes to improve trust in government.
In the 2015 election, MacLauchlan led the Liberals to win 18 out of 27 seats. He became an MLA for York-Oyster Bed. His party focused on growing the economy and creating a plan for arts and culture.
Key Initiatives as Premier
One big project was installing new power cables under the Northumberland Strait. These cables connect PEI to New Brunswick. The old cables were 40 years old. The new project cost $142.5 million. The federal government helped pay for it. This made PEI's energy system more reliable and affordable.
His government also worked on changing how people vote. A vote was held in 2016, but not many people participated. So, another vote was planned for 2019.
MacLauchlan's main goals were to grow PEI's economy and population. From 2015 to 2019, PEI's economy grew faster than any other province. Many new jobs were created, mostly in private businesses.
The population of PEI also grew. From 2015 to 2019, PEI's population increased by 9 percent. The average age of people on PEI also got younger. This was the first time this had happened since 1968.
With more people, there was a higher demand for housing. In 2018, PEI had very few empty rental homes. MacLauchlan's government created a plan to build more affordable housing.
His government passed new laws, including PEI's first Water Act. They also updated laws about local governments and businesses. They worked to make government more open by protecting whistle-blowers and making lobbyists register.
Energy and climate change were also important. PEI created an Energy Strategy and a Climate Change Action Plan. They offered programs to help people use less energy. PEI was one of the few provinces to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
MacLauchlan promised to manage the province's money well. After a small deficit, PEI had large budget surpluses in 2017-18 and 2018-19. They invested a lot in public buildings and roads. The province's debt also went down. This meant more money for social programs, education, and health care.
In the 2019 election, MacLauchlan's Liberal party lost. The Progressive Conservatives won the most seats, forming a minority government. MacLauchlan lost his own seat. He announced he would step down as Liberal leader.
Personal Life and Awards
Wade MacLauchlan was the first openly gay Premier of Prince Edward Island. He lives with his partner, Duncan McIntosh, in West Covehead, PEI.
He has received many honors. In 2008, he became a member of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors. In 2014, he was named to the Order of Prince Edward Island. He also received awards for his work in public administration and public policy.
MacLauchlan has served on many national and regional groups. He was involved with organizations for universities, sports, and public policy. While Premier, he chaired the Council of the Federation in 2015.
He has also been involved in business. He is a director of Anne in China Inc., which translated Anne of Green Gables into Mandarin. The book was very popular in China.
See also
- List of openly LGBT heads of government
- List of the first LGBT holders of political offices in Canada
