Robert Stanfield | |
|---|---|
 Stanfield in 1967 | |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office November 9, 1967 – February 21, 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Michael Starr |
| Succeeded by | Joe Clark |
| Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada | |
| In office September 9, 1967 – February 21, 1976 | |
| Preceded by | John Diefenbaker |
| Succeeded by | Joe Clark |
| Member of Parliament for Halifax | |
| In office June 25, 1968 – May 21, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Riding created |
| Succeeded by | George Cooper |
| Member of Parliament for Colchester—Hants | |
| In office November 6, 1967 – June 24, 1968 | |
| Preceded by | Cyril Kennedy |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| 17th Premier of Nova Scotia | |
| In office November 20, 1956 – September 13, 1967 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Lieutenant Governor | Alistair Fraser Edward Chester Plow Henry Poole MacKeen |
| Preceded by | Henry Hicks |
| Succeeded by | G. I. Smith |
| MLA for Colchester | |
| In office June 9, 1949 – September 13, 1967 Serving with G. I. Smith | |
| Preceded by | Gordon Purdy Robert F. McLellan |
| Succeeded by | Gerald Ritcey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Lorne Stanfield April 11, 1914 Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | December 16, 2003 (aged 89) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Camp Hill Cemetery Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Frank Stanfield (father) John Stanfield (uncle) Frank Thomas Stanfield (brother) |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession |
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Robert Lorne Stanfield PC QC FRCGS (April 11, 1914 – December 16, 2003) was a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Nova Scotia from 1956 to 1967 and the leader of the Official Opposition and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1967 to 1976.
Born into an affluent Nova Scotia clothing manufacturing and political family in Truro, Stanfield graduated from Dalhousie University and Harvard Law School in the 1930s. He was a lawyer before becoming the leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party in 1948, with the goal of reviving the party that did not have a single seat in the legislature. After a rebuilding period, Stanfield led the party to a majority government in 1956; their first victory since 1928. Leading the party to four majorities in total, Stanfield's government established Industrial Estates Limited (IEL) to attract new industry in Nova Scotia, introduced hospital insurance and a provincial sales tax (PST) to fund half of it, prioritized human rights for Black Nova Scotians, and drastically increased funding for education.
In 1967, he resigned as premier and was elected the leader of the federal Progressive Conservative (PC) Party, thus becoming the leader of the Official Opposition. In the 1968 federal election, he suffered a landslide defeat to the incumbent Liberals led by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In 1972, Stanfield recovered the PCs' standing and narrowly lost to Trudeau for a second time. In 1974, he lost to Trudeau's Liberals for a third time by a wide margin. Stanfield was a strong supporter of bilingualism, putting him at odds with some members of the PC Party. He resigned as leader in 1976 and from politics in 1979.
In retirement, he lived mostly in Ottawa, and campaigned for the Meech Lake Accord, the Charlottetown Accord, and free trade in the 1980s and early 1990s. He died in Ottawa in 2003 from complications due to pneumonia. He was one of only several people granted the style "The Right Honourable" who were not so entitled by virtue of an office held.