Murray Thomson

Murray McCheyne Thomson OC (December 19, 1922 – May 2, 2019) was a Canadian peace activist[1]

Murray Thomson
Thomson in 2015
Born(1922-12-19)December 19, 1922
Honan, China
DiedMay 2, 2019(2019-05-02) (aged 96)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
AwardsPearson Medal of Peace (1990),
Order of Canada (2001)

Thomson was born in Honan, China where his parents were Christian missionaries. Thomson founded many non-profits in Canada.[2] He was the 1990 recipient of the Pearson Medal of Peace[3][4] for his work in peace and justice[5] and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001.[6][7] He was also awarded the (Canadian) Golden Jubilee Medal[8] and the Diamond Jubilee Medal[9][8] He is a former Executive Director of CUSO.[4]

He is credited in helping the formation of:

Murray was a recognized international expert and advisor to governments, aid organizations, and lobbyists on disarmament and arms control.[7] He was significantly involved in starting the United Nations World Disarmament Campaign and drafting its policy document, which was passed by the United Nations General Assembly.[7] He continued to be active in advocating for disarmament into 2019.[10] For several years he led a campaign among members of the Order of Canada in calling for an international Nuclear Weapons Convention. Over 1,030 members of the Order have signed the statement as of May 2019.[11]

He died on May 2, 2019, in Ottawa, Canada.[12]

His archives are held by William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Works
  • Thomson, Murray (2015). Minutes to midnight : why more than 800 Order of Canada recipients call for nuclear disarmament (PDF). Ottawa, ON: Author. ISBN 978-0-9696808-1-9.
  • A Time to Disarm: A Discussion Guide for Stimulating a National Dialogue on Canada and the UN's Special Session on Disarmament, 23 May - 28 June 1978 By Ernie Regehr and Murray Thomson
  • Daring Confidence: The Life and Times of Andrew Thomson in China 1906–1942. By Murray Thomson
  • Toward a Culture of Peace: Can We Afford to Pay the Price? By Murray Thomson

References
  1. Lumley, Elizabeth (2000). The Canadian Who's who. University of Toronto Press. p. 1257. ISBN 0802049397.
  2. "Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry". Retrieved April 4, 2006.
  3. Sharpe, Alan (February 1991). "Murray Thomson: Ottawa's Peace Medal Winner". Peace and Environment News. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  4. Watson, Rick. "The Peacefund Canada Foundation". Peace Brigades International Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  5. Gruending, Dennis (8 December 2012). "Murray Thomson, peace activist at 90". Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  6. "The Governor General announces new appointments to the Order of Canada".
  7. "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
  8. "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
  9. "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
  10. "Canada must join new negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons". Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  11. "Welcome". Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  12. Murray Thomson at Peaceweb/Peace/Ottawa

Further reading


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