The Honourable Gordon Francis Joseph Osbaldeston,
Former Clerks of the Privy Council (1982-1985)

The Honourable Gordon Francis Joseph Osbaldeston, P.C., C.C.
Clerk of the Privy Council and
Secretary to the Cabinet
December 10, 1982 to August 11, 1985
Appointed Member of the Queen's Privy Council
February 13, 1986

Biographical Notes

On December 10, 1982, Gordon Osbaldeston was named Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, a position he held until August 11, 1985.

Mr. Osbaldeston received a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Western Ontario. He joined the Public Service of Canada in 1953 as a foreign service officer in the Department of Trade and Commerce. In 1968, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and in 1970 he was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Board. From 1972 to 1982 he served in a number of senior positions, including Deputy Minister of the Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Secretary of the Treasury Board, Deputy Minister of the Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce, and Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs. In 1981, Mr.  Osbaldeston was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada and in 1997 he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada. He has written Keeping Deputy Ministers Accountable (1988) and Organizing to Govern (1992). In 2003, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Canada Life Assurance Company and the Canada Life Financial Corporation.

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