Michael Joseph MCCABE

MICHAEL JOSEPH MCCABE Voracious reader, political junkie, policy maven, wine connoisseur, bon vivant: Michael McCabe never met a pun he didn't like. Michael died in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 27, 2020 at age 82. Predeceased by his parents Noel and Marion (nee Flynn) McCabe, sisters Patricia Raftery and Mary Noel Kay and his brother Stephen McCabe. He leaves daughter Andrea McCabe, son Brennan McCabe, their mother Nora McCabe-Slinger (Joey Slinger), all of Toronto; siblings Aileen McCabe (Steven Curtin) of Ottawa, Carol Smith (David) of Salmon Arm, B.C. and John McCabe (MaryLou) of Burlington; brothers-in-law Andy Kay of Winona, ON, and Michael Raftery of Vancouver; and sister-in-law Angela Gibson of Toronto. Born January 12, 1938, Michael grew up in Hamilton and graduated with an honours BA in Philosophy and English from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto. To pay his way through university, he joined the Regular Officer Training Plan as a naval cadet, spending summers at sea. For pocket money, he played Mr. Peanut at events for the Planters Peanut Company. St. Mike's is where he got his first taste of politics as student president. He also became a disciple of philosopher Marshall McLuhan's "the medium is the message" theory as his lifetime modus operandi. A lifelong Liberal - he boasted he voted Liberal in John Diefenbaker's 1958 Tory sweep - Michael was hired by Liberal rainmaker Keith Davey in 1962. The next year, he became executive assistant to former Liberal Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp, running his unsuccessful 1968 leadership campaign. Michael was pivotal in convincing Sharp to withdraw and back winner Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Over the next 20 years, Michael held senior government positions: overseeing the Opportunities for Youth Program and assisting in the adoption of the federal Multiculturalism Policy for uber Ottawa mandarin Bernard Ostry; working with anti-inflation board chair Jean-Luc Pepin on wage and price controls; Assistant Deputy Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs; Chairman of Policy Research for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; and then Executive Director of the Canadian Film Development Corporation (which became Telefilm Canada). In 1988, he was appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB). The industry was on the cusp of unprecedented change. Michael was a powerful voice, leading all private broadcast sectors - radio, television and specialty and pay services - through numerous successful initiatives before the Government, the CRTC and other industry stakeholders. When he stepped down in 2001, he was inducted into the Broadcast Hall of Fame. Not that long afterwards, Michael landed his dream job - resident director of the CIDA-funded Policy Implementation Assistance Project in Hanoi, Vietnam. The PIAP Project gave advice to both the Office of the Prime Minister and the most senior committees of the National Assembly of Vietnam on development regarding the legal system, gender equity, healthcare and the structure of the Prime Minister's office itself. A self-described big picture guy, PIAP allowed him to use his visionary skills and his experience and smarts in public policy and communications. His vast rolodex of the Who's Who in Canadian government affairs, policy matters and politics was invaluable to suss out the best people for joint Canada-Vietnam study missions. He couldn't have come up with a more perfect fit had he written the job description himself. For his contributions, Michael was awarded the Medal of Service to the National Assembly of Vietnam. By the time the PIAP Project wound down, Hanoi had wormed its way into Michael's heart. He'd tell Canadian friends he planned to live there forever because he never wanted to endure another Canadian winter. Truth was he found himself a genuine second family: Truong Hien, husband Le Giang and the rest of the Le family - Ong Lan, Ba Ninh, Dang, Khanh, Ngoc, Diep and Duc - as well as Le Thi Trang and Bui Thu Trang. Thanks to them, he was never lonely. Over the last 17 years, Michael split his time between Hanoi and Canada. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten by the multitude of close friends he leaves behind. Celebrations of Michael's life will be held in Ottawa and Toronto when conditions permit.