Robert Andras
Honorific prefixThe Honourable
OfficePresident of the Treasury Board
Prime ministerPierre Trudeau
Term startSeptember 14, 1976
Term endNovember 23, 1978
PredecessorJean Chrétien
SuccessorJudd Buchanan
Office 1Minister of Manpower and Immigration
Prime minister 1Pierre Trudeau
Term start 1November 27, 1972
Term end 1September 13, 1976
Predecessor 1Bryce Mackasey
Successor 1Bud Cullen
Office 2Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs
Prime minister 2Pierre Trudeau
Term start 2January 28, 1972
Term end 2November 26, 1972
Predecessor 2Ron Basford
Successor 2Herb Gray
Office 3Minister without portfolio
Prime minister 3Pierre Trudeau
Term start 3July 6, 1968
Term end 3June 29, 1971
Riding 4Thunder Bay—Superior North
Parliament 4Canadian
Term start 4May 22, 1979
Term end 4February 17, 1980
Predecessor 4Riding created
Successor 4Jack Masters
Riding 5Port Arthur
Parliament 5Canadian
Term start 5November 8, 1965
Term end 5May 21, 1979
Predecessor 5Douglas M. Fisher
Successor 5Riding dissolved
Birth nameRobert Knight Andras
Birth dateFebruary 21, 1921
Birth placeLachine, Quebec, Canada
Death dateNovember 17, 1982 (aged 61)
Death placeVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
PartyLiberal
ProfessionAutomobile dealer · businessman
SpouseFrances Hunt (m. 1945)
EducationWesley College
Blank 1Awards
AllegianceCanada
BranchCanadian Army
RankMajor
UnitQueen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada
BattlesWorld War II

Robert Knight "Bob" Andras (February 21, 1921 -November 17, 1982) [1] was a Canadian politician and businessman who served in multiple cabinet posts under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

He was born February 21, 1921, in Lachine, Quebec. Andras moved to Port Arthur, Ontario in 1958 as the general manager of Gibson Motors Ltd., a car dealership he assumed ownership of in 1960.

Andras first ran for Parliament in 1965, contesting C. D. Howe's old riding of Port Arthur, and won. He first entered government as a Minister without Portfolio from 1968 to 1971. His subsequent appointments include Minister of State for Urban Affairs from 1971 to 1972, Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs in 1972, Minister of Manpower and Immigration from 1972 to 1976, President of the Treasury Board from 1976 to 1978, and Minister of State for Economic Development from 1978 to 1979.

As Minister without Portfolio from 1968 to 1971, Andras started collaborating with the Minister of Northern Affairs, Jean Chrétien, to shape future Indian policy. During the summer of 1968, he attended consultation meetings with Aboriginal representatives. Aboriginal people felt that Andras understood their issues and would make a difference in Indian policy compared to previous bureaucratic rhetoric. However, Andras did not have the opportunity to push the agenda forward.[2]

Andras retired from politics in 1979 and re-entered the business world. He died of cancer on November 17, 1982, at his home in Vancouver.

Sources

  1. ^ Montreal Gazette, 18 Nov. 1982, obituary.
  2. ^ Weaver, Sally. (1981). Making Canadian Indian Policy: The Hidden Agenda 1968-1970 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1981)