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Murray Thomson

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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)

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

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

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  • 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

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  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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d e "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
  8. ^ a b "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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