Murray Thomson | |
|---|---|
 Thomson in 2015 | |
| Born | (1922-12-19)December 19, 1922 Honan, China |
| Died | May 2, 2019(2019-05-02) (aged 96) |
| Awards | Pearson 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 Peace34 for his work in peace and justice5 and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001.67 He was also awarded the (Canadian) Golden Jubilee Medal8 and the Diamond Jubilee Medal.98 He is a former Executive Director of CUSO.4
He is credited in helping the formation of:
- Grindstone Island
- The Peacefund Canada Foundation (1980s)
- Peace Brigades International74 (1981)
- Project Ploughshares74 (1976)
- Group of 78 (1980)
- Canadian Friends of Burma (1990)
- Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention (2012)
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.1213
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
References
- Lumley, Elizabeth (2000). The Canadian Who's who. University of Toronto Press. p. 1257. ISBN 0802049397.
- "Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry". Retrieved April 4, 2006.
- 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.
- Watson, Rick. "The Peacefund Canada Foundation". Peace Brigades International Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Gruending, Dennis (8 December 2012). "Murray Thomson, peace activist at 90". Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- "The Governor General announces new appointments to the Order of Canada".
- "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
- "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
- "Recipients". 11 June 2018.
- "Canada must join new negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons". Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- "Welcome". Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Murray Thomson at Peaceweb/Peace/Ottawa
- Tarasoff, Koozma J. "Peacemaker Murray Thomson at 90". Spirit-Wrestlers Blog. Spirit Wrestlers Publishing. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
Further reading
Further reading
- "Murray Thomson". United Nations Association In Canada. 17 September 1990. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Stieren, Carl, ed. (1995). "Ottawa Quakers active in peace work (a selection)". Peaceweb. 1 (1). Peace and Social Concerns Committee, Ottawa Monthly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends.
- "Government House: Order of Canada" (PDF). Canada Gazette. 135 (42). 20 October 2001. (HTML)
- Thomson, Murray. "Presentation from CFOB's 20th Anniversary Party". YouTube.
- Peace activist Murray Thomson dies at 96 Archived 2019-05-04 at the Wayback Machine
- "Murray Thomson fonds - Search Research Collections". McMaster University Library. William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections. Retrieved 7 November 2019.