John Godfrey Obituary
HON. JOHN FERGUSON GODFREY, P.C., C.M., D. PHIL.

December 19, 1942 - December 18, 2023



John died peacefully at home in Toronto. He was born to the late Mary Ferguson Godfrey and Senator Jack Godfrey. Jack, who served as an RCAF Wing Commander and was deployed eight and a half months before John was born, did not meet young “Johnny” until he returned from the war. Legend has it Johnny was prompted by family patriarch, Len Youell, to greet his father with his first political opinion: “Down with Mackenzie King!” And so it began.



John is survived and was deeply loved by Trish Bongard Godfrey, his wife and best friend for more than 32 years; his adored and adoring son Ian and Ian’s wonderful fiancé, Kate Rogers; sisters Anne Godfrey, Sally Forrest (Nick Forrest), sister-in-law Susan Harrington; Trish’s mom, Nancy Turville Bongard and his brother-in-law, Rob Bongard. He loved, amused and inspired his nephews and nieces, David Forrest (Sarah Matthews); Tessa Forrest (Ryan Lamourie), Harry Godfrey (Shannon Egli), Robert Godfrey; Kathleen Godfrey (Ezra Lipton). He is mourned by an extended clan including Ferguson, Faguy, Sankey, Cunietti, and Godfrey cousins and the Bongard,  Simpson, Turville, Greenwood and McIntyre families who have been so loving and supportive. John was pre-deceased by his parents and his brother, Stephen Burwell Godfrey, and by Trish’s father, Ian Andrew Bongard.



John was a passionate Canadian. He loved people and he loved ideas. He was kind, fun, and he was very funny. He was an educator, writer, historian, and mentor to many. He was a gentleman adventurer; once walking across Iceland; sailing across the Atlantic (he mutinied) and was arrested on a road trip in Russia with his friend Tom Barcsay. He paddled 17 remote fly-in rivers with his beloved Arctic and Rideau Canal Canoe Club, including Messrs. Fowler, Johnson, Fox, Goldenberg, Gow, Kotcheff, Macfarlane, Oliver, Silcox, Stollery, Urqhuart, Williams and The Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau.



His spiritual home was in Upper Kingsburg, Nova Scotia, where in 1974 he purchased a seaside property, without plumbing or running water, for the equivalent of today’s land transfer taxes. He recruited friends and family to help paint and renovate, later letting Trish make all the improvements. He never again showed any inclination towards a tool kit. He had an extensive collection of world flags from his travels, which he’d hoist daily. Neighbours looked forward to guessing which country or organization would be celebrated that day. John loved running on the beach and his mostly women 4 pm swim group.



John and Trish met in a ski race at Osler Bluff Ski Club, or at a talk he gave in Toronto, or at a ski-in lunch, depending on whom you ask. Ian and Nancy Bongard can take much credit for identifying John as an unclaimed treasure and luring him into the family chalet with home cooking.  John, however, made the ultimate move and took Trish to Nova Scotia for Labour Day in 1990, proposing marriage 5 weeks later after Thanksgiving dinner. Trish and John were married in 1991 “when Trish was half my age plus 7 – ‘the ideal age,'’’ and it was a grateful partnership thereafter, through all of John’s life, career and health adventures.



John had a wonderful and eclectic career and felt blessed with opportunities. He grew up in Rosedale, Toronto, when it wasn’t fashionable.  Jack and Mary Godfrey were well known for their entertaining. He and Sally, Anne and Stephen were treated to an inspiring and varied parade of people from all over the world, especially at “Sunday supper”- Mary’s weekly, warm, efficient dinner event where she did her best matchmaking and made a home-away-from-home for many newcomers and friends alike. This tradition of maintaining strong social networks and friendships is carried on by John’s sisters, Anne and Sally, our sister-in-law, Susie Harrington and all their wonderful children.



John spent summers with his family in Muskoka, and attended Rosedale Public School and Upper Canada College until he met a number of very elegant Europeans his parents adopted into their circle in the 1950s and learned of another new school, Neuchâtel Junior College in Switzerland. He convinced his parents to send him there for Grade 13. He learned french and maintained a lifelong commitment to bilingualism. He also made lifelong friends, especially Donna Wong, whom he met on the ski team, and with whom he corresponded daily.



At Trinity College, University of Toronto, he was the debating partner of Margaret MacMillan, who became a lifelong friend.  He completed his M.Phil at Balliol College, Oxford, and his D.Phil at St. Antony’s College, Oxford, in 1975. When John and Margie found themselves at St. Antony’s together, in their spare time they undertook to clear the cellars of rare wines being sold at canteen prices.



John taught Modern French and European History at Dalhousie University 1970 – 87. At age 34, John became President and Vice Chancellor, University of King’s College, Halifax, 1977 – 87, the youngest university president in Canada. His History 100 class for non-history students, which he created with colleague and friend David Crook, was famed for its quirkiness and required attendance at Wagner’s entire Ring Cycle, in one long overnight session, complete with sleeping bags in the gym. He Founded the Journalism School at King’s and expanded and promoted the Foundation Year Program.



In 1987 John became the Editor and a regular columnist of The Financial Post, a newspaper he led through its conversion from a weekly to a daily. He wrote more than 400 articles for the Post and co-authored with Rob McLean, The Canada We Want – Competing Visions for the New Millennium, in 1999.



In 1992, he became Vice-President of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, under founding President, and his mentor, Dr. Fraser Mustard. John felt that his time with Fraser was like being in a super-charged, multi-discipline graduate studies program. The ideas and knowledge he gathered were foundational to his contributions in politics, especially his interest in the determinants of health and the well-being of children.



In 1993, John turned to federal politics, winning the Toronto-area riding of Don Valley West as a Liberal and door-knocked and greeted voters in over 20 languages. He was re-elected in 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006. He held numerous positions including Committee Chair, Chair of Commons Committees, and was Parliamentary Secretary under Prime Ministers Chrétien and Martin. In 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed him Minister of State (Infrastructure and Communities) with responsibility for The New Deal for Cities. John was Official Opposition Critic for the Environment under interim Liberal leader William Graham, and then Chair, Caucus Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. John’s great political partner and friend was Andrew Bevan and they thrived in leading many bright political staffers throughout his career.



After winning two elections, Trish, John and Ian moved to Ottawa in 1999 and were blessed to have incredible experiences in politics and make many friends. They especially valued spending time with their Ottawa families. John loved skating the Rideau Canal to Parliament Hill to attend Cabinet meetings with skates over his shoulder (and teasing his colleague, Ken Dryden about his commute).



John left politics in 2008 and became Head of the Toronto French School for six years. At TFS he expanded the International Baccalaureate program and rebranded it as Canada’s International School.



At the end of that time Premier Kathleen Wynne recruited John to be Special Advisor on Climate Change and had several large initiatives and programs planned in the area of climate mapping and adaptation, until the successive incumbent to the Premier’s office determined climate change was not much of a concern.



John served on the board of directors of numerous arts, social justice research and education and national unity organizations in Halifax and Toronto. He was especially proud of efforts he made to establish a group of concerned citizens to advocate for Donald Marshall, which led to the release of a wrongly-convicted man, and for being the co-founder of the Ethiopia Airlift in 1987, convincing numerous donors and the federal government to donate CDC8 cargo planes for delivering food and relief supplies during the famine. Recently he was working to abolish solitary confinement in prisons as well as serving on numerous community boards.



John was invited to be a Senior Fellow at Massey College when he moved back from Ottawa and he thoroughly enjoyed making new friends and being an official and unofficial mentor to many students. These friendships meant a great deal to him. John was a Queen’s Jubilee Medalist and Silver Jubilee Medalist; Doctor of Sacred Letters (honoris causa) from Trinity College; and Doctor of Civil Laws (honoris causa), from the University of Kings College, and received Vanier Award for Outstanding Young Canadian (1981).



He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2019 in Ottawa which he, Ian, and Trish celebrated with family and friends.



Hands-down, John and Trish agreed that their greatest and most important role in life is as parents to Ian, whom they both adore and of whom they are so proud. They have grown to love and be proud of Ian’s choice of life partner, Kate. As a dad, John was loving, devoted, and imaginative.



Special thanks go to many friends and family who have been so helpful and supportive as John navigated many health challenges in the past few years and to many caring medical professionals too numerous to list, but especially Dr. Alex Zlotta, Dr. Sean Balmain, Dr. Maral Ouzounian, Dr. Lindy Romanovsky, Dr. Marnie Howe, and the teams at TGH Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Princess Margaret Hospital and the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care.



A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, at 1:00 PM at Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge St., Toronto followed by a reception. The service will also be live-streamed. There will also be a celebration of John’s life in Nova Scotia this summer.



John’s greatest worry in life was the environment and climate change. His greatest joy in work was putting ideas and people together. He was an eternal optimist and always grateful. In lieu of flowers, our family would like you to consider donating to The John Godfrey Travelling Scholarship at University of Kings College, Halifax; Environmental Defence (Toronto), or the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada in John’s name.



Arrangements under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Home A.W. Miles – Newbigging Chapel Ltd. 1 (800) 616-3311. Condolences may be sent to www.humphreymiles.com.