George Eamon Park
Encyclopedia
George Eamon Park was born in Monkstown, County Cork
, Ireland
. His father, Robert Park Sr., was in the Royal Navy
and on manoeuvers at the time of his son's birth. Kathleen Park left Portsmouth, England to be with her family in Ireland to have the baby.
George was the eldest of four children; Kathleen (called Kay), Thomas and Robert Jr. followed. In 1925 the family moved to Wales
where Robert Park was working as a foreman at a mine. A long strike
led the Parks to decide to move to Canada
. They arrived in Toronto
, Ontario
in 1927.
George attended high school
in Toronto and graduated from De La Salle Academy
. Upon graduation he got involved with the labour movement
, becoming a staff member at the United Steel Workers and an activist with the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. It was during this time he dropped his first name and began to use the name Eamon instead.
During World War II
, Park was living in Ottawa and met and married Anne Clare, a social work
er originally from Winnipeg
Manitoba
. They had two children; Patricia Anne and Kevin Robert.
In 1948 Park was elected as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section)
(CCF) member of the Ontario legislature for the Toronto riding of Dovercourt
. He ran in the 1951 election and was defeated.
Park continued his work with the union and the party, holding many roles within the provincial and national CCF
infrastructure. Following the federal party's crushing defeat in the 1958 federal election, it was decided that the Canadian Labour Congress
would align itself with the CCF to form a new political party. Park was a CLC representative on the Political Action Committee. The reborn group was first called The New Party, adopting a suggestion made by Park, later to become the New Democratic Party
. At the NDP founding convention in 1961, Park was elected as secretary of the NDP executive. From 1965 to 1969 he served as president of the party.
He ran in the federal election of 1968 as the NDP candidate for York East in Toronto but was defeated, coming in third with 27.47% of the vote. He never ran for elected office again.
In 1972 the Canadian government appointed Park as labour attache to the High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom. He also had responsibility for labour relations with Sweden
. He died in London in June 1975. His ashes were scattered in Ireland.
His wife Anne returned to Canada and remained an NDP activist until her death in January 1991. Both of their children followed in the Park family footsteps. Patti is a social worker, who also worked for the NDP government in Ontario in the 1990s. Her first husband, Dick Proctor, later became federal secretary of the NDP and a Member of Parliament for Saskatchewan
. Her current husband, Murray Weppler, is a former executive assistant to federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent
and Ontario leaders Michael Cassidy
and Bob Rae
.
Kevin Park became a union activist, working for the United Food and Commercial Workers
and the Canadian Auto Workers
union. He worked on staff at the British Columbia Government Employees Union in Vancouver
. He died in Vancouver in 2007.
Kevin's twin children are carrying on the family tradition. Gareth Robert is a social worker in Ottawa, currently working with the Canadian Mental Health Association
. He was a delegate to the 1989 NDP convention, making him the third generation of Parks to vote at an NDP gathering. Megan Kathleen is on staff at the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
in Toronto. She worked for an NDP cabinet minister in the 1990s.
Monkstown, County Cork
Monkstown is a village in County Cork, Ireland, in the old barony of Kerrycurrihy. It lies 9 miles southeast of Cork city on the estuary of the River Lee, facing Great Island and looking onto Monkstown Bay....
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. His father, Robert Park Sr., was in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and on manoeuvers at the time of his son's birth. Kathleen Park left Portsmouth, England to be with her family in Ireland to have the baby.
George was the eldest of four children; Kathleen (called Kay), Thomas and Robert Jr. followed. In 1925 the family moved to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
where Robert Park was working as a foreman at a mine. A long strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
led the Parks to decide to move to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They arrived in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
in 1927.
George attended high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Toronto and graduated from De La Salle Academy
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
. Upon graduation he got involved with the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
, becoming a staff member at the United Steel Workers and an activist with the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. It was during this time he dropped his first name and began to use the name Eamon instead.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Park was living in Ottawa and met and married Anne Clare, a social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
er originally from Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. They had two children; Patricia Anne and Kevin Robert.
In 1948 Park was elected as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section)
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (Ontario Section)
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation – The Farmer-Labor Party of Ontario, or more informally and commonly known as The Ontario CCF, was a democratic socialist political party that existed from 1932 to 1961. It was the provincial wing of the National CCF. The party officially had no leader in...
(CCF) member of the Ontario legislature for the Toronto riding of Dovercourt
Dovercourt (electoral district)
Dovercourt was the name of a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It existed from the 1926 election to the 1999 election. When it was established, it bordered Parkdale on its west-side, York South on its north-side, and Bracondale on its east-side.Lake Ontario was its southern border...
. He ran in the 1951 election and was defeated.
Park continued his work with the union and the party, holding many roles within the provincial and national CCF
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
infrastructure. Following the federal party's crushing defeat in the 1958 federal election, it was decided that the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
would align itself with the CCF to form a new political party. Park was a CLC representative on the Political Action Committee. The reborn group was first called The New Party, adopting a suggestion made by Park, later to become the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
. At the NDP founding convention in 1961, Park was elected as secretary of the NDP executive. From 1965 to 1969 he served as president of the party.
He ran in the federal election of 1968 as the NDP candidate for York East in Toronto but was defeated, coming in third with 27.47% of the vote. He never ran for elected office again.
In 1972 the Canadian government appointed Park as labour attache to the High Commission of Canada to the United Kingdom. He also had responsibility for labour relations with Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He died in London in June 1975. His ashes were scattered in Ireland.
His wife Anne returned to Canada and remained an NDP activist until her death in January 1991. Both of their children followed in the Park family footsteps. Patti is a social worker, who also worked for the NDP government in Ontario in the 1990s. Her first husband, Dick Proctor, later became federal secretary of the NDP and a Member of Parliament for Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. Her current husband, Murray Weppler, is a former executive assistant to federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
and Ontario leaders Michael Cassidy
Michael Cassidy
Michael Morris Cassidy is a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1984, and in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 1988...
and Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
.
Kevin Park became a union activist, working for the United Food and Commercial Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
and the Canadian Auto Workers
Canadian Auto Workers
The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile social unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Brampton, Oakville, St...
union. He worked on staff at the British Columbia Government Employees Union in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. He died in Vancouver in 2007.
Kevin's twin children are carrying on the family tradition. Gareth Robert is a social worker in Ottawa, currently working with the Canadian Mental Health Association
Canadian Mental Health Association
The Canadian Mental Health Association was founded on January 26, 1918 by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally named the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it is one of the oldest voluntary health organizations still operating in Canada.Each year, CMHA divisions...
. He was a delegate to the 1989 NDP convention, making him the third generation of Parks to vote at an NDP gathering. Megan Kathleen is on staff at the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is a trade union that represents about 120,000 employees in the broader public service of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The current president of OPSEU is Warren "Smokey" Thomas. Prior to Thomas OPSEU was headed by Leah Casselman. Casselman was the...
in Toronto. She worked for an NDP cabinet minister in the 1990s.