Milton L. Klein
Encyclopedia
Milton Lowen Klein, Q.C.
(February 21, 1910 – December 31, 2007) was a Montreal lawyer, a former Member of Parliament
and a figure in the Jewish-Canadian community.
. His parents were real estate agents who immigrated from Hungary
. He was one of five children. He was educated at Fairmont High and at Strathcona Academy, and obtained his law degree from Université de Montréal
in 1933.
Klein eloped with his late wife, Dorothy Ruby, on New Year's Eve, 1935. They had two children. He was active in the Jewish community and was a member of the executive council of the Canadian Jewish Congress
and a co-chairman of the Israel Bond Organization. His wife, Dorothy, died in 1991.
when incumbent Liberal MP Leon David Crestohl
died suddenly during the 1963 federal election campaign
. He served for two terms, until retiring at the 1968 federal election
when the riding of Cartier was abolished due to redistribution
.
In 1964, Klein introduced a private member's bill
which would have been Canada's first hate crime
s legislation had it been passed. Bill C-21 proposed the death penalty for anyone who committed murder with genocide
in mind and a mandatory 10-year sentence for anyone who, with genocide in mind, caused bodily harm or deliberately inflicted conditions designed to bring about the physical destruction of a group. The bill, which died on the order paper
when Prime Minister
Lester Pearson dissolved his minority government
to fight a new election, was intended to "outlaw not only Nazi-type hatred, but all hatred." Klein and the Liberal government were re-elected and, in 1966, the government amended the Criminal Code of Canada
to include crimes "motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor."
He was also a proponent of bilingualism and French-language
immersion in schools and was an advocate of the new Maple Leaf flag during the Great Flag Debate
.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(February 21, 1910 – December 31, 2007) was a Montreal lawyer, a former Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and a figure in the Jewish-Canadian community.
Personal life
Klein was born in 1910 MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. His parents were real estate agents who immigrated from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. He was one of five children. He was educated at Fairmont High and at Strathcona Academy, and obtained his law degree from Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
in 1933.
Klein eloped with his late wife, Dorothy Ruby, on New Year's Eve, 1935. They had two children. He was active in the Jewish community and was a member of the executive council of the Canadian Jewish Congress
Canadian Jewish Congress
The Canadian Jewish Congress was one of the main lobby groups for the Jewish community in the country, although it often competed with the more conservative B'nai Brith Canada in that regard. At its dissolution, the president of the CJC was Mark Freiman. Its past co-presidents were Sylvain Abitbol...
and a co-chairman of the Israel Bond Organization. His wife, Dorothy, died in 1991.
Political career
Klein was drafted as the Liberal candidate in the largely Jewish riding of CartierCartier (electoral district)
Cartier was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1968.It was created in 1924 from parts of George-Étienne Cartier riding....
when incumbent Liberal MP Leon David Crestohl
Leon David Crestohl
Leon David Crestohl was a Canadian lawyer and politician.Born in Warsaw, then Russian Empire, the son of Rabbi Hyman Meyer Crestohl , he emigrated with his family to Canada in 1911 living in Quebec City before moving to Montreal in 1919. Crestohl was educated at McGill University and the...
died suddenly during the 1963 federal election campaign
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
. He served for two terms, until retiring at the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
when the riding of Cartier was abolished due to redistribution
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
.
In 1964, Klein introduced a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
which would have been Canada's first hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
s legislation had it been passed. Bill C-21 proposed the death penalty for anyone who committed murder with genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
in mind and a mandatory 10-year sentence for anyone who, with genocide in mind, caused bodily harm or deliberately inflicted conditions designed to bring about the physical destruction of a group. The bill, which died on the order paper
Order Paper
The Order Paper is a daily publication in the Westminster system of government which lists the business of parliament for that day's sitting. A separate paper is issued daily for each house of the legislature....
when Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Lester Pearson dissolved his minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
to fight a new election, was intended to "outlaw not only Nazi-type hatred, but all hatred." Klein and the Liberal government were re-elected and, in 1966, the government amended the Criminal Code of Canada
Criminal Code of Canada
The Criminal Code or Code criminel is a law that codifies most criminal offences and procedures in Canada. Its official long title is "An Act respecting the criminal law"...
to include crimes "motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or any other similar factor."
He was also a proponent of bilingualism and French-language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
immersion in schools and was an advocate of the new Maple Leaf flag during the Great Flag Debate
Great Flag Debate
The Great Canadian Flag Debate took place in 1964 when a new design for the national flag of Canada was chosen. The flag debate began on June 15, 1964, when Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson proposed his plans for a new flag in the House of Commons. It lasted more than six months, bitterly...
.