Allan Gregg was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, at the 9:30 a.m. ceremony on Friday, June 16, “in recognition of his career as a policy analyst, advisor, strategic thinker, insightful commentator, and leading predictor of political trends.”
He was a doctoral student and Political Science lecturer at Carleton University in the 1970s before leaving to work on Parliament Hill. He was a key strategist for the Progressive Conservative Party under Brian Mulroney and played a large role in the party’s 1984 and 1988 federal election victories. He has been integral to more than 50 election campaigns on three continents.
He is a widely published analyst and featured public speaker who regularly contributes to newspapers and magazines. He has offered his views and insights on CBC’s At Issue Panel for more than a decade and hosted TVO’s Allan Gregg: In Conversation With.
Gregg founded Decima Research in 1979, co-founded the Strategic Counsel in 1995 and was Chair of Harris-Decima from 2007 to 2014. A founding shareholder of Canada’s children’s network, YTV, he also served as chair of the Toronto Film Festival and the Walrus Foundation. He sits on the General Motors of Canada’s Advisory Board and is a past director of the Public Policy Forum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and The Writers Trust. Allan is a recipient of the Public Affairs Association Award of Distinction.
In 2012, Gregg was inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends and was named Adjunct Professor at Carleton’s School of Public Policy and Administration and its Political Management program.