Background
McMillan was born on October 15, 1945 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
McMillan was born on October 15, 1945 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
McMillan was educated at the universities of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Trent. He also attended Queen's University and received a Master's degree in political studies.
McMillan began his career as an instructor at Sir Sandford Fleming College, where he worked from 1971 to 1972. A year later he became a guest lecturer in political science at Laurentian University and held the position until 1973.
Prior to election to the House of Commons, McMillan served as special assistant to the former Progressive Conservative (PC) house leader, the Honourable Robert Stanfield and as executive director of Mr. Stanfield's policy advisory committee. He was also executive officer of the Ontario Human Rights Committee and chairman of the Book and Periodical Development Council of Canada. With Professor T. H. B. Symons, McMillan was co-author of "To know ourselves".
He was first elected to the House of Commons as the PC member from Hillsborough riding, in Prince Edward Island, in 1979, and re-elected in 1980. While in opposition, McMillan served as the PC Caucus' environment critic in 1981-1983 and later as deputy house leader between 1983-1984.
His committee service included work on the following parliamentary committees: Communications and Culture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Special Committee on Acid Rain. In the first Mulroney Cabinet, in 1984, he was named Canada's first full-time minister of state for tourism. McMillan held this portfolio until mid-1985, when he was named minister of the environment, where McMillan worked until 1988. He left federal politics, not returned to the House in the general election of 1988.
In August 1989, McMillan was appointed Canada's consul-general to Boston. He maintained his involvement in politics, and attempted unsuccessfully to regain his seat in the 1993 general election. McMillan reluctantly attempted another comeback, this time in the 1997 general election, in the riding of Peterborough, Ontario. But he was defeated by Liberal candidate Peter Adams and by the Reform Party's Nancy Branscombe.
McMillan has been chairman of the Book and Periodical Development Council of Canada and headed the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Task Force on the Environment and Economy. He was an executive officer of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Senior Research Associate of the national Commission on Canadian Studies.
McMillan was awarded Governor General's Canada Medal for distinguished service to Canada. He wrote a bestselling book, part memoir and part political analysis, entitled Not My Party: The Rise and Fall of Canadian Tories from Robert Stanfield to Stephen Harper, published by Nimbus Publishing in 2016.
(This outspoken, timely book by former Mulroney Cabinet Mi...)
2017McMillan was a member of Progressive Conservative Party from May 5, 1979 to November 20, 1988.
Thomas McMillan is married to Katherine Jean Hambly and has 3 daughters.
