As a political pioneer, Michael Starr (1910-2000) accomplished many firsts and opened the political doors to other members of the various ethnocultural groups. How did a son of Ukrainian immigrants rise through the Canadian political system and reach the position of a cabinet minister? What were the steps in this political “ladder” to Ottawa? How did the ethnocultural communities contribute to Starr’s political success? This newly published study by Myron Momryk examines Mike Starr’s career in an attempt to answer some of these questions.
Mike Starr became involved in municipal affairs during the Depression and was elected alderman in Oshawa, Ontario in 1944. Later he was elected Mayor of Oshawa and in 1957 elected as a Member of Parliament. In June 1957, he was appointed Minister of Labour in John Diefenbaker’s cabinet and created a sensation, especially among Canadian ethnocultural groups. He made political history as the first Ukrainian Canadian appointed to federal cabinet. As Minister of Labour, Starr was faced with numerous national problems, including seasonal unemployment, regional disparities, union negotiations and emerging militant nationalism in Quebec.
When the Diefenbaker government was defeated in the 1963 federal election, Starr returned to his earlier role as Member of Parliament. With the changing Canadian political environment, he was defeated by a tiny margin in the 1968 federal election. Starr continued his distinguished career of public service from 1968 to 1980. He promoted the increasing involvement of ethnocultural groups in Canada political life. In recent decades, it has become a political norm to have members of various ethnocultural and visible minority groups elected to the House of Commons, and appointed to Cabinet and other senior government positions. For breaking this barrier, Mike Starr was indeed a pioneer in Canadian politics.
The book can be purchased directly from the University of Toronto Press: https://press.uottawa.ca/mike-starr-of-oshawa.html
