Gotlieb, Allan
GOTLIEB, ALLAN
GOTLIEB, ALLAN (1928– ), Canadian lawyer, diplomat, public servant. Gotlieb was born in Winnipeg. His parents, David and Sarah Gotlieb, were very active in Jewish community and Israel support activities. Sarah Gotlieb was a leading figure in Canadian Hadassah and served as national president of the organization from 1951 to 1955.
Allan Gotlieb earned a B.A. at the University of California at Berkeley, his M.A. while a Rhodes' Scholar at Oxford, and a law degree from Harvard University. In 1957 he joined the Canadian Department of External Affairs, where in 1967 he became an assistant undersecretary and legal adviser. Gotlieb met Pierre Trudeau shortly after Trudeau was first elected to Parliament in 1965. While Trudeau was first parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Lester Pearson and then minister of justice, the two men developed a close working relationship and consulted often on issues of federal-provincial relations and foreign affairs. When Trudeau became prime minister in 1968, Gotlieb was appointed deputy minister of the Department of Communication and in 1971 deputy minister of manpower and immigration. In 1977 he returned to External Affairs as an undersecretary and in 1981 Gotlieb was appointed Canadian ambassador to the United States, a post he held until 1989. While in Washington, Gotlieb, with the assistance of his wife, Sondra, was particularly effective in representing Canada's interests and raising Canada's profile.
From 1989 to 1994 Gotlieb was chairman of the Canadian Council for the Arts, a government-funded organization charged with fostering and promoting the study, enjoyment, and the production of art in Canada. He then became a senior adviser to a major Canadian law firm, specializing in areas of arbitration, government relations, and regulatory and public policy. In addition to his various professional and business interests, Gotlieb was also active in support of a number of arts foundations and research institutions. Among his many honors, he was a Companion of the Order of Canada.
[Harold Troper (2nd ed.)]