Albert Wesley Johnson


Albert Wesley "Al" Johnson was a Canadian civil servant, a former president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, and an author.
Born in Insinger, Saskatchewan, Johnson received a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Toronto and an MPA and a PhD from Harvard University. He was deputy treasurer of Saskatchewan from 1952 until 1964. He was one of the key figures in the development of universal medicare, first in Saskatchewan in the governments of Premiers Tommy Douglas and Woodrow Lloyd and subsequently at the national level. In 1964, he became assistant deputy minister of finance for the federal government. From 1975 until 1982, he was president of the CBC. He subsequently taught at Queen's University and the University of Toronto.
In 1980, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1996 in recognition of his "outstanding career as a public servant, university professor and consultant on post-secondary education, social policy and public management both nationally and internationally".
Johnson wrote the 2004 book Dream No Little Dreams, A Biography of the Douglas Government of Saskatchewan, 1944–1961 for which he was awarded the Canadian Political Science Association's Donald Smiley Prize in 2005.
After leaving the federal civil service he embarked on an international career:
Returning to Canada in 1999, Johnson became special chair in public policy to the Government of Saskatchewan.
Johnson died in Ottawa at age 87. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, whom he married in 1946, four children and one granddaughter.

CBC years

During Johnson's years as President of the CBC, his chief goal was the Canadianization of the airwaves, by increasing the quality and quantity of Canadian radio and television programming.

Awards and honours