Meyer Brownstone

Meyer Brownstone (June 26, 1922 – April 3, 2019)

Early life

Brownstone was born in Winnipeg in 1922 to a poor Jewish socialist family.^[2] His parents were Olia Brownstone (née Roseman) and Charles Brownstone. His siblings were Hannah (married to Dr. Norman Hirt), Sam (married to Odette, parents of Justice Harvey Brownstone) and Shieky (married to Ellen).

In his youth, he worked in the gold mines of Red Lake, Ontario in order to pay for his schooling. Earlier, he had worked on his uncle's farm where he tried to organize the Ukrainian women working in the field into a trade union, to his uncle's dismay.^[2]

Government of Saskatchewan

From 1947 until 1964 Meyer Brownstone served as a civil servant in the government of Saskatchewan.^[3]

Involvement with Oxfam

Meyer Brownstone became the chair of Oxfam Canada in 1975.^[4] For his work with Oxfam Canada, he was the 1986 recipient of the Pearson Medal of Peace.^[5] Meyer was Chair Emeritus for Oxfam Canada at the time of his death.

Central America

Faced with the

In 1986 and 1987 Brownstone participated in two missions to El Salvador, working with the Salvadoran government and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front. Brownstone also participated in Oxfam Canada missions in Nicaragua during this time.

Namibia and South Africa

During the dismantling of

Meyer Brownstone was sequentially Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, where he headed the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, and Professor of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto.^[6] He had earned a PhD at Harvard University.^[7]

Death

Meyer Brownstone died in Toronto on April 3, 2019.

References