John Savage (politician)
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Dr. John Patrick Savage, OC, ONS, MD, LL.D, (May 28, 1932—May 13, 2003) was premier of Nova Scotia, Canada between 1993 and 1997.
Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, and keeping his Welsh accent to the end, Savage guaduated from The Queen's University of Belfast and practiced as a Medical doctor in Newport until he emigrated to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in 1967. He made a name for himself as the "hippie doctor" in the 1970s, setting up a detox centre, and a free clinic in the disadvantaged community of North Preston.
After unsuccessful tries as a Liberal Party candidate in two federal elections, he became mayor of his hometown of Dartmouth in 1985. While mayor, he received a reputation as a left-wing free spender.
In 1992, Savage decided to try his hand at provincial politics, running for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. Winning on the second ballot, Savage then won in a landslide over Donald Cameron and the governing Progressive Conservatives in the 1993 provincial election winning 40 of the Legislature 52 seats.
During his term as Premier, Savage, saddled with huge operating debts left by the previous Government, changed his tone to a tough fiscal conservative, balancing the provincial budget in 1996 for the first time since 1978. In doing so, he cut social spending drastically and cut the wages of thousands of civil servants. Other unpopular programs such as a toll highway, the creation of Halifax Regional Municipality, and the Harmonized Sales Tax were initiated under his watch.
His Government also led the country in the creation of tougher anti-smoking legislation, the establishment of modern emergency health services and emergency field communications systems, and waged a tough and ultimately successful fight against patronage in the provincial highways system.
Savage's detractors labelled him as inexperienced and stubborn. Increasingly facing discontent from within his own party over some of his anti-patronage policies, he resigned as premier in 1997.
After Savage resigned, he built hospitals and schools in Africa.
In 2001, he admitted he had stomach cancer, which spread throughout his body until his death on May 13, 2003. Just three days before his death, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He died in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
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| Preceded by: Donald W. Cameron |
Premier of Nova Scotia 1993-1997 |
Succeeded by: Russell MacLellan |
| Premiers of Nova Scotia |  |
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|---|---|---|
| Colonial: Uniacke | Young | Johnston | Young | Howe | Johnston | Tupper
Provincial: | Tupper | Blanchard | Annand | Hill | Holmes | Thompson | Pipes | Fielding | Murray | Armstrong | Rhodes | Harrington | Macdonald | MacMillan | Macdonald | Connolly | Hicks | Stanfield | Smith | Regan | Buchanan | Bacon | Cameron | Savage | MacLellan | Hamm | MacDonald |
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Categories: Welsh people stubs | 1932 births | 2003 deaths | Alumni of Queen's University, Belfast | Canadian physicians | Stomach cancer deaths | People from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia | Officers of the Order of Canada | Members of the Order of Nova Scotia | Nova Scotia premiers | People from Newport | Roman Catholic politicians | Welsh Canadians | Welsh doctors
