Michael Horgan, Deputy Minister, Finance Canada
December 5, 2011 Mintz Economic Seminar (Toronto) Finance Canada's View of the Financial Outlook 2011
Michael Horgan became Deputy Minister of Finance on September 8, 2009.
Mr. Horgan joined the Canadian federal public service in 1978, serving first as an Energy Economist in the Department of Finance. In 1980, he moved to the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources as the Executive Assistant to the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister (Energy Policy). In both capacities, he worked as a junior officer on a number of energy issues, including the National Energy Program.
After a period of educational leave, Mr. Horgan returned in 1986 to the Department of Finance as an Economist in the Economic Development Division. Subsequently, he moved to the Sales and Excise Tax Division, where he held a number of positions culminating as Assistant Director. There he worked on the design and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.
In 1990, Mr. Horgan took up the position of Director, Economic and Policy Analysis, at Environment Canada, working primarily on the Green Plan. Later, he was named Director of the International Economic Analysis Division of the Department of Finance. In the fall of 1993, he became the Assistant Secretary, Priorities and Planning, in the Privy Council Office. In 1996, he was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Intergovernmental Policy and Communications, where he worked on federal policy responses in the aftermath of the 1995 Quebec referendum.
In 1998, Mr. Horgan was appointed Executive Vice-President and Associate Deputy Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in Moncton, N.B. A year later, he became President of ACOA. In 2001, Mr. Horgan returned to Ottawa as Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Finance, also serving for a time as the G7/G20 Finance Deputy for Canada.
In 2003, Mr. Horgan was appointed Deputy Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs. In that capacity, he worked on the Kelowna Accord and served as the chief federal negotiator on issues related to the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. In 2006, he was named Deputy Minister of Environment.
In 2008, Mr. Horgan took up the position of Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund for the Canadian, Irish and Caribbean constituency.
In his public service career, Mr. Horgan has also served in a number of other capacities including Chairman of the Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation, member of the Financial Institutions Supervisory Committee, Alternate Director of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Director of the Export Development Corporation.
Mr. Horgan is married with two children. He has a B.A. in Economics from Concordia University: Loyola College (Montréal, Quebec) and Master’s Degrees in Economics from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) and Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey).
In 2007, Mr. Horgan was awarded the Prime Minister’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Public Service.
The Institute gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship of HSBC for this event
to