George Isaac Smith
George Isaac Smith, MBE, usually referred to as G.I. Smith, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 18th Premier of Nova Scotia from 1967 to 1970. He was a Canadian senator from 1975 until his death. G.I. Smith is noted for having recruited Robert Stanfield to help rebuild the Progressive Conservatives in Nova Scotia.Biography
Born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia on April 6, 1909, Smith practiced law in Truro. He served overseas during World War II and was mentioned in dispatches.
Smith was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 1949 and served in Robert Stanfield's cabinet when the Tories formed government in 1956. When Stanfield moved to federal politics, Smith became Premier of Nova Scotia. Under his government the faltering Sydney Steel was nationalised. Smith argued in favour of regional equalization payments which transferred funds from rich provinces to poorer provinces like Nova Scotia.
Smith's government was defeated by the Liberals in 1970 and Smith resigned as party leader the next year. In 1975 he was summoned to the Senate of Canada and represented the senatorial division of Colchester, Nova Scotia.
Smith died in office in Truro, Nova Scotia on December 19, 1982.
