Reg Alcock
A pragmatic Canadian politician who championed the digital transformation of government, bridging the gap between bureaucracy and the internet age.
1948–2011 (age 63)·Canadian politician·Birthday: April 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Reg Alcock approached politics with the mindset of a systems architect. A Liberal MP from Winnipeg, he was less a fiery orator and more a fixer, fascinated by how things worked—or more often, why they didn't. His true legacy was forged as President of the Treasury Board under Prime Minister Paul Martin, where he became the unlikely evangelist for a digital revolution within the cavernous halls of government. Alcock saw the internet not as a novelty, but as the essential plumbing for a modern democracy, pushing aggressively for online service delivery and open data. His tenure was a relentless campaign against analog inertia, arguing that transparency and efficiency were two sides of the same technological coin. While his political career was cut short by electoral defeat in 2006, his vision proved prescient. He laid the foundational arguments and policies that would later normalize the idea of government as a digital platform, forever changing how Canadians interact with the state.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Reg was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Reg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Reg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2011Died at 63
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
Key Achievements
- Served as the President of the Treasury Board for Canada, overseeing the management of the federal public service.
- Was a leading parliamentary advocate for government digital services and the use of technology to improve transparency.
- Represented the riding of Winnipeg South for 13 consecutive years as a Member of Parliament.
- Chaired the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, focusing on streamlining bureaucracy.
Did You Know?
Before politics, he worked in the computer industry and ran his own management consulting firm.
He was a licensed pilot and often flew himself to constituency events across Manitoba.
Alcock was appointed to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, which oversees Canada's spy agency, after leaving elected office.
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