Reid Morden
{{Short description|Canadian civil servant (1941–2024)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=May 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Reid Morden
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|CAN|OC|size=100%}}
| birth_name = John Reid Morden
| birth_date = {{birth date|1941|06|17}}
| birth_place = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|05|07|1941|06|17}}
| death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| office = 2nd Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
| predecessor = Ted Finn
| term_start = 1988
| term_end = 1992
| successor = Ray Protti
| primeminister = Brian Mulroney
| minister = {{ubl|Perrin Beatty|Bill McKnight|Marcel Masse}}
| alma_mater = Dalhousie University
}}
John Reid Morden {{post-nominals|CAN|OC}} (June 17, 1941 – May 7, 2024) was a Canadian civil servant who was the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service from 1988 to 1992. From 1991 to 1994, Morden served as deputy minister of foreign affairs.
Early life and education
Morden was born on June 17, 1941, in Hamilton, Ontario. As a child, he moved to Montreal, Quebec before moving to Halifax, Nova Scotia.{{cite web |url=https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/john-morden-obituary?id=55080930 |title=John Reid Morden |date=May 11, 2024 |work=The Globe and Mail |via=Legacy.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523221033/https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/john-morden-obituary?id=55080930 |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=May 23, 2024}}
Morden graduated from Dalhousie University in 1963 with a bachelor of laws. He later received an honorary doctorate of law from Dalhousie.
Career
Morden started his career with the Canadian Department of External Affairs. His first posting was in Pakistan. From 1991 to 1994, Morden served as deputy minister of foreign affairs.
Morden was named director of CSIS in 1988 and served in that capacity for four years.{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Janice |title=Media monitor marks 18 years of counter-terror efforts |url=https://www.cjnews.com/news/canada/media-monitor-marks-18-years-counter-terror-efforts |work=Canadian Jewish News |date=November 23, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523221320/https://thecjn.ca/news/media-monitor-marks-18-years-counter-terror-efforts/ |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=May 23, 2024}} While there, he oversaw the destruction of security files for John Diefenbaker, Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Elliott Trudeau on January 30, 1989.{{cite news |last=Bronskill |first=Jim |title=Secret spy file on Pierre Trudeau was almost spared from destruction: memo |url=https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/07/26/secret-spy-file-on-pierre-trudeau-was-almost-spared-from-destruction-memo-2/ |agency=The Canadian Press |work=Lethbridge News Now |date=July 26, 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523221538/https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2019/07/26/secret-spy-file-on-pierre-trudeau-was-almost-spared-from-destruction-memo-2/ |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=May 23, 2024}}
Later he caused a stir by defending former director Ted Finn's erasing of 156 tapes of evidence before the Air India inquiry.{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/files_csis.html |title= Crime Files: What did CSIS know? |date=August 27, 2003 |work=CBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701145522/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/files_csis.html |archive-date=July 1, 2010 |access-date=May 23, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Maralek |first1=Victor |last2=Matas |first2=Robert |title=Ex-CSIS watchdog scorns RCMP's Air-India accusations |work=The Globe and Mail |date=June 11, 2003}}{{cite news |title=Air-India Bombing Case - McLellan Passes Buck To Bob Rae |publisher=Weekly Voice |date=April 30, 2005}}
In addition, Morden has served as president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited from 1994 to 1998. He also worked in the private sector with Kroll and KPMG Forensic Inc.{{Cite web | url=http://www.cdfai.org/fellows/reidmorden.htm |title=Reid Morden |work=Canadian Defense & Foreign Affairs Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204154210/http://www.cdfai.org/fellows/reidmorden.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |access-date=May 23, 2024}} In June 2005, Morden was appointed to assist the commission of inquiry dealing with the case of Maher Arar.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/former-diplomat-csis-head-reid-morden-dead-at-82/article_f303b566-0d94-11ef-a802-6b898a23c54c.html |title= Former diplomat, CSIS head Reid Morden dead at 82 |date=May 10, 2024 |last=Rubin |first=Josh |work=Toronto Star |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523223203/https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/former-diplomat-csis-head-reid-morden-dead-at-82/article_f303b566-0d94-11ef-a802-6b898a23c54c.html |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=May 23, 2024}}
Death
Morden died in Toronto, Ontario, on May 7, 2024, at the age of 82.