Anthony Chisholm Abbott

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Anthony (Tony) Abbott on March 23, 2023. Tony died peacefully in the care of the kind staff at The Summit in Victoria, BC in the early morning of March 23rd. The loving husband of Naomi Abbott for 68 years, he is also survived by his three sons Douglas (Madeleine), Hilary (Patty), Timothy (Bridget Spaeth), 6 grandchildren Bronwyn, Michael (Chelsea), Philippe (Jordan McGuire), Guy (Kelda Braden), Sophie (Joe Shackleton), Julian, 4 great-grandchildren, Remi, Loïc, Henry and Odette and his brother Lewis Abbott. He was predeceased by his sister Elizabeth Schoettle.

Tony was the life of every party with quick wit and a beautiful God-given tenor voice that he did not hesitate to use to great effect. He lit up the room with his great sense of humour and infectious laugh. A gifted orator and debater led from his start in law to Canadian Federal Office in the 1970s during the time of Canada’s most charismatic PM Pierre Trudeau.

Born in Montreal on November 26, 1930, the son of Douglas Charles Abbott and Mary (Chisholm). He attended Bishop’s College School and Bishop’s University in Lennoxville, Quebec. This was followed by law school at Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Mississauga, Ontario in the 1974 election. In 1976, he was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. In 1977, he became Minister of State for Small Businesses. From 1978 until the defeat of the Trudeau government in the 1979 election, he was Minister of National Revenue.

After leaving politics Tony and Naomi moved to the UK, first to London, then Winchester in Hampshire, where Tony both practiced law and became an early champion of the now worldwide phenomena of genealogical research by purchasing Debrett Ancestry Research an offshoot of the famous Debrett’s Peerage & Baronetage. This new small business, based in the lovely Cathedral City of Winchester, was a pre-internet service to provide genealogical family trees and histories for those of us not deemed significant enough for inclusion in Debrett’s primary publication.

On their return to Canada to be closer to children and grandchildren, Naomi and Tony settled on Vancouver Island. Tony practiced law with MacIsaac & Company in Duncan and Victoria while he and Naomi acted as gracious proprietors of Rosebank Cottages in Mill Bay, BC on the Cowichan Region coast.

Funeral will be April 29 at 2:00 at St. John the Divine Anglican Church, 1611 Quadra St., Victoria followed by a reception at the church. In lieu of flowers please plant a tree in Tony’s honour on Earth Day. The family would appreciate financial donations in Tony’s memory to Bishop’s University where lifelong friends were formed or a charity of your choice.