Ian Strachan

Ian Thomas Strachan (1898–1964) was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of St. George in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1934 to 1943. He was a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Background Born in Brockville, Ontario in 1898, he was a great-grandson of former Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie. He graduated from the University of Toronto Schools, and served with the 1st Canadian Tank Battalion during World War I, and later studied political science at the University of Toronto and law at Osgoode Hall Law School. He won the election, and served in the government of Mitchell Hepburn.

In his first term in the legislature, he served as a member of various standing committees. In 1936, he pledged to support Hepburn's then-controversial bill to extend funding to Roman Catholic separate schools in the province even if his support of the bill led to his defeat in the next election, on the grounds that equal funding for Roman Catholic education in the province was an important principle of religious rights.

After being reelected in the 1937 election, he was appointed as the Liberal caucus whip. He served as whip until 1942, when he was dropped from the position after Gordon Daniel Conant succeeded Hepburn as Liberal leader and premier.

He died on February 4, 1964, at his home in Toronto of a heart attack.