| Birth date | 20 February 1909 |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Condor, Alberta, Canada |
| Death date | 30 March 1982 (aged 73) |
| Death place | Nerja, Spain |
| Parliament | Canadian |
| Constituency mp | New Westminster |
| Predecessor | William McLennan |
| Successor | Douglas Hogarth |
| Term start | September 1962 |
| Term end | June 1968 |
| Parliament 2 | Canadian |
| Constituency mp 2 | Surrey |
| Predecessor 2 | District was created in 1966 |
| Successor 2 | District changed name in 1971 to Surrey—White Rock |
| Term start 2 | June 1968 |
| Term end 2 | October 1972 |
| Parliament 3 | Canadian |
| Constituency mp 3 | Surrey—White Rock |
| Predecessor 3 | District changed name in 1971 from Surrey |
| Successor 3 | Benno Friesen |
| Term start 3 | October 1972 |
| Term end 3 | May 1974 |
| Profession | journalist |
| Party | New Democratic Party |
Barry Mather (20 February 1909 – 30 March 1982) was a Canadian journalist, columnist, and politician.
Born in Condor, Alberta, he was a journalist for the Vancouver News Herald and a columnist with The Vancouver Sun before being elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1962 federal election for the British Columbia riding of New Westminster. A member of the New Democratic Party, he was re-elected in the 1963, 1965, 1968, and 1972 elections in the ridings of New Westminster, Surrey, and Surrey—White Rock.
In 1965, he was the first Member of Parliament to introduce a freedom of information bill as a private member's bill. Although it didn't pass, he would re-introduce the same legislation in every parliamentary session between 1968 and 1974. In 1983, an Access to Information Act would finally be passed.[1] Mather was also one of the first parliamentarians to call for restrictions on the sale of cigarettes; in 1969, he called for a ban on all cigarette advertising.[2]
He was the co-author of the 1958 book, New Westminster, The Royal City. He was married to Camille Mather, a former Co-operative Commonwealth Federation member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the riding of Delta. They had two daughters: Mary and Jane.
He died of a heart attack during a vacation in Nerja in 1982.
References
- "Barry Mather, ex-MP, dies in Spain at 73". The Globe and Mail. 1 April 1982.
- ^ Access to Information Review Task Force (June 2002). "Access to Information: Making it Work for Canadians – Annex 8: List of Recommendations". Publications.gc.ca. Government of Canada. Archived December 8, 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
- ^ Winnipeg Free Press, 17 January 1969, p. 6; Winnipeg Free Press, 7 February 1969, p. 7.