Former Trudeau supporter and father of CSIS Robert Kaplan dead at 75

The man who helped persuade Pierre Trudeau to run for the Liberal party leadership and who was an architect of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, has died.

Former Liberal MP Robert Kaplan died Monday of brain cancer at age 75, the Toronto Star reported.

The Star noted that Kaplan, a Toronto tax lawyer, first met Trudeau in 1957 when they were both involved in the World University Service in western Africa.

A decade later, he was part of Ontario's Draft Trudeau committee, leaving his law practice to work full time for Trudeau, then justice minister under Lester Pearson, leading up to the 1968 Liberal convention.

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In the Trudeaumania-fuelled Liberal landslide election victory later that year, Kaplan won a seat in Parliament representing the Toronto riding of Don Valley. He lost in 1972 but returned as MP for York Centre, a seat he held until he retired in 1993, the Star said.

As solicitor-general in the early 1980s, Kaplan oversaw creation of CSIS. Parliament established the spy service in 1984, following an inquiry into wrongdoing by the RCMP's security service.

"I knew Bob well — we served together in the House when I was first elected in 1978. He was a real gentleman — thoughtful, intelligent — who cared a lot about policy and ideas," interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae said in an email to the Globe and Mail.

"[He] shepherded the CSIS legislation skilfully. I saw him a couple of months ago when he was frail — the cancer had hit his brain, but he remained brave and positive, giving very thoughtful advice. I shall miss him."

Ron Atkey, the former Progressive Conservative MP who served as the first chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee that monitored CSIS activities, called Kaplan a well-spoken politician who was keen to see the new agency succeed.

"He regarded the system as his baby," Atkey told the Globe. "He was happy to see that it worked reasonably well."

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Even after the Liberals were defeated in 1984, Kaplan continued to keep an eye on CSIS, Atkey said.

"He was such a decent guy that he probably wouldn't have survived very well in today's House [of Commons]," the former Tory MP added.

After retiring, Kaplan and his wife, Estherelke —who died in 2009 — co-wrote a book Bicycling in Toronto.