Deborah Grey

Last updated

[1]
The Honourable
Deborah Grey
PC OC
Deborah Grey.jpg
Grey in 2014
Acting Chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee
In office
January 24, 2014 –May 1, 2015
Preceded by Preston Manning
Succeeded by Stockwell Day

Deborah Cleland Grey, PC , OC (born July 1, 1952) is a retired Canadian member of Parliament from Alberta for the Reform Party of Canada, the Canadian Alliance, and the Conservative Party of Canada. She was the first female federal leader of the Opposition in Canadian history. She currently serves on the advisory board of the Leaders' Debates Commission. [2] [3]

Contents

Before politics

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Grey pursued studies in sociology, English and education at Burrard Inlet Bible Institute, Trinity Western College and the University of Alberta. She then worked as a teacher in a number of rural Alberta communities until 1989.

Political career

A display at the Royal Alberta Museum depicts artifacts from her campaign in the 1989 by-election, including her motorcycle Deborah Grey display.jpg
A display at the Royal Alberta Museum depicts artifacts from her campaign in the 1989 by-election, including her motorcycle

Grey's first run for office was in the 1988 election, when she ran as the Reform candidate in Beaver River, a mostly rural riding in northeastern Alberta. [1] She finished a distant fourth behind Progressive Conservative John Dahmer. However, Dahmer died before he could be sworn in. Grey won a by-election in March 1989, almost tripling her vote total from the 1988 election to become Reform's first MP. [1] It was only the second time the Progressive Conservatives had lost a seat in Alberta since 1968. Party leader Preston Manning immediately named her as Reform's deputy leader. The two were friends for many years; Grey calls him "Misterbrainiola". Her first legislative assistant was a young Stephen Harper.

Reform elected 52 MPs in the 1993 election, replacing the Progressive Conservatives as the main right-wing party in Canada. Grey won her first full term in this election. In addition to her duties as deputy leader, she also became chairwoman of the enlarged Reform caucus. In 1997, Beaver River was abolished and its territory split into two neighbouring ridings. Grey moved to Edmonton North at the request of several local conservatives dissatisfied with being represented by a Liberal, John Loney (elected in the 1993 landslide). Lomey retired ahead of that year's election, and Grey won handily. She continued to represent this riding for the remainder of her career. Reform became the Official Opposition in that election. [1]

Grey served as Reform's deputy leader and caucus chairwoman until March 2000, when the Reform Party was folded into the Canadian Alliance. When Manning stepped down as Leader of the Opposition to contest the Alliance leadership race, Grey was appointed interim leader of the Alliance, and hence Leader of the Opposition. [1] She was the first female Leader of the Opposition in Canadian history. She held the post until new Alliance leader Stockwell Day was elected to the House of Commons in September 2000. He appointed Grey as deputy leader and caucus chairwoman once again.

Grey resigned those posts on April 24, 2001, in protest against Day's leadership. In July of that year, Grey quit the Canadian Alliance and joined 10 other Alliance dissidents in the "Independent Alliance Caucus". While Chuck Strahl eventually emerged as the dissidents' leader, Grey lent the group instant credibility since she had been Reform/Alliance's matriarch as well as the deputy leader. When Day offered an amnesty to the dissidents, Grey was one of seven who turned it down and formed the Democratic Representative Caucus (DRC), led by Strahl with Grey as deputy leader. In September 2001, the DRC formed a coalition caucus with the Progressive Conservatives, and Grey served as chairwoman of the PC-DRC caucus. She later said that she lost confidence in Day after seeing him attack his staffers after a public gaffe.

In April 2002, after Harper defeated Day in the race to be the Alliance leader, Grey and all but two of the DRC MPs rejoined the Alliance caucus, and in December 2003, the Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives ratified an agreement to merge into the Conservative Party of Canada. Grey was co-chair, with former PC leader Peter MacKay, of the new party's first leadership convention in March 2004.

Grey was not shy about tossing verbal barbs at the governing Liberals. She called Jean Chrétien "the Shawinigan Strangler", Don Boudria "Binder Boy", Jane Stewart "Miss Management" and Paul Martin "Captain Whirlybird".

Deborah Grey is also well known for refusing to join the lucrative MP Pension Plan and ridiculing other "MP porkers" for feeding at the public trough. Later she bought her way back into the pension plan resulting in former Prime Minister Joe Clark labelling her the "high priestess of hypocrisy". [4]

Grey's riding of Edmonton North was abolished for the 2004 federal election, and Grey retired from politics rather than attempting nomination in another. [1] She was Western chairwoman of the Conservative campaign in the 2006 election, in which Harper became Prime Minister of Canada.

Retirement

Shortly after retiring, she published her autobiography, Never Retreat, Never Explain, Never Apologize: My Life and My Politics. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. On April 22, 2013, she was appointed to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, and along with that appointment, was made a Privy Councillor, giving her the title, "The Honourable". It was announced that Grey was stepping down from the Security Intelligence Review Committee on May 1, 2015, in a press release from the Prime Minister's Office. [5]

Personal life

Grey has been married to Lewis Larson since August 7, 1993; they have no children together. They are grandparents through Lewis' children by his first marriage.

Election results

2000 Canadian federal election: Edmonton North
PartyCandidateVotes %±Expenditures
Alliance Deborah Grey22,06351.21%$61,317
  Liberal Jim Jacuta14,78634.32%$28,846
  New Democratic Party Laurie Lang3,2167.46%$815
  Progressive Conservative Dean Sanduga3,0106.98%$9,842
Total valid votes43,075100.00%
Total rejected ballots1740.40%
Turnout43,24957.20%
1997 Canadian federal election: Edmonton North
PartyCandidateVotes %±Expenditures
Reform Deborah Grey16,12444.30%$56,921
  Liberal Jonathan Murphy11,82032.47%$46,517
  New Democratic Party Ray Martin 5,41314.87%$60,286
  Progressive Conservative Mitch Panciuk2,8117.72%$51,169
  Natural Law Ric Johnsen2260.62%
Total valid votes36,394100.00%
Total rejected ballots990.27%
Turnout36,49355.63%
1993 Canadian federal election : Beaver River
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform Deborah Grey17,73157.97%+9.27%
Liberal Michael J. Zacharko7,52624.6%+12.57%
Progressive Conservative Dave Broda 3,85512.60%−17.58%
New Democratic Eugene Houle1,0583.46%−5.63%
Natural Law Guy C. Germain2940.96%
Independent B. H. Bud Glenn940.31%
Total valid votes30,588100.00%
Reform hold Swing −1.65%
Canadian federal by-election, March 13, 1989: Beaver River
upon death of John Dahmer
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Reform Deborah Grey11,15448.70%+36.50%
Progressive Conservative Dave Broda 6,91230.18%−10.22%
Liberal Ernie O. Brosseau2,75612.03%−7.13%
New Democratic Barbara Bonneau2,0819.09%−9.96%
Total valid votes22,903100.00%
Reform gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +23.36%
1988 Canadian federal election : Beaver River
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressive Conservative John Dahmer 13,76844.30
Liberal Ernie Sehn6,52821.01
New Democratic Brian Luther6,49220.89
Reform Deborah Grey 4,15813.38
Confederation of Regions Les Johnston1310.42
Total valid votes31,077100.00
Progressive Conservative notional hold

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Alliance</span> Canadian political party

The Canadian Alliance, formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 2000 to 2003. The Canadian Alliance was the new name of the Reform Party of Canada and inherited many of its populist policies, as well as its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons of Canada. The party supported policies that were both fiscally and socially conservative, seeking reduced government spending on social programs and reductions in taxation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Clark</span> Prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980

Charles Joseph Clark is a Canadian businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Conservative Party of Canada</span> Canadian centre-right political party from 1942 to 2003

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a centre to centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reform Party of Canada</span> Former federal political party in Canada

The Reform Party of Canada was a right-wing populist and conservative federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 1987 to 2000. Reform was founded as a Western Canada-based protest movement that eventually became a populist conservative party, with strong Christian right influence and social conservative elements. It was initially motivated by the perceived need for democratic reforms and by profound Western Canadian discontent with the Progressive Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockwell Day</span> Canadian politician

Stockwell Burt Day Jr. is a Canadian former politician who led the Canadian Alliance from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

The Conservative Party of Canada, colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance, the latter being the successor of the Western Canadian–based Reform Party. The party sits at the centre-right to the right of the Canadian political spectrum, with their federal rival, the Liberal Party of Canada, positioned to their left. The Conservatives are defined as a "big tent" party, practising "brokerage politics" and welcoming a broad variety of members, including "Red Tories" and "Blue Tories".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Canadian federal election</span>

The 1988 Canadian federal election was held on November 21, 1988, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA); the Progressive Conservative Party campaigned in favour of it whereas the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) campaigned against it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Representative Caucus</span> Political party in Canada

The Democratic Representative Caucus, also called the Democratic Representative Association, was a parliamentary group in the 37th Canadian Parliament consisting of Members of Parliament who left the Canadian Alliance in 2001 in protest against the leadership of Stockwell Day.

The Unite the Right movement was a Canadian political movement which existed from around the mid-1990s to 2003. The movement came into being when it became clear that neither of Canada's two main right-of-centre political parties, the Reform Party of Canada/Canadian Alliance (CA) and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC), was independently capable of defeating the governing Liberal Party. The objective of the movement, therefore, was to merge the two parties into a single party. The goal of uniting the right was accomplished in December 2003 with the formation of the Conservative Party of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Strahl</span> Canadian politician

Charles Richard "Chuck" Strahl is a Canadian businessman and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2011. First elected for the Reform Party, he was the leader of the Democratic Representative Caucus that left the Canadian Alliance in opposition to Stockwell Day's leadership. When the Conservatives won power in 2006, he became a prominent cabinet minister and served as Minister of Agriculture, Indian and Northern Affairs, and Transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election</span>

The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004, in Toronto, Ontario, and resulted in the election of Stephen Harper as the first leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative Party was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, in December 2003.

The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party formed the provincial government, without interruption, from 1971 until the party's defeat in the 2015 provincial election under premiers Peter Lougheed, Don Getty, Ralph Klein, Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford, Dave Hancock and Jim Prentice. At 44 years, this was the longest unbroken run in government at the provincial or federal level in Canadian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Reynolds (Canadian politician)</span> Canadian politician

John Douglas Reynolds is a former Canadian politician. He was the member of Parliament for the riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2006 and a former Federal Opposition Leader. He had also been an MP in the 1970s as well as a provincial politician in British Columbia in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">37th Canadian Parliament</span> In session from January 29, 2001, until May 23, 2004

The 37th Canadian Parliament was in session from January 29, 2001, until May 23, 2004. The membership was set by the 2000 federal election on November 27, 2000, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 2004 election.

James K. Pankiw is a Canadian politician and former Member of Parliament.

Richard M. Harris is a Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2015 and sat as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was previously member of the Reform Party of Canada and the Canadian Alliance. From 2004 to 2015, he represented the electoral district of Cariboo—Prince George, and formerly represented Prince George–Bulkley Valley. He was first elected during the 1993 federal election and was re-elected in 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011. He challenged Reform Party leader Preston Manning for leadership when Manning proposed merging the party with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He later campaigned for Stockwell Day to become leader. The most prominent position he held with his party was Chief Opposition Whip from 2001 to 2002. He generated controversy when he appointed an unelected, Conservative Party member to represent a neighbouring electoral district in governmental affairs, though the electoral district had an elected Member of Parliament, but from an opposition party. In Fiscal Year 2009-10 he was the top spending Member of Parliament, and had the largest hospitality and lowest advertising expenditures of any house member.

The Wildrose Party was a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. The party was formed by the merger in early 2008 of the Alberta Alliance Party and the unregistered Wildrose Party of Alberta. The wild rose is Alberta's provincial flower.

This article covers the history of the Conservative Party of Canada.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Alliance MP Deborah Grey leaving politics". CBC News. March 13, 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  2. ↑ Government of Canada (April 2019). "Leaders' Debates Commission" . Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  3. ↑ Vigliotti, Marco (March 22, 2019). "Ex-politicians Leslie, Manley, Grey to sit on debates' commission advisory board". CBC News . Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  4. ↑ "freedominion.com.pa". www.freedominion.com.pa. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. ↑ "PM announces appointments to the Security Intelligence Review Committee". Prime Minister's Office. May 1, 2015. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.