Joseph C. Ben-Ami (born 1962/1963) [1] is a Canadian conservative writer, strategist and organizer. He is a principal consultant with Ditchley Public Affairs, a Canadian-based strategic communications and political marketing firm, and sits on the board of BlueCommittee.Org. Ben-Ami is the former President and CEO of the Arthur Meighen Institute for Public Affairs (formerly the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies), [2] an independent conservative think-tank, and publisher of Canadian Observer, a quarterly magazine that examines culture, politics and public affairs from a conservative perspective. Before joining the Meighen Institute he was the executive director of the Institute for Canadian Values (ICV), [3] and before that he was director of Government Relations and Diplomatic Affairs for B'nai B'rith Canada. [4] Ben-Ami is also a member of the international advisory board of the organization Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation, a US-based Jewish group dedicated to fighting discrimination directed against Christians.
Ben-Ami has held senior positions in several local, provincial and national political and advocacy campaigns. He served as a policy aid to former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and operations director for Stockwell Day, [5] former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Most recently he managed the campaign of Brad Trost [6] for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Ben-Ami is also a conservative television and radio commentator and regular public speaker. He is co-host of The Combat Zone Podcast and lectures on subjects such as civic engagement and leadership.
In 2022, Ben-Ami unsuccessfully ran for Ottawa City Council in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward. He placed fourth behind playwright Sean Devine; real-estate agent James Dean; and brother of outgoing councillor Keith Egli, Myles Egli. Ben-Ami's campaign emphasized fiscal austerity. Ben-Ami also made statements in support of reducing the number of city councillors, and supported Ontario Premier Doug Ford's move to give mayors of large cities executive powers. [7] [8] While his campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, Ben-Ami's support was strongest in western portions of the ward, where he placed second to Sean Devine in two polling stations: Knoxdale Public School and Sir Robert Borden High School. [9]
| Candidate | Popular vote | Expenditures | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±% | ||||||||||
| Sean Devine | 4,812 | 39.20 | – | |||||||||
| James Dean | 2,564 | 20.89 | +1.05 | |||||||||
| Myles Egli | 2,051 | 16.71 | – | |||||||||
| Joseph Ben-Ami | 1,426 | 11.62 | – | |||||||||
| Michael Wood | 1,228 | 10.00 | – | |||||||||
| Peter Westaway | 118 | 0.96 | – | |||||||||
| Peter Anthony Weber | 77 | 0.63 | -1.99 | |||||||||
| Total valid votes | 12,276 | 97.47 | ||||||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined votes | 318 | 2.53 | ||||||||||
| Turnout | 12,594 | 45.55 | ||||||||||
| Eligible voters | 27,650 | |||||||||||
| Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.) and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. | ||||||||||||
| Sources: | ||||||||||||