Leo Bernier | |
---|---|
Ontario MPP | |
In office 1966–1987 | |
Preceded by | Robert Gibson |
Succeeded by | Frank Miclash |
Constituency | Kenora |
Personal details | |
Born | Sioux Lookout,Ontario | August 12,1928
Died | June 28,2010 81) Sioux Lookout,Ontario | (aged
Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Spouse | Marjorie Bernier |
Children | 4 |
Occupation | Businessman |
Leo Edward Bernier (August 12,1928 –June 28,2010) was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1966 to 1987,and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Bernier was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. Bernier presided over a time in Northern Ontario when the economy was booming. He was also a personable and well-liked MPP who looked out for his constituents. He was known by his nickname as "Emperor of the North".
Bernier was born in Sioux Lookout,Ontario,and educated in the area. He worked as a bush pilot and became the general manager of Bernier &Sons Contractors,and served as president of the local Chamber of Commerce. [1] He was an honorary member of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Knights of Columbus.
He ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1963 provincial election,and lost to Liberal-Labour candidate Robert Gibson by 840 votes in Kenora. [2] Gibson died in 1966,and Bernier was elected in a by-election to replace him. He was returned by an increased margin in the 1967 provincial election, [3] and served as a backbench supporter of the John Robarts administration. When Bill Davis succeeded Roberts as premier on March 1,1971,he appointed Bernier as his Minister of Mines and Northern Affairs. [4]
Bernier was easily re-elected in the 1971 provincial election. [5] He was given additional responsibilities as Minister of Lands and Forests on February 2,1972. [6] On April 7 of the same year,his portfolios were restructured as the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Bernier was re-elected without serious opposition in the elections of 1975, [7] 1977, [8] 1981, [9] and 1985. [10] He was named Minister of Northern Affairs on February 3,1977,and held this position for more than eight years. [11] Bernier was the most powerful minister for Northern Ontario in the Bill Davis government,and was sometimes called the "Emperor of the North". Like most Progressive Conservatives of his time,he supported government intervention in economic matters.
Bernier initially supported Dennis Timbrell in the Progressive Conservative Party's January 1985 leadership convention,but crossed to Frank Miller after Timbrell was eliminated. Miller retained him in the Northern Affairs portfolio after becoming Premier of Ontario on February 8,1985. [12] The Progressive Conservatives under Miller were reduced to a tenuous minority government in the 1985 election,and were defeated in the house in June 1985. In opposition,Bernier served as his party's critic for Natural Resources and Northern Affairs and Mines. He did not run for re-election in 1987.
In 1975,Bernier selected amethyst as Ontario's mineral emblem. [13]
He served as chair of the Boreal West Round Table in the 1990s,and remained active in the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party until his death. In 2004,he supported John Tory's successful bid to become party leader.
Bernier died on June 28,2010,in Sioux Lookout hospital at the age of 81. [1] In 2012,Highway 664 was renamed in his honour. [14]
Frank Stuart Miller was a Canadian politician who served as the 19th premier of Ontario for four months in 1985. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1971 as a Progressive Conservative member of the central Ontario riding of Muskoka. He served in the cabinet of Premier Bill Davis in several portfolios including Minister of Health and Minister of Natural Resources. He also served five years as the Treasurer of Ontario.
Lawrence Sheldon "Larry" Grossman,was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly as a Progressive Conservative from 1975 to 1987,and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Grossman was leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives from 1985 to 1987.
Dennis Roy Timbrell is a politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1971 to 1987,and was a Cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.
Alan William Pope was a Canadian politician. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1990,and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.
Robert Stanley Kemp Welch was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party,and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts,Bill Davis and Frank Miller.
Norman William "Norm" Sterling is a Canadian politician,who served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 2011.
Keith Calder Norton was a Canadian politician and public servant. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985,and was until 2005 the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Noble Alfred Villeneuve was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1983 to 1999,and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Frank Miller and Mike Harris.
W. Donald Cousens was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994,and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller. From 1994 to 2006,Cousens was the Mayor of Markham,Ontario.
George Raymond McCague was a Canadian politician in Ontario. He was a Progressive Conservative member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1990,and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.
Philip Andrew Gillies is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987 as a Progressive Conservative,and was a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller.
Gordon Howlett Dean was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.
James Allan Taylor was a lawyer and politician in Ontario,Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1987 and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bill Davis. Taylor was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.
Lorne Henderson was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1985,and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Henderson was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.
Gordon Wayne Walker,is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1975,and again from 1977 to 1985. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party,and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.
Robert Gordon Eaton was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985,and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis.
Margaret Mary Burgoyne-Howse Scrivener was a politician in Ontario,Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of St. David. She was the second woman in Canada to hold a cabinet position,serving as a minister in the government of Bill Davis.
David Rotenberg was a Canadian politician in Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party,and was briefly a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller.
RenéJoseph Napoléon Brunelle was a Canadian politician,who represented Cochrane North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1958 to 1981 as a Progressive Conservative member.
Arthur Kenneth Meen was a politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1967 to 1977 who represented the Toronto riding of York East. He served in the cabinet of the government of Bill Davis.