Gary Goodyear

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The Honourable
 Gary Goodyear
PC, MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Cambridge
Incumbent
Assumed office
2004
Preceded by Janko Peric
Personal details
Born March 10, 1958 (1958-03-10) (age 53)
Cambridge, Ontario
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Valerie Goodyear
Residence Cambridge
Profession Chiropractor

Gary T. Goodyear, PC, MP (born March 10, 1958 in Cambridge, Ontario) is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, having been elected to represent the riding of Cambridge as a Conservative in 2004. On October 30, 2008 he was named Minister of State for Science & Technology within Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Cabinet.[1] Goodyear was re-elected in the May 2nd elections in 2011 and returned to Stephen Harper's cabinet as Minister of State for Science & Technology.

Contents

[edit] Education and chiropractic career

Goodyear was raised and educated in Cambridge. After high school he attended the University of Waterloo, studying in Biomechanics and Psychology, but left without completing a degree.

He afterwards attended the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, where he graduated cum laude[citation needed], was class president, and valedictorian.[2] He started his full-time practice in Cambridge in 1984 where he was Clinic Director, Director of Patient Services and Past President of Future Recovery Canada. He was a co-designer of the three year post-graduate Sports Fellowship Program. He also co-authored “Practice Guidelines” and was Public Relations Director and Past President for the College of Chiropractic Sports Sciences in Toronto.[citation needed] He was also the health columnist for the Cambridge Times newspaper from 1986 to 1996, and has taught at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and the University of Waterloo.[citation needed]. Goodyear has not published any peer-reviewed scientific journal articles to date.

[edit] Political career

In the 2004 federal election, Goodyear defeated incumbent Liberal Janko Peric by 224 votes (as confirmed on recount) to win the Cambridge riding. After the election, Goodyear was named Ontario Chair of the Conservative Party caucus.[3] He was re-elected in 2006 with the endorsement of Vote Marriage Canada, and was also endorsed by the Canadian Islamic Congress receiving a grade of A [4] In 2006, he won the riding of Cambridge by almost 6,000 votes.

After the 2006 federal election Goodyear was elected Standing committee chair of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (of which he chairs the Subcommittee on Parliament Hill Security.) In March 2008 the Procedure and House Affairs Committee ousted Goodyear by moving a motion of non-confidence in him. The committee then elected Conservative MP Joe Preston as the chair against his will, and he called no meetings before resigning from his position. The committee currently has no chair and has not met since March 6. Jay Hill, Conservative party whip, said he is adamant that unless the opposition is willing to meet to re-elect Goodyear as the chair and to withdraw the motion to study the In and Out scandal, there will be no Procedure and House Affairs committee meetings.[5] The Speaker of the House made a ruling on the events in this committee and others which stated rulings by committee chairs are being routinely overturned by majority votes, even when the rulings are procedurally sound. Such a state of affairs has led to "general lawlessness" at committees.[6] Goodyear also chairs Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure He was also named Chairman of the all-party Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group.

A former campaign manager for Goodyear admits he negotiated a lease for a campaign headquarters in 2004 that said the landlord would make a political donation to Goodyear's election bid. In a compliance agreement with the Commissioner of Canada Elections, Reg Petersen "acknowledged an act that constitutes an offence" under the Elections Act.[7]

[edit] Role in cabinet

Following the Conservative victory in the 2008 federal election, Goodyear was appointed to the cabinet portfolio of Minister of State for Science and Technology. In 2009 he was also named Minister of State responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)

[edit] Political controversies

[edit] Evolution controversy

In a March 2009 interview, The Globe and Mail asked Goodyear if he believed in evolution. He responded, "I am a Christian, and I don't think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate." While many scientists and educators expressed shock at this,[8] others defended the minister, citing statistics that show a majority of Canadians believe God played a role in creation.[9] Later that day, however, Goodyear said that he believed in evolution during an interview with CTV News.[10] When asked to clarify this belief, Goodyear responded "We are evolving, every year, every decade. That’s a fact. Whether it’s to the intensity of the sun, whether it’s to, as a chiropractor, walking on cement versus anything else, whether it’s running shoes or high heels, of course, we are evolving to our environment."[11]

[edit] Funding cuts

In early 2009, Goodyear oversaw $147.9 million in funding cuts [12] for science programs, the most prominent being the lack of any funding for new projects for Genome Canada.[13] Critics of the cuts, including a team of neuroscientists who lost funding, argued that when coupled with the Obama administration's increased funding for science, the cuts could produce a brain drain as researchers move to the United States and secure funding.[14]

June 2009 saw Goodyear recommending the SSHRC withdraw a $19,750 funding grant for a future of Israel and Palestine conference[15] because it was deemed by the Minister to be too anti-Israel.[16]

[edit] Imagine Adoption bankruptcy

Goodyear and his wife Valerie are co-owners of Constant Energy Inc. Constant Energy is a creditor in the bankruptcy of Imagine Adoption.[17] Constant Energy’s total outstanding claim at $96,000 is the first entry on the list of preferred creditors for wages/rent/etc. TheStar also reported on the issue.[18] Valerie was also an employee of Imagine Adoption.[19]

[edit] Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes % ±pp
Conservative (x)Gary Goodyear 29,394 53.4% +4.8
Liberal Bryan May 8,285 15.1% -8.3
New Democratic Susan Galvao 15,238 27.7% +8.1
Green Jacques Malette 1,975 3.6% -4.8
Marxist–Leninist Manuel Couto 153 0.3% na
Total valid votes 55,048
Total rejected ballots 255
Turnout 55,303  %
Canadian federal election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±pp
Conservative (x)Gary Goodyear 24,895 48.6% +4.8
Liberal Gord Zeilstra 11,977 23.4% -10.2
New Democratic Max Lombardi 10,044 19.6% +2.7
Green Scott Cosman 4,279 8.4% +3.2
Total valid votes 51,195
Total rejected ballots 217
Turnout 51,412  %
Canadian federal election, 2006: Cambridge    [edit]
Party Candidate Votes % ±pp
Conservative (x)Gary Goodyear 25,337 43.84 +5.9
Liberal Janko Peric 19,419 33.60 -3.1
New Democratic Donna Reid 9,794 16.94 -3.3
Green Gareth White 3,017 5.22 +0.2
Canadian Action David Pelly 217 0.37
Total valid votes 57,784 100.00
Total rejected ballots 207 0.36
Turnout 57,991 64.97
Canadian federal election, 2004: Cambridge (electoral district)    [edit]
Party Candidate Votes % ±pp
     Conservative Gary Goodyear 19,123
     (x)Liberal Janko Peric 18,899
     New Democratic Party Gary Price 10,392
     Green Gareth White 2,506
     Christian Heritage Party John Gots 395
     Independent John Oprea 134
     Independent Alec Gryc 114
Total valid votes
Total rejected ballots
Turnout
Electors on lists

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.pm.gc.ca/grfx/docs/cabinet.pdf
  2. ^ Anne McIlroy (April 10, 2009). "Science minister won't confirm belief in evolution". Globe & Mail (Toronto). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/article320476.ece. Retrieved January 17, 2010. 
  3. ^ Pink, Dave. "Battle for Cambridge's votes". The Record. http://www.therecord.com/fed_election2006/fed_election2006_06011882944.html. Retrieved 2008-05-30. [dead link]
  4. ^ 2006 Canadian Federal Elections. Canadian Islamic Congress. Retrieved on 2011-09-27.
  5. ^ Vongdouangchanh, Bev. "Senator urges Prime Minister Harper to fill increasing Senate vacancies". The Hill Times. http://www.thehilltimes.ca/html/index.php?display=story&full_path=2008/may/12/legislation/&c=2. Retrieved 2008-05-29. 
  6. ^ Bryden, Joan (March 14, 2008). "Commons speaker decries 'anarchy' in committees". Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/346245. Retrieved 2008-06-06. 
  7. ^ McGregor, Glen. "Tory MP's former campaign boss agrees he violated Elections Act". The Ottawa Citizen. http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=18434aaa-1686-4d7b-9a2f-622a9a0ff160. Retrieved 2008-05-29. 
  8. ^ "Science minister's coyness on evolution worries researchers", CBCnews.ca, 17 March 2009, [1], McIlroy, Anne (March 17, 2009). "Science minister won't confirm belief in evolution". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090317.wgoodyear16/BNStory/National/home. 
  9. ^ Kay, Jonathan (March 17, 2009). "Jonathan Kay on The Globe & Mail's appalling front-page smear on religion". The National Post. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/03/17/jonathan-kay-on-the-globe-amp-mail-s-appalling-front-page-smear-on-religious-christians.aspx. 
  10. ^ "Science minister ends evolution brouhaha". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. March 17, 2009. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090317.wevol0317PTR/BNStory/Front/home. [dead link]
  11. ^ "Power Play: Gary Goodyear responds to criticisms". CTV News. March 17, 2009. http://watch.ctv.ca/news/power-play/tuesday-march-17-2009/#clip151028. 
  12. ^ [2][dead link]
  13. ^ "Canada puts the squeeze on science". Ottawa Citizen. March 7, 2009. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Canada+puts+squeeze+science/1364117/story.html. Retrieved 2009-03-17. [dead link]
  14. ^ McIlroy, Anne (March 11, 2009). "Neuroscientists fear brain drain as crucial funding disappears". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090311.wresearch11/BNStory/National/home. 
  15. ^ The Globe and Mail (Toronto). http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/goodyear-questions-mideast-forum-funds/article1175909/. 
  16. ^ Le ministre Goodyear est accusé d'ingérence. Le Devoir. October 1, 2009 Retrieved on 2011-09-27.
  17. ^ Imagine Adoption: Gary Goodyear's wife on the payroll – and the company they co-own is on the creditor list. – Capital Read, Inside the Queensway. Macleans.ca (2009-07-16). Retrieved on 2011-09-27.
  18. ^ MP's firm linked to adoption group. TheStar. July 18, 2009. Retrieved on 2011-09-27.
  19. ^ Imagine Adoption: Gary Goodyear's wife on the payroll – and the company they co-own is on the creditor list.. MacLeans. July 16, 2009. Retrieved on 2012-01-12.

[edit] External links

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