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Gary McRobb

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Gary McRobb
MLA for Kluane
In office
September 30, 1996 – October 11, 2011
Preceded byBill Brewster
Succeeded byWade Istchenko
Personal details
Born (1956-08-27) August 27, 1956 (age 68)
New Westminster, British Columbia
Political partyNew Democrat (1996-2006)
Liberal (2006-2011)
Residence(s)Haines Junction, Yukon
OccupationPolitician; Entrepreneur

Gary Douglas McRobb is a Canadian politician, who represented the rural Yukon electoral district of Kluane in the Yukon Legislative Assembly from 1996 to 2011.[1]

Political career

McRobb entered public life to protect Aishihik Lake from further hydroelectric projects. He was elected as a member of the incoming New Democrat government of Piers McDonald in the 1996 Yukon election. Though McRobb was not appointed to Cabinet, he was appointed Cabinet Commissioner for Energy, Mines and Resources in the McDonald administration. He also served as Deputy Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly.[2]

McRobb was re-elected as a member of the New Democrats in the 2000 and 2002 Yukon elections, and served as Opposition House Leader and New Democrat caucus critic for Tourism, Energy, Mines and Resources, Transportation, Information, and Communications, the Yukon Development Corporation, and the Yukon Energy Corporation.[3]

In 2006, McRobb was expelled from the New Democrat caucus by then-leader Todd Hardy when it was discovered that McRobb and his colleague, Mayo-Tatchun MLA Eric Fairclough, had been publicly consulting constituents about considering quitting the New Democrats for the Liberals due to Hardy's isolated decision-making and a lack of faith in his leadership.[4][5]

McRobb and Fairclough soon moved to the Liberal caucus, reducing Hardy's New Democrats to third party status and elevating the Yukon Liberal Party to Official Opposition. The move prompted the New Democrats to table legislation preventing MLAs from crossing the floor without an ensuing election, but the legislation was never adopted. McRobb and Fairclough were elected comfortably as Liberals in the 2006 election later that same year and the Liberals retained their Official Opposition status. Hardy's New Democrats remained the third party.

During the 32nd Assembly, McRobb served as the Opposition House Leader, as well as the Liberal critic for Energy, Mines and Resources, Highways and Public Works, and the Yukon Energy Corporation and the Yukon Development Corporation.[6] As energy critic, he was outspoken against the governing Yukon Party's secretive efforts to privatize Yukon Energy in a sale to ATCO Electric.[7] During his tenure in office, McRobb had developed a reputation of a political attack dog, who the media noted would "occasionally... over-reach, with accusations never quite substantiated in fact."[8]

McRobb announced his decision to retire from politics prior to the 2011 election, citing that he had served enough time in elected office.[9]

Electoral record

Yukon general election, 2006

Kluane[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  Liberal Gary McRobb 317 53.3 +37.2
Yukon Party Jim Bowers 176 29.6 +11.3
  New Democratic Party Lillian Grubach-Hambrook 82 13.8 -51.3
  Independent Freddy Hutter 19 3.2 +3.2
Total 598 100 –

Yukon general election, 2002

Kluane[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  New Democratic Party Gary McRobb 442 65.1 +11.1
Yukon Party Michael Crawshay 124 18.3 -10.0
  Liberal Paul Birkckel 109 16.1 +0.7
Total 679 100 –

Yukon general election, 2000

Kluane[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  New Democratic Party Gary McRobb 405 55.0 +6.5
Yukon Party Charlie Eikland 208 28.3 +9.1
  Liberal Gerald Brown 113 15.4 -8.2
Total 736 100 –

Yukon general election, 1996

Kluane[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  New Democratic Party Gary McRobb 364 48.5 +8.4
  Liberal John Farynowski 177 23.6 +23.6
Yukon Party Ollie Wirth 144 19.2 -39.9
  Independent Bonnie Lock 66 8.8 +8.8
Total 751 100 –

References

  1. ^ "McRobb, Gary Douglas (Kluane)". Canadian Parliamentary Guide. January 1, 2005. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24.
  2. ^ A fighter hands up his gloves Yukon News (John Thompson), August 3, 2011.
  3. ^ "McRobb, Gary Douglas (Kluane)". Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 2005.
  4. ^ Axe falls on second Yukon NDPer. CBC News, March 1, 2006.
  5. ^ Two down, but the NDP's not out Yukon News (Graeme McElheran), March 4, 2006.
  6. ^ Liberals construct their shadow cabinet Whitehorse Star (October 25, 2006).
  7. ^ Fentie's secret negotiations with ATCO revealed Yukon News (James Munson), June 25, 2009.
  8. ^ A fighter hands up his gloves Yukon News (John Thompson), August 3, 2011.
  9. ^ A fighter hands up his gloves Yukon News (John Thompson), August 3, 2011.
  10. ^ Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of the Yukon on the 2006 General Election Elections Yukon, 2006. Retrieved January 20, 2017
  11. ^ Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of the Yukon on the 2002 General Election Elections Yukon, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2017
  12. ^ Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of the Yukon on the 2000 General Election Elections Yukon, 2000. Retrieved January 20, 2017
  13. ^ Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of the Yukon on the 1996 General Election Elections Yukon, 1996. Retrieved January 20, 2017
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