John Herron (New Brunswick politician)

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John Herron
Member of Parliament
for Fundy Royal
In office
June 2, 1997 – June 28, 2004
Preceded byPaul Zed
Succeeded byRob Moore
Personal details
Born (1964-10-21) October 21, 1964 (age 59)
Kentville, Nova Scotia
Political partyProgressive Conservative (1997-2004)
Independent (2004)
Liberal (2004-present)
Residence(s)Bloomfield, New Brunswick
ProfessionEnergy Regulation
BA History, Acadia., MBA, St. Mary's University

John Herron (born October 21, 1964) is a former Canadian politician and Red Tory who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Fundy Royal from 1997 to 2004.

Federal political career[edit]

Herron was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1997 federal election as a candidate of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC Party). He was re-elected in the 2000 election. Herron was one of a handful of new Progressive Conservative "young Turk" parliamentarians – along with Scott Brison, André Bachand, and Peter MacKay – considered the youthful leadership material that would restore the ailing PC Party.

After Progressive Conservative leader Jean Charest resigned in April 1998 to lead Quebec Federalists as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Herron and fellow MP Jim Jones met with Stephen Harper to explore Harper's interest in the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party. Herron concluded that there was a lack of alignment between the two on a series of public policy matters, and later teamed with Scott Brison to support Joe Clark's candidacy and his subsequent return as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Herron was criticized following the 2003 PC leadership election when he abandoned the campaign of Scott Brison to support Peter MacKay before the second ballot. Brison was dropped from the voting when he won just three votes fewer than Jim Prentice on the second ballot. Many blamed this loss on Herron and a handful of his riding delegates who followed him to the MacKay camp.

Herron, often described as a Red Tory for his progressive leanings on social issues, was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party until December 2003;[1] he did not support its merger with the Canadian Alliance into the Conservative Party of Canada in 2003[2] and he refused to join the new party. On February 6, 2004, he announced that he would sit for the remainder of the Parliamentary session as an "independent Progressive Conservative", and that he would run in the 2004 election as a candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada.[3] One of Herron's last official acts as a sitting MP was his deliverance of the "Progressive Conservative party caucus" tribute to retiring party leader Joe Clark in May 2004.

Herron lost his seat in the 2004 election to Conservative Party candidate Rob Moore.[4]

After federal politics[edit]

Herron served as president of the Atlantic Centre for Energy from 2008 to 2013 before being appointed by the provincial Progressive Conservative government to a full-time position on the quasi-judicial Energy and Utilities Board for a term of ten years.[5]

Herron continues to reside in Bloomfield, New Brunswick. He is married to Heather Jane Libbey of Cornwall, Ontario. He has two children from a previous marriage.

Electoral history[edit]

2004 Canadian federal election: Fundy Royal
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Rob Moore 14,997 44.82 −18.46 $63,125.86
Liberal John Herron 11,635 34.77 +5.30 $52,913.85
New Democratic Pat Hanratty 5,417 16.19 +8.99 $2,925.27
Green Karin Bach 1,051 3.14 none listed
Independent David Amos 358 1.07 none listed
Total valid votes/expense limit 33,458 100.0     $71,567
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 231 0.69
Turnout 33,689 62.56
Eligible voters 54,113
Conservative notional gain from Progressive Conservative Swing −11.88
Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Conservative Party change is based on the combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party totals.
2000 Canadian federal election: Fundy Royal
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative John Herron 15,279 40.51 −1.01
Liberal John King 11,422 30.28 +4.96
Alliance Rob Moore 8,392 22.25 −0.68
New Democratic John Calder 2,628 6.97 −2.44
Total valid votes 37,721 100.00

Results for the Canadian Alliance from 1997 are based on the results of its predecessor, the Reform Party.

1997 Canadian federal election: Fundy Royal
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative John Herron 16,715 41.52 +13.11
Liberal Paul Zed 10,192 25.32 −21.05
Reform Roger Brown 9,229 22.93 +5.20
New Democratic Larry Washburn 3,790 9.41 +4.61
Natural Law Janice Sharon MacMillan 329 0.82
Total valid votes 40,255 100.00

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ex-PM bows out of new united-right party". CBC News. December 9, 2003. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "Prominent Tories demand merger convention". The Globe and Mail. November 5, 2003. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  3. ^ "Herron to run for Liberals". The Globe and Mail. February 6, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  4. ^ "Tory-turned-Liberal John Herron loses". CBC News. June 29, 2004. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  5. ^ "New Energy and Utilities Board members announced". November 2013.

External links[edit]