Tony Clement

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For the Welsh rugby player, see Tony Clement (rugby player).
The Honourable
Tony Clement
PC, MP
Tony Clement.jpg
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Parry Sound—Muskoka
Incumbent
Assumed office
2006
Preceded by Andy Mitchell
Personal details
Born Tony Peter Panayi
(1961-01-27) January 27, 1961 (age 52)
Manchester, United Kingdom
Nationality Canada
Cyprus
United Kingdom
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Lynne Golding; 3 children
Residence Port Sydney, Ontario[1]
Alma mater University of Toronto
Profession Politician, lawyer, small business owner
Portfolio President of the Treasury Board
Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
Religion Christian[2]

Tony Peter Clement, PC, MP (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian federal politician, President of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Federal Economic Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) and Member of Parliament of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Clement had previously served as an Ontario cabinet minister; most recently as Minister of Health and Long-Term Care under premiers Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.

Moving to federal politics, he was a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada after its formation from the merger of the Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties in 2003, but ultimately lost to Stephen Harper. Clement won the seat of Parry Sound—Muskoka in the 2006 federal election, defeating incumbent Liberal cabinet minister Andy Mitchell. The Conservatives formed government in the election and Clement was appointed Minister of Health and Minister for FedNor. FedNor is an initiative with the prerogative to aid rural communities in Northern Ontario. Projects so far include a $2.7 million gas pipeline to the Goldcorp mines in Red Lake.[3]

Contents

Early life and career [edit]

Tony Clement in 2007.

Clement was born Tony Peter Panayi[4] in Manchester, England, the son of Carol (née Drapkin) and Peter Panayi. His father was a Greek Cypriot and his mother was Jewish (part of her family had immigrated from Aleppo, Syria).[2][5] He emigrated to Canada in childhood with his parents when he was four years old.[5] His parents later divorced and his mother remarried Ontario politician John Clement, who adopted Tony.[6]

As a student at the University of Toronto, he was elected twice, both as an undergraduate and as a law student, to the university's Governing Council. He was also president of the campus Progressive Conservatives.[6] He first attracted the attention of the media in 1985 when he created a new society to invite the Ambassador of South Africa, Glen Babb, to speak at the University of Toronto and debate Professor Bill Graham in order to defend free speech. This was after the International Law Society had withdrawn an invitation, deeming it too controversial because of the issue of apartheid.[7]

A graduate of the University of Toronto, Clement completed degrees in political science in 1983 and law in 1986. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1988.

Clement became president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 1990 and was a close ally of then-party leader Mike Harris. He ran, unsuccessfully, for Metro Toronto Council in 1994, losing to future mayor David Miller in the ward of Parkdale-High Park. He served as Harris' Assistant Principal Secretary from 1992 to 1995 and played a leading role in drafting policy directives for the Common Sense Revolution.

In provincial politics [edit]

Clement was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the provincial election of 1995, defeating incumbent Liberal Bob Callahan by over 6,000 votes in the riding of Brampton South. After serving as a Parliamentary Assistant for two years, he was appointed Minister of Transportation on October 10, 1997. He also represented the Progressive Conservative government on a variety of televised discussion panels, gaining the reputation of a rising star in the party.

Clement was re-elected in the provincial election of 1999, defeating Liberal candidate Vic Dhillon by over 8,000 votes. He was promoted to Minister of the Environment on June 17, 1999, and served in this capacity until May 3, 2000. In this role, he implemented the program known as Ontario's Drive Clean, which mandated periodic emissions tests on vehicles in southern Ontario.

Clement was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing on October 25, 1999, and held this position until February 8, 2001.

On February 8, 2001, Clement was appointed Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. He initiated primary care reform, oversaw the implementation of Telehealth Ontario (a toll-free health information line staffed by registered nurses) and expanded Ontario's hospitals system. Clement also entered into a public-private partnership for a hospital redevelopment in Brampton. Throughout his term, his supporters launded him as an innovative and effective administrator. However, during this time there were multiple protests from the healthcare community. Public servants, and citizens from Brampton, organized in public outcry against him. Crowds of protesters famously called out chats of "rat-boy" against him.[8] His telehealth system has been involved in scandal since.[9]

Clement ran for leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party and finished third on the first ballot. Clement then placed his support behind victorious candidate Ernie Eves on the second ballot. When Eves became Premier, he kept Clement in the Health portfolio.

Clement was especially prominent when Toronto suffered an outbreak of SARS in the summer of 2003, travelling to Geneva in a successful bid to urge the World Health Organization to lift a travel ban to Canada's largest city.[10]

The Eves government was defeated in the 2003 provincial election, and Clement was unexpectedly defeated by Vic Dhillon by about 2,500 votes in a rematch of 1999. Clement afterwards worked as a counsel for Bennett Jones LLP. He also was a small business owner, as well as a visiting professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Federal politics [edit]

Clement first became prominent in federal politics in 2000, sitting on the steering committee for the United Alternative. This initiative was meant to provide a framework for the Reform Party and Progressive Conservative Party to unite under a single banner. It did not accomplish this end, but nonetheless led to the formation of the Canadian Alliance later that year; Clement served as the Alliance's founding President.

Soon after the 2003 provincial election, Clement declared himself a candidate for the leadership of the new Conservative Party of Canada. His support base was undercut by the candidacy of Belinda Stronach, however, and he placed third in the party's leadership vote, while Stephen Harper emerged as the winner.

He then sought election as the Conservative Party candidate in Brampton West in the 2004 federal election, but lost to Liberal incumbent Colleen Beaumier by about 3,500 votes.

For his second attempt to win a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, in the 2006 campaign, he switched to the Parry Sound—Muskoka riding. On election night, he was declared winner by 21 votes. Upon conclusion of the judicial recount, Clement was found to have defeated Mitchell by 28 votes: 18,513-18,485. On February 6, 2006, Clement was appointed as Minister of Health by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Clement has pledged to extend an existing measure to require disclosure of meetings by only registered lobbyists with lower-level government officials who have decision-making power.[11]

Minister of Health [edit]

Some of Clement's initiatives included announcing a national strategy on autism; working towards establishing Canada's first Patient Wait Times Guarantees; investing in faster, more effective and safer health information systems across Canada for Canadians.

One of Clement's first initiatives as Minister of Health was establishing the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, an independent not-for-profit organization committed to combating this disease and improve patient quality of life.[12]

In 2006, Clement launched the Public Health Scholarship and Capacity Building Initiative — on-going scholarships supporting public health training and positions across Canada.[13] Furthermore in 2006, he announced the $1-billion compensation package for pre-1986/post-1990 forgotten victims of the tainted blood scandal, who were neglected in the 1998 settlement agreement.[14]

Clement also played a key role in launching the Chemical Management Plan, which made Canada a world leader in chemical management. "We have established clear priorities and now we are taking action to protect the health of Canadians," said Clement.[15] Canada was the first nation in the world to take action to prohibit the importation, sale and advertising of baby bottles that contain BPA.[16]

On September 29, 2007, the CBC reported Clement's new strategy to combat the growing drug abuse problem in Canada. "The party is over" for illicit drug users, he announced, with the new policy aiming towards widespread arrest of drug users, in contrast to the old strategy of targeting dealers. Over 130 physicians and scientists signed a petition condemning the Conservative government's "potentially deadly" misrepresentation of the positive evidence for harm reduction programs. Clement stated that governments in Canada have been sending the wrong message about drug use, and he wanted to clear up the mixed messages going out on illicit drugs.[17]

Also in 2007, Clement launched the new Canada's Food Guide, the first update in 15 years incorporating the most up-to-date information based on current nutritional science and a new interactive web section.

Minister of Industry [edit]

Tony Clement speaking at Luminato 2010 in Toronto.

On October 30, 2008, Clement was sworn into the office of Industry Minister.[18] This included the appointment to the Office of the Registrar General of Canada.

Shortly after becoming Industry Minister, Clement launched the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a two-year $2-billion measure that supported infrastructure enhancement at post-secondary institutions across Canada.[19]

In conjunction with the US and Ontario governments, Clement worked closely on the restructuring of GM and Chrysler. Following the successful restructuring, he stated that the companies "will now be in a position to operate a sustainable and viable business that will keep production, innovation and jobs in Canada." Furthermore, he said, "This is good news for Canadian auto workers, the Canadian auto parts supply chain and for Canadian consumers. Moving forward, the Government of Canada will continue to work toward strengthening our country's auto industry, while exercising rigorous oversight of taxpayer money."[20]

In the summer of 2010, Clement introduced changes to the 2011 Census. On this issue, he said, "The government will retain the mandatory short form that will collect basic demographic information. To meet the need for additional information, and to respect the privacy wishes of Canadians, the government has introduced the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS)."[21] Other changes included providing services to and communicating with the public in both official languages, supporting the development of English and French linguistic minority communities, and fostering the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society.[22]

On November 14, 2010, Australia's BHP Billiton withdrew its hostile $39-billion offer for Saskatchewan's Potash Corporation. At a news conference following the withdrawal, Clement explained that of the six Investment Canada Act guidelines that determine if an investment has a "net benefit," he said BHP's bid failed to meet three of them. Clement said the Government felt the takeover would not have a beneficial effect on Canada's competitiveness in world markets.[23]

In January 2011, Clement came out against ruling of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission regarding usage-based billing for wholesale clients and smaller internet service providers; he cited deep concerns about how it could adversely affect consumers, small businesses, entrepreneurs, creators and innovators in our nation's society. Then February 3, 2011, Clement made the following statement, "We are pleased that the CRTC has followed our government's lead and initiated a review of its decision. This means that come March 1st, those who contract with wholesale and small ISPs will not be hit in their pocketbooks because of a hike in their broadband bills."[24]

Clement used $50 million, originally meant for the G8 and border issues, in his own riding. "In her final report, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser said last spring it is clear the Conservative government broke the rules by using the border fund in Muskoka and complained that there was no paperwork to determine how the hundreds of proposals were narrowed to 32." [25]

President of the Treasury Board [edit]

Shortly after the May 2, 2011 election, Clement was asked by the Prime Minister to be the President of the Treasury Board. His role includes the management of government; in order for Cabinet-approved policies and programs to be implemented, they must be approved by the Treasury Board.[26]

As President of the Treasury Board and part of the Conservative Party of Canada's election platform, Clement has been tasked with leading a government-wide spending review and is also spearheading broader cost containment changes within government.

Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario [edit]

On February 6, 2006, in addition to being appointed Minister of Health, Tony Clement was also appointed Minister for FedNor (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario). Clement has had the FedNor portfolio since his election into the House of Commons in 2006. FedNor invests in projects that support community economic development, business growth and competitiveness, and innovation; FedNor's goal is to encourage economic growth, diversification, job creation and self-reliant communities in northern Ontario.[27]

Between February 2006 and January 2012, FedNor approved $398 million in support of 1,742 projects, which leveraged an additional $614 million from other sources. During this same period, FedNor also approved $11 million towards 364 youth internships, with close to two-thirds of these interns finding employment following their internship. Of the total funding from February 2006 to January 2012, $44 million went toward 300 tourism-related projects, which included over 70 youth internships.

FedNor projects include some of the following:

Dryden - The Corporation of The City of Dryden -To expand Dryden's industrial park and the Norwill subdivision (acquisition and clearing of land, construction of an access road, and expansion of municipal services). $1,470,000

Eagle Lake - Eagle Lake First Nation -To prepare the First Nation for the development of one of two proposed wood processing plants for the Two Feathers Forest Products Initiative. Project Cancelled on January 27, 2011

Parry Sound - The Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound - To expand municipal services to accommodate the announced $6.2-million construction of an expanded Parry Sound Canadore College campus. $1,290,000

FedNor is committed to supporting tourism in northern Ontario. Tourism funding is focused on:

  • Increasing the awareness of this region as a premier tourism destination;
  • Encouraging product development and investments in northern Ontario's tourism assets and products by supporting new and expanding festivals and events, and developing niche tourism products (e.g. authentic Aboriginal, francophone, motorcycling touring routes);
  • Fostering an adequate supply of skills and labour to enhance visitor experiences.

References [edit]

  1. ^ [1][dead link]
  2. ^ a b [2][dead link]
  3. ^ http://fednor.gc.ca/eic/site/fednor-fednor.nsf/eng/fn03741.html
  4. ^ Canadian Who's Who 2001 - Elizabeth Lumley. Books.google.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  5. ^ a b Paikin, Steve (2001). The life: the seductive call of politics. Viking. p. 136. ISBN 0670892238. 
  6. ^ a b Conservative to his roots. Toronto Star. January 4, 2002. p. J03  Unknown parameter |unused_data= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Linda Hossie (January 15, 1986). Law students plan new group to invite Pretoria ambassador. Globe and Mail. p. A14 
  8. ^ http://www.jasonhayes.org/category/policy-politics/canadian/
  9. ^ http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2009/10/9/ontario-wasted-1b-on-ehealth-record-project-auditor-report-says.aspx
  10. ^ [3]
  11. ^ Sommers, Tyler. "Rabble.ca - Clement's Lobbying Act proposed changes allow secret, unethical lobbying". Rabble.ca. Rabble.ca. Retrieved September 20, 2012. 
  12. ^ "Canadian Partnership Against Cancer". Pm.gc.ca. 2011-03-10. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  13. ^ "Public Health Scholarship and Capacity Building Initiative - Workforce Development Products and Tools Contribution Program - Grant and Contribution Funding Opportunities for 2011-2012". Phac-aspc.gc.ca. 2011-10-11. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  14. ^ "Key Characteristics of the pre-1986/post-1990 Hepatitis C Final Settlement Agreement". Hc-sc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  15. ^ "Canada's New Government improves protection against hazardous chemicals". Pm.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  16. ^ "Canada's Chemicals Management Plan". Hc-sc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  17. ^ The Canadian Press (September 29, 2007). "Tories plan get-tough national drug strategy". The Canadian Press. 
  18. ^ "Economy is priority, PM says after shuffling cabinet". CTV News. 2008-10-30. Retrieved 2008-10-30. 
  19. ^ "Minister of Industry Launches $2-Billion Knowledge Infrastructure Program". Ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  20. ^ "Government of Canada Congratulates General Motors on Successful Court-Supervised Restructuring". Ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  21. ^ "Statement on 2011 Census". Ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  22. ^ "Statement by the Minister of Industry, Tony Clement, Regarding Changes to the 2011 Census of population". Ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  23. ^ brenda bouw, tim kiladze AND steven chase. "BHP withdraws Potash bid". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  24. ^ "Minister Clement Responds to CRTC Announcement to Review Usage-Based Billing Decision". Ic.gc.ca. 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  25. ^ Galloway, Gloria. "'Bucked stopped with me'...". Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 6, 2012. 
  26. ^ "Welcome Page". Tbs-sct.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-02-14. 
  27. ^ http://fednor.gc.ca/eic/site/fednor-fednor.nsf/eng/h_fn02348.html

External links [edit]

28th Ministry – Cabinet of Stephen Harper
Cabinet Posts (3)
Predecessor Office Successor
Stockwell Day President of the Treasury Board
2011–		 incumbent
Jim Prentice Minister of Industry
2008–2011		 Christian Paradis
Ujjal Dosanjh Minister of Health
2006–2008		 Leona Aglukkaq
Provincial Government of Ernie Eves
Cabinet Post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Continued from the Harris Ministry Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
2002–2003		 George Smitherman
Provincial Government of Mike Harris
Cabinet Posts (4)
Predecessor Office Successor
Elizabeth Witmer Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
2001–2002		 Continued into the Eves Ministry
Steve Gilchrist Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
1999–2001		 Chris Hodgson
Norman Sterling Minister of the Environment
1999–2000		 Dan Newman
Al Palladini Minister of Transportation
1997–1999		 David Turnbull
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