Tony Clement

For the Welsh rugby player, see Tony Clement (rugby player).

The Honourable Tony Clement PC, MP
Member of 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 Manchester, United Kingdom
Nationality	Canada Cyprus United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Lynne Golding; 3 children
Residence(s)	Port Sydney, Ontario
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

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.

Early life and career

Tony Clement in 2007.

Clement was born Tony Peter Panayi 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). He emigrated to Canada in childhood with his parents when he was four years old. His parents later separated and his mother remarried Ontario politician John Clement, who adopted Tony.

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. 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Minister of Health

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.

In 2006, Clement launched the Public Health Scholarship and Capacity Building Initiative — on-going scholarships supporting public health training and positions across Canada. 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.

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. Canada was the first nation in the world to take action to prohibit the importation, sale and advertising of baby bottles that contain BPA.

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.

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

Tony Clement speaking at Luminato 2010 in Toronto.

On October 30, 2008, Clement was sworn into the office of Industry Minister. 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.

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.”

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).” 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.

On November 14, 2010, Australia’s BHP Billiton withdrew its hostile $39-billion offer for Saskatewan’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.

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.”

The G8 funding scandal

Concerns that $50 Millon G8 funds have diverted to Mr. Clements riding, the Muskoka region abound. Questions abound around the implication of Mr. Clements in this.

Here are the facts:

November 2009

Parliament approves 83 million dollars for border infrastructure for G8 / G20 summit.

Out of this amount, 50 million gets diverted to finance 32 projects that are located hundreds of kilometers from the G8 summit location.

That 50 million / 32 project end up in the Muskoka region.

June 25-26 2010

G8 Summit in Huntsville, in Tony Clement riding.

April 2011

During election campaign, preliminary verificator general report leaked.

June 2011

Official report from the verificator general released.

Sheila Fraser reports wrong doing with the 50 millions.

August 2011

The following article http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1039447--clement-steered-g8-funding-in-riding-documents-show

OTTAWA—Tony Clement personally presided over the $50 million G8 legacy payouts, funneling requests for taxpayer-funded projects in his riding directly through his political office in Huntsville, new documents show.

January 2012

NDP released to the media a January 13, 2010 email from Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor) official Tom Dodds. Clement had told the Commons committee last year that he would characterize his role as one of “coordination” between the federal government and community leaders and that he had "recommended" the project to Baird. New Democrat ethics critic Charlie Angus charged on Monday that the new documents contradict what Clement told committee.

email: MEMORANDUM TO DEPUTY MINISTER

Tony Clement involved in choosing G8 projects, newly released documents show

President of the Treasury Board

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.

As President of the Treasury Board and part of the Conservative Party of Canada's election platform, Clement has been tasked to lead the creation and implementation of a cross-government spending review.

External links

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history (archived)
• Template:MPLinksCA