Andy Brandt
Encyclopedia
Andrew S. "Andy" Brandt (born June 11, 1938) is a former politician and public administrator who has served in a number of roles in the province of Ontario
, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
as a Progressive Conservative
from 1981 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis
and Frank Miller
. He later served as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party from 1987 to 1990 before being appointed as Chairman and CEO of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and serving in that capacity longer than anyone. Before making the leap to provincial politics, he got his feet wet at the municipal level as both alderman and then mayor for the city of Sarnia
.
, Ontario
. Brandt was educated at the University of Waterloo
, and was a businessman and musician before entering political life.
in the 1972 federal election
as a Progressive Conservative
, but lost to Liberal
Bud Cullen
by 1,465 votes in Sarnia—Lambton
. Brandt served as an alderman in Sarnia
from 1971 to 1974, and as mayor
of the city from 1975 to 1980.
, but lost to Liberal
Paul Blundy by 257 votes in Sarnia. He ran again in the 1981 election
and defeated Blundy by 3,029 votes, as the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government
under Bill Davis. After serving as a parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour, Brandt was promoted to cabinet on July 6, 1983 as Minister of the Environment.
Brandt was originally neutral in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but surprised delegates by endorsing Frank Miller from the convention podium. When Miller became Premier of Ontario
on February 8, 1985, he appointed Brandt as his Minister of Industry and Trade. Following this promotion, Brandt was easily returned in the 1985 provincial election
. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
, however, and soon lost a vote of confidence in the legislature. In opposition, Brandt served as his party's critic for Environment and Industry.
The 1987 provincial election
proved disastrous for the Progressive Conservative Party, which was reduced to only sixteen seats out of 130 in the legislature. Party leader Larry Grossman
was defeated in his own riding. Brandt, who defeated Liberal Joan Link-Mellon by 2,601 votes, was selected as interim leader on November 3, 1987, and held the position until Mike Harris
was chosen as full-time leader on May 12, 1990. Brandt did not run in the 1990 election
.
appointed Brandt as chairman and CEO of the LCBO
, the agency that owns and operates Ontario's publicly owned liquor stores. He was reappointed to the position four times by Rae, Harris and Ernie Eves
, retaining the position for fifteen years, and remains the longest serving chair and CEO in LCBO history. He was noted for modernizing the LCBO's operations as well as convincing the provincial government not to privatize
the service. He was accused of accepting inappropriate luxury trips in 1999, but was defended in the legislature and was soon after reappointed to a fourth term as chair and CEO.
In 2000, Brandt supported Stockwell Day
for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance
on the second ballot of the newly formed party's leadership contest.
Brandt retired as LCBO chairman on February 5, 2006 after fifteen years at the helm. During his time in the position, annual sales went from $1.8 billion in 1991 to a projected $3.6 billion in 2006.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
from 1981 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (politician)
Frank Stuart Miller, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Ontario for four months in 1985.-Early life and political career:...
. He later served as interim leader of the Progressive Conservative Party from 1987 to 1990 before being appointed as Chairman and CEO of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario and serving in that capacity longer than anyone. Before making the leap to provincial politics, he got his feet wet at the municipal level as both alderman and then mayor for the city of Sarnia
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
.
Background
Andrew S. Brandt was born June 11, 1938 in LondonLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Brandt was educated at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, and was a businessman and musician before entering political life.
Early political life
He ran for the Canadian House of CommonsCanadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1972 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
, but lost to Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Bud Cullen
Bud Cullen
Bud Cullen, PC was a Canadian Federal Court judge and politician.-Early years:Born Jack Sydney George Cullen in Creighton Mine, Ontario, Cullen was given the nickname of Bud by his mother when he was a young boy. Later, he legally changed his name to Bud...
by 1,465 votes in Sarnia—Lambton
Sarnia—Lambton
Sarnia—Lambton is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
. Brandt served as an alderman in Sarnia
Sarnia, Ontario
Sarnia is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada . It is the largest city on Lake Huron and is located where the upper Great Lakes empty into the St. Clair River....
from 1971 to 1974, and as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the city from 1975 to 1980.
Provincial politics
He first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1977 provincial electionOntario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, but lost to Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
Paul Blundy by 257 votes in Sarnia. He ran again in the 1981 election
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
and defeated Blundy by 3,029 votes, as the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
under Bill Davis. After serving as a parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour, Brandt was promoted to cabinet on July 6, 1983 as Minister of the Environment.
Brandt was originally neutral in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but surprised delegates by endorsing Frank Miller from the convention podium. When Miller became Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
on February 8, 1985, he appointed Brandt as his Minister of Industry and Trade. Following this promotion, Brandt was easily returned in the 1985 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
, however, and soon lost a vote of confidence in the legislature. In opposition, Brandt served as his party's critic for Environment and Industry.
The 1987 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
proved disastrous for the Progressive Conservative Party, which was reduced to only sixteen seats out of 130 in the legislature. Party leader Larry Grossman
Larry Grossman
Lawrence "Larry" Sheldon Grossman was a politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early years:Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist Member of...
was defeated in his own riding. Brandt, who defeated Liberal Joan Link-Mellon by 2,601 votes, was selected as interim leader on November 3, 1987, and held the position until Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
was chosen as full-time leader on May 12, 1990. Brandt did not run in the 1990 election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
.
Chairmanship of the Liquor Control Board
In 1991, Bob RaeBob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
appointed Brandt as chairman and CEO of the LCBO
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
, the agency that owns and operates Ontario's publicly owned liquor stores. He was reappointed to the position four times by Rae, Harris and Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
, retaining the position for fifteen years, and remains the longest serving chair and CEO in LCBO history. He was noted for modernizing the LCBO's operations as well as convincing the provincial government not to privatize
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
the service. He was accused of accepting inappropriate luxury trips in 1999, but was defended in the legislature and was soon after reappointed to a fourth term as chair and CEO.
In 2000, Brandt supported Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
for the leadership of the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
on the second ballot of the newly formed party's leadership contest.
Brandt retired as LCBO chairman on February 5, 2006 after fifteen years at the helm. During his time in the position, annual sales went from $1.8 billion in 1991 to a projected $3.6 billion in 2006.