Deborah Grey
Encyclopedia
Deborah Cleland Grey, OC
, sometimes called Deb Grey (born July 1, 1952) is a former Canadian
Member of Parliament
from Alberta
for the Reform Party of Canada
, Canadian Alliance
and Conservative Party of Canada
.
Born in Vancouver
, Grey pursued studies in Sociology, English and Education at Burrard Inlet Bible Institute, Trinity Western College and the University of Alberta
. She then worked as a teacher in a number of rural Alberta communities until 1989.
Grey's first run for office was in the 1988 election
, when she ran as the Reform candidate in Beaver River
, a mostly rural riding in northeastern Alberta. She finished a distant fourth behind Progressive Conservative
John Dahmer. However, Dahmer died before he could be sworn in. Grey won a by-election
in March 1989, becoming Reform's first MP. It was only the second time the Progressive Conservatives had lost a seat in Alberta since 1968.
Party leader Preston Manning
immediately named her as Reform's deputy leader. The two were friends for many years; Grey calls him "Misterbrainiola." Her first legislative assistant was a young Stephen Harper
.
Reform elected 52 MPs in the 1993 election
, replacing the Progressive Conservatives as the main right-wing party in Canada. Grey won her first full term in this election. In 1997, Beaver River was abolished and its territory split into two neighbouring ridings. Grey moved to Edmonton North
at the request of several local conservatives dissatisfied with being represented by a Liberal
, John Loney
(elected in the 1993 landslide). She won that year's election
(though Loney himself did not run), and continued to represent this riding for the remainder of her career.
Grey served as Reform's deputy leader and caucus chairwoman until March 2000, when the Reform Party was folded into the Canadian Alliance
. When Manning stepped down as Leader of the Opposition
to contest the Alliance leadership race, Grey was appointed interim leader
of the Alliance and Leader of the Opposition. She was the first female Leader of the Opposition in Canadian history. She held the post until new Alliance leader Stockwell Day
was elected to the House of Commons
in September of that year. He appointed Grey as deputy leader and caucus chairwoman once again.
Grey resigned those posts on April 24, 2001, in protest against Day's leadership. In July of that year, Grey quit the Canadian Alliance and joined 10 other Alliance dissidents in the "Independent Alliance Caucus." While Chuck Strahl
eventually emerged as the dissidents' leader, Grey lent the group instant credibility since she had been Reform/Alliance's matriarch as well as the deputy leader. When Day offered an amnesty to the dissidents, Grey was one of seven who turned it down and formed the Democratic Representative Caucus
(DRC), led by Strahl with Grey as deputy leader. In September 2001, the DRC formed a coalition caucus with the Progressive Conservatives, and Grey served as chairwoman of the PC-DRC caucus. She later said that she lost confidence in Day after seeing him attack his staffers after a public gaffe.
In April, 2002, after Harper defeated Day in the race to be the Alliance leader, Grey and the other DRC MPs rejoined the Alliance caucus, and in December 2003, the Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives ratified an agreement to merge into the Conservative Party of Canada. Grey was co-chair, with former PC leader Peter MacKay
, of the new party's first leadership convention
in March, 2004.
Grey was not shy about tossing verbal barbs at the governing Liberals
. She called Jean Chrétien
"the Shawinigan Strangler," Don Boudria
"Binder Boy," Jane Stewart "Miss Management" and Paul Martin
"Captain Whirlybird."
Grey has been married to Lewis Larson since August 7, 1993; they have no children.
Grey's riding of Edmonton North
was abolished for the 2004 federal election
, and Grey retired from politics rather than attempting nomination in another. She was Western chairwoman of the Conservative campaign in the 2006 election
, in which Harper became Prime Minister of Canada
.
Grey's strong opposition and refusal to join the lucrative Member of Parliament Pension served as her defining political act. She released balloons to celebrate her self-sacrifice and ridiculed other MP "porkers" for feeding at the public trough. But upon leaving federal politics, she retroactively bought back 12 years' worth of pension enrolment and was blasted as the "high priestess of hypocrisy" by scorn-heaping Tory leader Joe Clark.
Shortly after retiring, she published her autobiography, Never Retreat, Never Explain, Never Apologize: My Life and My Politics. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, sometimes called Deb Grey (born July 1, 1952) is a former Canadian
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...
Member of Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
from Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
for the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
, 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...
and Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
.
Born in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Grey pursued studies in Sociology, English and Education at Burrard Inlet Bible Institute, Trinity Western College and the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
. She then worked as a teacher in a number of rural Alberta communities until 1989.
Grey's first run for office was in the 1988 election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, when she ran as the Reform candidate in Beaver River
Beaver River (electoral district)
Beaver River was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997.It was located in the province of Alberta. This riding was created in 1987, and was first used in the federal election of 1988...
, a mostly rural riding in northeastern Alberta. She finished a distant fourth behind 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....
John Dahmer. However, Dahmer died before he could be sworn in. Grey won a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in March 1989, becoming Reform's first MP. It was only the second time the Progressive Conservatives had lost a seat in Alberta since 1968.
Party leader Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
immediately named her as Reform's deputy leader. The two were friends for many years; Grey calls him "Misterbrainiola." Her first legislative assistant was a young Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
.
Reform elected 52 MPs in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, replacing the Progressive Conservatives as the main right-wing party in Canada. Grey won her first full term in this election. In 1997, Beaver River was abolished and its territory split into two neighbouring ridings. Grey moved to Edmonton North
Edmonton North
Edmonton North was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004.-Demographics:-Geography:The riding consisted of the northern part of the city of Edmonton, Alberta.-History:...
at the request of several local conservatives dissatisfied with being represented by a 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...
, John Loney
John Loney
Edison John Clayton Loney was a member of the Canadian House of Commons in the 1960s and again in the 1990s. His career has been in agriculture and business....
(elected in the 1993 landslide). She won that year's election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
(though Loney himself did not run), and continued to represent this riding for the remainder of her career.
Grey served as Reform's deputy leader and caucus chairwoman until March 2000, when the Reform Party was folded into 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...
. When Manning stepped down as Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Canada)
The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , or simply the Leader of the Opposition is the leader of Canada's Official Opposition, the party with the most seats in the House of Commons that is not a member of the government...
to contest the Alliance leadership race, Grey was appointed interim leader
Interim leader
An interim leader, in Canadian politics, is a party leader appointed by the party's legislative caucus or the party's executive to temporarily act as leader when a gap occurs between the resignation or death of a party leader and the election of a formal successor...
of the Alliance and Leader of the Opposition. She was the first female Leader of the Opposition in Canadian history. She held the post until new Alliance leader 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...
was elected to the House of Commons
Canadian 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 September of that year. He appointed Grey as deputy leader and caucus chairwoman once again.
Grey resigned those posts on April 24, 2001, in protest against Day's leadership. In July of that year, Grey quit the Canadian Alliance and joined 10 other Alliance dissidents in the "Independent Alliance Caucus." While Chuck Strahl
Chuck Strahl
Charles Strahl, PC, MP was a politician in British Columbia, Canada. He was a Member of Parliament in the governing Conservative Party of Canada.-Before politics:...
eventually emerged as the dissidents' leader, Grey lent the group instant credibility since she had been Reform/Alliance's matriarch as well as the deputy leader. When Day offered an amnesty to the dissidents, Grey was one of seven who turned it down and formed the Democratic Representative Caucus
Democratic Representative Caucus
The Democratic Representative Caucus was a group of Canadian Members of Parliament who left the Canadian Alliance in 2001 in protest against the leadership of Stockwell Day...
(DRC), led by Strahl with Grey as deputy leader. In September 2001, the DRC formed a coalition caucus with the Progressive Conservatives, and Grey served as chairwoman of the PC-DRC caucus. She later said that she lost confidence in Day after seeing him attack his staffers after a public gaffe.
In April, 2002, after Harper defeated Day in the race to be the Alliance leader, Grey and the other DRC MPs rejoined the Alliance caucus, and in December 2003, the Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives ratified an agreement to merge into the Conservative Party of Canada. Grey was co-chair, with former PC leader Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
, of the new party's first leadership convention
Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, 2004
The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, and resulted in the election of Stephen Harper as the first leader of the new Canadian Conservative Party...
in March, 2004.
Grey was not shy about tossing verbal barbs at the governing Liberals
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...
. She called Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
"the Shawinigan Strangler," Don Boudria
Don Boudria
Donald "Don" Boudria, PC is a former Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 2005 as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien....
"Binder Boy," Jane Stewart "Miss Management" and Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
"Captain Whirlybird."
Grey has been married to Lewis Larson since August 7, 1993; they have no children.
Grey's riding of Edmonton North
Edmonton North
Edmonton North was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004.-Demographics:-Geography:The riding consisted of the northern part of the city of Edmonton, Alberta.-History:...
was abolished for the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, and Grey retired from politics rather than attempting nomination in another. She was Western chairwoman of the Conservative campaign in the 2006 election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, in which Harper became Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
.
Grey's strong opposition and refusal to join the lucrative Member of Parliament Pension served as her defining political act. She released balloons to celebrate her self-sacrifice and ridiculed other MP "porkers" for feeding at the public trough. But upon leaving federal politics, she retroactively bought back 12 years' worth of pension enrolment and was blasted as the "high priestess of hypocrisy" by scorn-heaping Tory leader Joe Clark.
Shortly after retiring, she published her autobiography, Never Retreat, Never Explain, Never Apologize: My Life and My Politics. In 2007, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.