Dick Proctor
Encyclopedia
Dick Proctor is a Canadian
political activist, former New Democratic Party
(NDP) Member of Parliament
, and a former journalist.
Proctor has been active with the NDP in a number of capacities since the 1970s. In the early part of that decade, he was a speechwriter for Ontario NDP
leader Stephen Lewis
. He was press secretary to then-Premier of Saskatchewan
Allan Blakeney
during the 1978
and 1982 provincial election
campaigns. He was executive assistant to federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent
in the intervening period.
In the mid-1980s, Proctor worked as the research director for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees and then as the project coordinator of the Canadian Labour Congress
in Latin America
. He returned to the NDP in 1989 to serve as the party's federal secretary. He then served as provincial secretary
for the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
from 1993 to 1997.
He also worked as a journalist for the Edmonton Journal
and Toronto Telegram
in the 1960s and 1970s, and as sportswriter for the Globe and Mail in the 1970s. Moonlighting for The Hockey News under the pseudonym "Mike Gamble", he wrote a profile of 16-year-old junior hockey player Wayne Gretzky
, and may have been the first person to use the phrase "The Great One".
Proctor entered electoral politics when he won a seat in the 1997 federal election
representing the Saskatchewan
riding of Palliser. He was re-elected in the 2000 election
and served as NDP caucus chair from 2000 until he lost his seat in the 2004 federal election
by only a few hundred votes. From 2004 to 2006 he served as chief of staff to NDP leader Jack Layton
. He plans to retire to Victoria, British Columbia
.
As an MP, Proctor forced the resignation of Solicitor-General Andy Scott in 1998 when, on a flight from Ottawa
to Saint John, New Brunswick
, he overheard an indiscreet conversation between Scott and an aide discussing the inquiry into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
's handling of protesters at the Vancouver
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
meeting. According to Proctor, Scott's predicted the outcome of the inquiry thus creating the impression that the judicial inquiry's findings had been predetermined.
Dick Proctor returned from retirement in October 2008 to act as Interim Federal Secretary for the NDP federal office. The vacancy he is filling was left by Éric Hébert-Daly, who resigned immediately following the 2008 campaign.
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...
political activist, former New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and a former journalist.
Proctor has been active with the NDP in a number of capacities since the 1970s. In the early part of that decade, he was a speechwriter for Ontario NDP
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
leader Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis, is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of the those years as leader, his father David Lewis was simultaneously the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party...
. He was press secretary to then-Premier of Saskatchewan
Premier of Saskatchewan
The Premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive....
Allan Blakeney
Allan Blakeney
Allan Emrys Blakeney, PC, OC, SOM, QC, FRSC was the tenth Premier of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982, and leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party .-Life and career:...
during the 1978
Saskatchewan general election, 1978
The Saskatchewan general election of 1978 was the nineteenth provincial election in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on October 18, 1978, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
and 1982 provincial election
Saskatchewan general election, 1982
The Saskatchewan general election of 1982 was the twentieth provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on April 26, 1982, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan....
campaigns. He was executive assistant to federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
in the intervening period.
In the mid-1980s, Proctor worked as the research director for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees and then as the project coordinator of the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. He returned to the NDP in 1989 to serve as the party's federal secretary. He then served as provincial secretary
Provincial Secretary
The Provincial Secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867...
for the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
The Saskatchewan New Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It currently forms the official opposition, but has been a dominant force in Saskatchewan politics since the 1940s...
from 1993 to 1997.
He also worked as a journalist for the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
and Toronto Telegram
Toronto Telegram
The Toronto Evening Telegram was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at both the federal and provincial level. The paper competed with the liberal Toronto Star...
in the 1960s and 1970s, and as sportswriter for the Globe and Mail in the 1970s. Moonlighting for The Hockey News under the pseudonym "Mike Gamble", he wrote a profile of 16-year-old junior hockey player Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
, and may have been the first person to use the phrase "The Great One".
Proctor entered electoral politics when he won a seat in the 1997 federal 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...
representing the Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
riding of Palliser. He was re-elected in the 2000 election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
and served as NDP caucus chair from 2000 until he lost his seat in 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...
by only a few hundred votes. From 2004 to 2006 he served as chief of staff to NDP leader Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
. He plans to retire to Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
.
As an MP, Proctor forced the resignation of Solicitor-General Andy Scott in 1998 when, on a flight from Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
to Saint John, New Brunswick
Saint John, New Brunswick
City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
, he overheard an indiscreet conversation between Scott and an aide discussing the inquiry into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
's handling of protesters at the 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,...
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
meeting. According to Proctor, Scott's predicted the outcome of the inquiry thus creating the impression that the judicial inquiry's findings had been predetermined.
Dick Proctor returned from retirement in October 2008 to act as Interim Federal Secretary for the NDP federal office. The vacancy he is filling was left by Éric Hébert-Daly, who resigned immediately following the 2008 campaign.
Sources
- Profile: Dick Proctor from The Commonwealth, accessed December 26, 2005.