Don McRae (politician)
Encyclopedia
Don McRae is a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
and a member of the BC Liberal Party
. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the riding of Comox Valley
in the 2009 provincial election
. After serving nearly 2 years on the backbenches
he was appointed Minister of Agriculture on March 14, 2011, in Premier Christy Clark
's first cabinet. In addition to his ministerial role, he has a seat on the Environment and Land Use Committee and the Cabinet Committee on Open Government and Engagement. He has introduced one piece of legislation, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act, 2011.
Prior to working in the provincial government, McRae worked as a secondary school teacher at Georges P. Vanier Secondary School
. He spent seven years on Courtenay, British Columbia
's city council, having successfully run in the 2002, 2005, and 2008 municipal elections. He was appointed as a director to the Comox-Strathcona Regional District and later the Comox Valley Regional District.
and went to the University of British Columbia
where he graduated specializing in education and international relations. He moved back to Courtenay and worked as a teacher at Georges P. Vanier Secondary School from the mid-1990s until his election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 2009. Shortly after moving to Courtenay, he married a woman named Deanne. Together they had two daughters, one born 2004 and the second in 2009.
McRae spent seven years on Courtenay city council. He was first elected in November 2002, and was re-elected in 2005 and 2008. While on council he voted against allowing business to stay open late-night, supported surveillance cameras in public areas, and led an initiative to rename streets after of specific, locally-significant people. He also supported work at establishing a walking/cycling trail across the Comox Valley
, from the Town of Comox
to Comox Lake. He was appointed to the Comox-Strathcona Regional District board of directors in 2006. As one of Courtenay's two Regional Directors, he supported the Vancouver Island Health Authority
's controversial attempt to build a new regional hospital near Dove Creek, but he later supported a compromised position that would see a new hospital built in the Comox Valley with the Campbell River hospital
remaining open for emergency and acute care. McRae disliked how the Comox-Strathcona Regional District operated, calling the urban-rural voting blocks "dysfunctional". He favoured an amalgamation of Courtenay, Cumberland
, Comox, and several electoral areas to form a new regional government. McRae welcomed the province's move to split the Regional District (creating the Comox Valley Regional District and the Strathcona Regional District), and even supported a proposal to include the Comox Indian Band
on the Comox Valley Regional District's Board of Directors.
Stan Hagen
suddenly died of a heart attack in January 2009, the BC Liberal Party had to nominate someone new for the up-coming May 2009 general election
. Along with McRae, 3 other people stood for the nomination: B.C. Shellfish Growers' Association executive director Roberta Stevenson, Salvation Army
manager Shawn Wilson, Habitat for Humanity worker Jon Toogood, and Comox Valley Airport Commissioner Ken Dawson (though Dawson withdrew several weeks before the nomination vote). The vote was held on March 12, with 650 registered BC Liberal members and a preferential voting system, and McRae won the nomination on the third ballot. Campaigning for the May general election began soon afterwards where he faced BC NDP candidate and log scaler
Leslie McNabb, BC Green Party candidate and author Hazel Lennox, BC Refederation Party and forest industry administrator Paula Berard, and People's Front candidate and health-care worker Barbara Biley. The riding was predicted to have a very competitive race and was "too close to call". McRae was supported by Minister of Finance and fellow BC Liberal Colin Hansen
who visited Courtenay to attend a McRae campaign event. McRae won the riding with 47% of the vote in the 39th general election
with his BC Liberal Party forming the government after winning 49 of province's 85 seats.
As the 39th Parliament of British Columbia
began, McRae was not selected for the Executive Council
by Premier Gordon Campbell. McRae was assigned to three parliamentary committees: Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, and the Select Standing Committee on Health. In the parliament's second session he was also assigned to the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth. McRae defended the government budget presented in September 2009 but was disappointed it ran a deficit, blaming an unexpected drop in revenue. Nonetheless, McRae was able to participate in government funding announcements, like $347,400 for ecosystem restoration at the Mount Washington Alpine Resort
, and additional funds for sewer upgrades within his riding. As a member of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services which introduced the Harmonized Sales Tax
McRae faced significant attention from the Fight HST group organized to oppose the tax. The group collected over 10,000 signatures from the Comox Valley riding on a petition opposing the HST and launched a recall initiative against McRae. McRae sought legal advice against the recall initiative which he claimed were spreading mis-information, specifically that the group was claiming 12,000 people in his riding had signed the petition against the HST, not 10,000 people. However, the effort to recall McRae eventually failed, having only collected 5,181 of the 19,000 signatures required. The subsequent province-wide HST referendum
resulted in 14,759 votes (53%) to extinguish the HST system in McRae's Comox Valley riding, with 55% province-wide voting to extinguish the HST..
During the BC Liberal Party leadership election
to replace BC Liberal leader, and BC Premier, Gordon Campbell, McRae endorsed George Abbott
in December. In March 2011, after Christy Clark
won the leadership election and was named Premier, she included McRae into her Executive Council
as Minister of Agriculture. Without a background in farming, McRae underwent a steep learning curve which involved travelling across the province to learn about the issues. As the minister responsible, McRae accepted the recommendations of the Sled Dog Task Force which investigated the slaughter of nearly 100 sled dogs
in Whistler
following a drop in tourism after the 2010 Winter Olympics
. He followed through with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act, 2011, which was introduced on May 11 and adopted on June 2. The amendment act increased potential fines to $75,000 and jail terms to two years for animal cruelty charges and extended the statute of limitations on such charges to three years.
| style="width: 130px" |BC Liberal
|Don McRae
|align="right"|13,886
|align="right"|47%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$92,892
|New Democrat
|Leslie McNabb
|align="right"|12,508
|align="right"|43%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$123,151
|Green
|Hazel Lennox
|align="right"|2,577
|align="right"|9%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$3,370
|BC Refederation
|Paula Berard
|align="right"|266
|align="right"|0.9%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$360
|People's Front
|Barbara Biley
|align="right"|120
|align="right"|0.4%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$256
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|29,357
!align="right"|100%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|141
!align="right"|0.5%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout
!align="right"|29,498
!align="right"|61%
|}
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
and a member of the BC Liberal Party
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly from the riding of Comox Valley
Comox Valley (provincial electoral district)
Comox Valley is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :Don McRae, of the Liberal Party was elected MLA in the provincial 2009 general election....
in the 2009 provincial election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
. After serving nearly 2 years on the backbenches
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
he was appointed Minister of Agriculture on March 14, 2011, in Premier Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
's first cabinet. In addition to his ministerial role, he has a seat on the Environment and Land Use Committee and the Cabinet Committee on Open Government and Engagement. He has introduced one piece of legislation, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act, 2011.
Prior to working in the provincial government, McRae worked as a secondary school teacher at Georges P. Vanier Secondary School
Georges P. Vanier Secondary School
Georges P. Vanier Secondary School is a high school in Courtenay, British Columbia, CanadaIts doors opened in January 1968 completing a move of students from the old Courtenay Sr. high school. The school was named after one of Canada's most popular Governors-General. Vanier was built to house a...
. He spent seven years on Courtenay, British Columbia
Courtenay, British Columbia
Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest city in the area commonly known as the Comox Valley, and it is the seat of the Comox Valley Regional District which replaced the Comox-Strathcona Regional District...
's city council, having successfully run in the 2002, 2005, and 2008 municipal elections. He was appointed as a director to the Comox-Strathcona Regional District and later the Comox Valley Regional District.
Background
Don McRae was born and raised in the Comox Valley. He graduated from Georges P. Vanier Secondary SchoolGeorges P. Vanier Secondary School
Georges P. Vanier Secondary School is a high school in Courtenay, British Columbia, CanadaIts doors opened in January 1968 completing a move of students from the old Courtenay Sr. high school. The school was named after one of Canada's most popular Governors-General. Vanier was built to house a...
and went to the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
where he graduated specializing in education and international relations. He moved back to Courtenay and worked as a teacher at Georges P. Vanier Secondary School from the mid-1990s until his election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in 2009. Shortly after moving to Courtenay, he married a woman named Deanne. Together they had two daughters, one born 2004 and the second in 2009.
McRae spent seven years on Courtenay city council. He was first elected in November 2002, and was re-elected in 2005 and 2008. While on council he voted against allowing business to stay open late-night, supported surveillance cameras in public areas, and led an initiative to rename streets after of specific, locally-significant people. He also supported work at establishing a walking/cycling trail across the Comox Valley
Comox Valley
The Comox Valley is a region on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada that includes the city of Courtenay, the town of Comox, the village of Cumberland, and the unincorporated settlements of Royston, Union Bay, Fanny Bay, Black Creek and Merville. The communities of Denman...
, from the Town of Comox
Comox, British Columbia
Comox is a town of 12,000 people located on a small peninsula in the Georgia Strait on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The warm dry summers, mild winters, fertile soil and abundant sea life attracted First Nations thousands of years ago, who called the area kw’umuxws...
to Comox Lake. He was appointed to the Comox-Strathcona Regional District board of directors in 2006. As one of Courtenay's two Regional Directors, he supported the Vancouver Island Health Authority
Vancouver Island Health Authority
Vancouver Island Health Authority is the publicly-funded health care provider in an area in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The region includes the communities of:* Vancouver Island* Gulf Islands* Johnstone Strait* Central Coast...
's controversial attempt to build a new regional hospital near Dove Creek, but he later supported a compromised position that would see a new hospital built in the Comox Valley with the Campbell River hospital
Campbell River, British Columbia
Campbell River is a coastal city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of Discovery Passage, which lies along the important coastal Inside Passage shipping route...
remaining open for emergency and acute care. McRae disliked how the Comox-Strathcona Regional District operated, calling the urban-rural voting blocks "dysfunctional". He favoured an amalgamation of Courtenay, Cumberland
Cumberland, British Columbia
Cumberland is a town in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.-History:The village was originally named Union, British Columbia after the Union Coal Company, which was in turn named in honour of the 1871 union of British Columbia with Canada. The town was renamed after...
, Comox, and several electoral areas to form a new regional government. McRae welcomed the province's move to split the Regional District (creating the Comox Valley Regional District and the Strathcona Regional District), and even supported a proposal to include the Comox Indian Band
K'ómoks First Nation
The K'ómoks First Nation, also known as the Comox Indian Band, is the band government of the Island Comox or K'ómoks people of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Closely allied to the Cape Mudge and Campbell River First Nations, historically they were a Coast Salish people since...
on the Comox Valley Regional District's Board of Directors.
Provincial politics
After Comox Valley MLAComox Valley (provincial electoral district)
Comox Valley is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.- Demographics :- Member of Legislative Assembly :Don McRae, of the Liberal Party was elected MLA in the provincial 2009 general election....
Stan Hagen
Stan Hagen
Stan Hagen was a Canadian politician. He served as Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Comox Valley riding in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a member of the BC Liberal Party....
suddenly died of a heart attack in January 2009, the BC Liberal Party had to nominate someone new for the up-coming May 2009 general election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
. Along with McRae, 3 other people stood for the nomination: B.C. Shellfish Growers' Association executive director Roberta Stevenson, Salvation Army
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
manager Shawn Wilson, Habitat for Humanity worker Jon Toogood, and Comox Valley Airport Commissioner Ken Dawson (though Dawson withdrew several weeks before the nomination vote). The vote was held on March 12, with 650 registered BC Liberal members and a preferential voting system, and McRae won the nomination on the third ballot. Campaigning for the May general election began soon afterwards where he faced BC NDP candidate and log scaler
Log Scaler
The log scaler is an occupation in the timber industry. The Log Scaler measures the cut trees to determine the scale and quality of the wood to be used for manufacturing...
Leslie McNabb, BC Green Party candidate and author Hazel Lennox, BC Refederation Party and forest industry administrator Paula Berard, and People's Front candidate and health-care worker Barbara Biley. The riding was predicted to have a very competitive race and was "too close to call". McRae was supported by Minister of Finance and fellow BC Liberal Colin Hansen
Colin Hansen
Colin Hansen was Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier for the Canadian province of British Columbia from June 10, 2009 to March 13,2011. He had also served as Minister Responsible for Small Business since October 25, 2010. On November 30, 2010, he was additionally appointed as the Minister of...
who visited Courtenay to attend a McRae campaign event. McRae won the riding with 47% of the vote in the 39th general election
British Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
with his BC Liberal Party forming the government after winning 49 of province's 85 seats.
As the 39th Parliament of British Columbia
39th Parliament of British Columbia
The 39th Parliament of British Columbia is the current Parliament of British Columbia and composes of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, as elected by the general election of May 12, 2009, and Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point...
began, McRae was not selected for the Executive Council
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
by Premier Gordon Campbell. McRae was assigned to three parliamentary committees: Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, and the Select Standing Committee on Health. In the parliament's second session he was also assigned to the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth. McRae defended the government budget presented in September 2009 but was disappointed it ran a deficit, blaming an unexpected drop in revenue. Nonetheless, McRae was able to participate in government funding announcements, like $347,400 for ecosystem restoration at the Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort
Mount Washington Alpine Resort is an alpine skiing ski resort located on Mount Washington on the eastern edge of the Vancouver Island Ranges in British Columbia, Canada...
, and additional funds for sewer upgrades within his riding. As a member of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services which introduced the Harmonized Sales Tax
Harmonized Sales Tax
The Harmonized Sales Tax is the name used in Canada to describe the combination of the federal Goods and Services Tax and the regional Provincial Sales Tax into a single value added sales tax in five of the ten Canadian provinces: Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, British...
McRae faced significant attention from the Fight HST group organized to oppose the tax. The group collected over 10,000 signatures from the Comox Valley riding on a petition opposing the HST and launched a recall initiative against McRae. McRae sought legal advice against the recall initiative which he claimed were spreading mis-information, specifically that the group was claiming 12,000 people in his riding had signed the petition against the HST, not 10,000 people. However, the effort to recall McRae eventually failed, having only collected 5,181 of the 19,000 signatures required. The subsequent province-wide HST referendum
British Columbia sales tax referendum, 2011
A postal referendum on sales tax was held in British Columbia from June 13 to August 5, 2011, though Canada Post workers were locked out until June 27. Voters were asked whether the Harmonized Sales Tax should be retained or split back to the original Provincial Sales Tax and Goods & Services Tax...
resulted in 14,759 votes (53%) to extinguish the HST system in McRae's Comox Valley riding, with 55% province-wide voting to extinguish the HST..
During the BC Liberal Party leadership election
British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election, 2011
The British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election of 2011 was prompted by Gordon Campbell's announcement on November 3, 2010 that he would be resigning as Premier of British Columbia and had asked the BC Liberal Party to hold a leadership convention "at the earliest possible date." The...
to replace BC Liberal leader, and BC Premier, Gordon Campbell, McRae endorsed George Abbott
George Abbott (politician)
George Abbott is a BC Liberal Party Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. He represents the riding of Shuswap, which he has held since 1996...
in December. In March 2011, after Christy Clark
Christy Clark
Christina Joan "Christy" Clark, MLA is a Canadian politician, the 35th and current Premier of British Columbia, Canada...
won the leadership election and was named Premier, she included McRae into her Executive Council
Executive Council of British Columbia
The Executive Council of British Columbia is the cabinet of that Canadian province....
as Minister of Agriculture. Without a background in farming, McRae underwent a steep learning curve which involved travelling across the province to learn about the issues. As the minister responsible, McRae accepted the recommendations of the Sled Dog Task Force which investigated the slaughter of nearly 100 sled dogs
Whistler sled dog cull
The Whistler sled dog cull was a controversial cull of 100 sled dogs in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, that prompted investigation by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Royal Canadian Mounted Police...
in Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
following a drop in tourism after the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
. He followed through with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Act, 2011, which was introduced on May 11 and adopted on June 2. The amendment act increased potential fines to $75,000 and jail terms to two years for animal cruelty charges and extended the statute of limitations on such charges to three years.
Election history
|-| style="width: 130px" |BC Liberal
British Columbia Liberal Party
The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...
|Don McRae
|align="right"|13,886
|align="right"|47%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$92,892
|New Democrat
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...
|Leslie McNabb
|align="right"|12,508
|align="right"|43%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$123,151
|Green
Green Party of British Columbia
The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is led by former Esquimalt municipal councillor, university professor and businessperson Jane Sterk, she was elected by the party in 2007. Penticton realtor and columnist Julius Bloomfield serves as the deputy...
|Hazel Lennox
|align="right"|2,577
|align="right"|9%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$3,370
|BC Refederation
British Columbia Refederation Party
The B.C. Refederation Party is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada advocating direct democracy and reform to Canadian federalism...
|Paula Berard
|align="right"|266
|align="right"|0.9%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$360
|People's Front
People's Front (British Columbia)
The People's Front is the British Columbia, Canada wing of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada.In the 2001 British Columbia election, it nominated 11 candidates, received a total of 720 votes...
|Barbara Biley
|align="right"|120
|align="right"|0.4%
|align="center"|n/a
|align="right"|$256
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes
!align="right"|29,357
!align="right"|100%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots
!align="right"|141
!align="right"|0.5%
|- style="background:white;"
! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout
!align="right"|29,498
!align="right"|61%
|}
External links
- Legislative Assembly of British Columbia - Don McRae
- Member of the Legislative Assembly - Don McRae (Comox Valley)
- British Columbia Liberal Party - Don McRae