Gary Carr
Encyclopedia
Gary Carr is a politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He served as a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1990 to 2003, and served in the Canadian House of Commons
as a Liberal
from 2004 to early 2006. Gary Carr is currently the Chair of the Regional Municipality of Halton.
Carr has a certificate in Business Administration from Ryerson University
, and was a businessman and sales manager in the transportation industry before entering public life. He continued his education as a politician, and received an MBA from Athabasca University
in 2002. Carr also played professional ice hockey
for five years in the farm team
s of the Boston Bruins
and Quebec Nordiques
. In 1975, he was a Memorial Cup
champion as a member of the Toronto Marlboros
.
Carr was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1990
, defeating incumbent Liberal
Doug Carrothers
by 108 votes in the riding of Oakville. From 1993 to 1995, he was his party's Deputy House Leader
.
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Mike Harris
in the provincial election of 1995
, and Carr was easily re-elected. He was passed over for a cabinet
position, however, and served as parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor-General for the next four years.
Carr was again re-elected in the provincial election of 1999
, defeating Liberal Kevin Flynn by over 13,000 votes. He was chosen as Speaker
of the legislature on October 20, 1999, and held this position for the entirety of the parliament which followed.
Like his predecessor Chris Stockwell
, Carr was known as an impartial Speaker who was willing to criticize his own government. In 2003, he alienated several members of the Progressive Conservative Party by ruling that the government of Ernie Eves
had committed a prima facie
act of contempt against the legislature by holding its budget announcement at the headquarters of Magna International
, rather than in the legislature itself. He was critical of the direction taken by the Progressive Conservative Party in this period, and did not seek re-election in 2003. He left politics and briefly coached the London Racers
hockey team in London
, UK
.
In 2004 Carr defeated Conservative
candidate Dean Martin to win the riding of Halton
. Carr was defeated in the 2006 election
.
Gary Carr was elected as Chair of Halton Region
on November 13, 2006. Carr overwhelmingly defeated former Halton Region CAO Brent Marshall who resigned from his position as CAO to run against Carr. Carr was sworn in as the Regional Chairman on December 6, 2006.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario, 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 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...
member of 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...
from 1990 to 2003, and served in the Canadian 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...
as 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...
from 2004 to early 2006. Gary Carr is currently the Chair of the Regional Municipality of Halton.
Carr has a certificate in Business Administration from Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
, and was a businessman and sales manager in the transportation industry before entering public life. He continued his education as a politician, and received an MBA from Athabasca University
Athabasca University
Athabasca University is a Canadian university in Athabasca, Alberta. It is an accredited research institution which also offers distance education courses and programs. Courses are offered primarily in English with some French offerings. Each year, 32,000 students attend the university. It offers...
in 2002. Carr also played professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
for five years in the farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
s of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
and Quebec Nordiques
Quebec Nordiques
The Quebec Nordiques were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League...
. In 1975, he was a Memorial Cup
Memorial Cup
The Memorial Cup is a junior ice hockey club championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. It is awarded following a four-team, round robin tournament between a host team and the champions of the CHL's three member leagues: the Ontario Hockey League , Quebec Major...
champion as a member of the Toronto Marlboros
Toronto Marlboros
The Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club, commonly known as the Toronto Marlboros, was founded in 1903. It operated a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association and Ontario Hockey League from 1904 to 1989...
.
Carr was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1990
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....
, defeating incumbent 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...
Doug Carrothers
Doug Carrothers
Douglas Alexander Carrothers is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990....
by 108 votes in the riding of Oakville. From 1993 to 1995, he was his party's Deputy House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
.
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under 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...
in the provincial election of 1995
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, and Carr was easily re-elected. He was passed over for a cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
position, however, and served as parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor-General for the next four years.
Carr was again re-elected in the provincial election of 1999
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating Liberal Kevin Flynn by over 13,000 votes. He was chosen as Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the legislature on October 20, 1999, and held this position for the entirety of the parliament which followed.
Like his predecessor Chris Stockwell
Chris Stockwell
Chris Stockwell is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. Before entering provincial politics, he had been a...
, Carr was known as an impartial Speaker who was willing to criticize his own government. In 2003, he alienated several members of the Progressive Conservative Party by ruling that the government of 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:...
had committed a prima facie
Prima facie
Prima facie is a Latin expression meaning on its first encounter, first blush, or at first sight. The literal translation would be "at first face", from the feminine form of primus and facies , both in the ablative case. It is used in modern legal English to signify that on first examination, a...
act of contempt against the legislature by holding its budget announcement at the headquarters of Magna International
Magna International
Magna International Inc. , is an automotive supplier headquartered in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's largest automobile parts manufacturer, and one of the country's largest companies. It owns the Magna Steyr automobile production company of Austria....
, rather than in the legislature itself. He was critical of the direction taken by the Progressive Conservative Party in this period, and did not seek re-election in 2003. He left politics and briefly coached the London Racers
London Racers
The London Racers was a British ice hockey club based in London, England formerly members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Although founded in 2003, it claimed to be a successor of the Harringay Racers club established in 1936. Due to a lack of suitable ice facility the club suspended its team...
hockey team in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 2004 Carr defeated Conservative
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...
candidate Dean Martin to win the riding of Halton
Halton (electoral district)
Halton is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1988 and again since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 100,055.-Geography:...
. Carr was defeated 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:...
.
Gary Carr was elected as Chair of Halton Region
Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality of Ontario, Canada located in Southern Ontario in the southwest part of the Greater Toronto Area and until 1973 was known as Halton County...
on November 13, 2006. Carr overwhelmingly defeated former Halton Region CAO Brent Marshall who resigned from his position as CAO to run against Carr. Carr was sworn in as the Regional Chairman on December 6, 2006.