Geraldine Copps
Encyclopedia
Geraldine Copps is a veteran political figure in Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. She is the widow of former mayor Victor Copps
and a former councillor of that city. She is the mother of federal Liberal
politician Sheila Copps
.
On the advice of Liberal cabinet minister and family friend John Munro, Copps was appointed as a citizenship court judge for the Waterloo
region. The appointment was recognized as an act of patronage, but did not meet with any significant opposition under the circumstances (Toronto Star, 6 March 1988).
She was reappointed in 1977 and 1982, and served until 1985 when the Progressive Conservative
government of Brian Mulroney
declined to renew her contract (Globe and Mail, 21 February 1985). There was speculation that this decision may have been politically motivated, as Copps's daughter was then a prominent critic of the Mulroney government. Secretary of State
Walter McLean
appeared to lend credibility to this claim when he was quoted as saying, "You check the record - what her daughter's had to say about the Government." (G&M, 12 March 1985). He later claimed his words were taken out of context (G&M, 15 March 1985).
Copps was a consistent opponent of "one-tier" municipal government, and opposed plans to amalgamate the city with neighbouring suburbs in the 1990s. She argued that the city could lose its distinctive identity under such an arrangement (Spectator, 24 January 1992). She was also a vocal opponent of the Red Hill Creek Expressway (Spectator, 1 March 1994), and frequently criticized the policies of Mayor Bob Morrow
and Regional Chair Terry Cooke.
Copps was generally seen as a centre-left politician, but has also expressed socially conservative views on several issues. She opposed her daughter's efforts to include gays and lesbians in the Ontario Human Rights Code in 1981 (Spectator, 11 June 1994), spoke out against an explicit AIDS
educational pamphlet in 1988 (G&M, 23 July 1988), and later questioned the need for a needle-exchange program for drug addicts (Hamilton Spectator, 10 December 1991).
On another occasion, she spoke against anonymous AIDS testing on the grounds that "the public is entitled to know who they come in contact with" (Spectator, 11 December 1991). In 2003, she opposed the decriminalization of cannabis
(Spectator, 28 April 2003).
for the 2004 Liberal nomination in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, and was disappointed when riding officials ruled that she was ineligible to cast a ballot (on the grounds that her membership had not been carried over from the former riding of Hamilton East) (Spectator, 8 March 2004).
Valeri won the nomination under controversial circumstances. In the general election, the elder Copps supported New Democratic Party
candidate David Christopherson
over another Liberal candidate in the neighbouring riding of Hamilton Centre
(G&M, 27 May 2004).
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, 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....
, 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...
. She is the widow of former mayor Victor Copps
Victor Copps
Victor Kennedy Copps was a Canadian politician and Mayor of Hamilton.Born in Haileybury, Ontario, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, following which, he worked in Timmins, Ontario for a local newspaper. In 1945 he moved to Hamilton to become a sports broadcaster on...
and a former councillor of that city. She is the mother of federal 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...
politician Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
.
Career to 1985
Geraldine Copps assisted her husband in public events throughout his career, and entered public life in 1976 after he suffered permanent brain damage as the result of a massive heart attack. He had been mayor of the city for fifteen years but did not have a pension, and the family's financial situation was said to have been precarious.On the advice of Liberal cabinet minister and family friend John Munro, Copps was appointed as a citizenship court judge for the Waterloo
Waterloo County, Ontario
Waterloo County, created in 1853 and dissolved in 1973, was the forerunner of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries...
region. The appointment was recognized as an act of patronage, but did not meet with any significant opposition under the circumstances (Toronto Star, 6 March 1988).
She was reappointed in 1977 and 1982, and served until 1985 when the 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....
government of Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
declined to renew her contract (Globe and Mail, 21 February 1985). There was speculation that this decision may have been politically motivated, as Copps's daughter was then a prominent critic of the Mulroney government. Secretary of State
Secretary of State (Canada)
Secretary of State was a title given to some Ministers of State in the Government of Canada sitting outside Cabinet from 1993 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2008. Secretaries of State were members of the ministry and the Queen's Privy Council for Canada...
Walter McLean
Walter McLean
Walter Franklin McLean, PC is a former Canadian politician.Born in Leamington, Ontario, he grew up in Victoria British Columbia, the son of James Walter Lewis McLean , a Presbyterian minister, and Frances D. Blair McLean. He studied at the University of British Columbia, and Toronto's Knox College...
appeared to lend credibility to this claim when he was quoted as saying, "You check the record - what her daughter's had to say about the Government." (G&M, 12 March 1985). He later claimed his words were taken out of context (G&M, 15 March 1985).
Councillor
After losing her judicial position, Copps campaigned for a seat on city council in late 1985. At the age of sixty, she was elected as one of two representatives for the city's fourth ward. She became one of three councillors to refuse a pay raise mandates by council in 1988 (G&M, 28 April 1988), and was easily re-elected later in the year. Copps was again returned in 1991, 1994 and 1997, always by significant margins. In the 1990s, she served as chair of the Accessible Transportation Advisory Committee (Spectator, 8 March 1996).Copps was a consistent opponent of "one-tier" municipal government, and opposed plans to amalgamate the city with neighbouring suburbs in the 1990s. She argued that the city could lose its distinctive identity under such an arrangement (Spectator, 24 January 1992). She was also a vocal opponent of the Red Hill Creek Expressway (Spectator, 1 March 1994), and frequently criticized the policies of Mayor Bob Morrow
Bob Morrow
Robert Maxwell Morrow UE is a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Hamilton, Ontario from 1982 to 2000. He was the longest-serving mayor in the city's history....
and Regional Chair Terry Cooke.
Copps was generally seen as a centre-left politician, but has also expressed socially conservative views on several issues. She opposed her daughter's efforts to include gays and lesbians in the Ontario Human Rights Code in 1981 (Spectator, 11 June 1994), spoke out against an explicit AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
educational pamphlet in 1988 (G&M, 23 July 1988), and later questioned the need for a needle-exchange program for drug addicts (Hamilton Spectator, 10 December 1991).
On another occasion, she spoke against anonymous AIDS testing on the grounds that "the public is entitled to know who they come in contact with" (Spectator, 11 December 1991). In 2003, she opposed the decriminalization of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
(Spectator, 28 April 2003).
Federal politics
Notwithstanding their disagreements on some issues, Geraldine Copps has consistently supported her daughter's career in the federal arena. She nominated her daughter against Tony ValeriTony Valeri
Tony Valeri, PC is a former Canadian politician. Valeri was the Canadian Government House Leader in Paul Martin's government from 2004 until 2006...
for the 2004 Liberal nomination in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, and was disappointed when riding officials ruled that she was ineligible to cast a ballot (on the grounds that her membership had not been carried over from the former riding of Hamilton East) (Spectator, 8 March 2004).
Valeri won the nomination under controversial circumstances. In the general election, the elder Copps supported 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...
candidate David Christopherson
David Christopherson
David Christopherson is a Canadian politician. Since 2004, he has represented the riding of Hamilton Centre in the Canadian House of Commons. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the provincial government of Bob Rae...
over another Liberal candidate in the neighbouring riding of Hamilton Centre
Hamilton Centre
Hamilton Centre is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.It was created in 2003 from parts of Hamilton East, Hamilton West and Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot ridings....
(G&M, 27 May 2004).