Greg Gogan
Encyclopedia
Greg Gogan is a Canadian
politician and businessman. During the early 1990s, he was the leader of a short-lived political party called Option Canada
.
Gogan was a private entrepreneur before starting his political career. He was the founder of Tricom Personal Financial Planning Corp., and worked as an insurance salesman and financial planner in St. Hubert, Quebec
during the 1980s. Gogan resigned as Tricom's president in 1988 and registered with Concordia University
as a mature student, planning to earn a Master's Degree
in Soviet
history. In January 1991, he withdrew from the university to establish Option Canada as a federal party representing Quebec's linguistic minorities (Montreal Gazette, 29 April 1991).
Option Canada was founded in response to Quebec's language tensions of the early 1990s. Its stated purpose was to create an eleventh Canadian province, carved out of the predominantly English-speaking regions of southwestern Quebec. Gogan, recognized as the party's leader, argued that English-speaking Quebecers had legitimate grievances against the "restrictive language policies [of] the provincial government", and would not tolerate being "second-class citizens in a first-class country" (Montreal Gazette, 25 April 1991).
Gogan also stated that he would abandon his proposal for an eleventh province if the Canadian Constitution were amended to remove the "notwithstanding clause", which allows governments to override binding decisions by the courts. This clause had been used in Quebec to perpetuate restrictions on English-language advertising.
Gogan, who was thirty-eight years old at the time, was able to attract national attention for his movement despite having no prior political experience (Vancouver Sun, 16 May 1991). In June 1991, he announced that his party had signed up 2,000 members since its founding (Montreal Gazette, 13 June 1991). The party received a warm reception in numerous anglophone communities, and one party event in Westmount was described in the media as " revival meeting for disfranchised West Island anglophones". Gogan emphasized that the party was not limited to anglophones, and predicted that half of its membership would be francophone within a year. (Montreal Gazette, 11 July 1991) The party was unable to maintain its early support base, however, and largely vanished from the public eye after the summer of 1991.
Gogan spoke out against the Charlottetown Accord
in 1992, claiming that it did not protect the interests of Canadians (Toronto Star, 12 October 1992).
Option Canada dissolved in 1993, in Gogan subsequently became a member of Mel Hurtig
's National Party of Canada
. He became an official spokesperson for the party, and contested the Ontario
riding of Scarborough West
in the 1993 federal election
. The Toronto Star newspaper cited him as saying that Canadians should "speak out and reclaim both the country and control of their future" (Toronto Star, 22 October 1993). He received 578 votes (1.47%), finishing fifth against Liberal
incumbent Tom Wappel
.
Gogan later joined the New Democratic Party, and campaigned as that party's candidate in Scarborough Centre for the 2004 federal election
. He received 6,156 votes, finishing third against Liberal incumbent John Cannis
.
He has also returned to his practice as a chartered financial planner. At the time of the 2004 election, he was on the board of directors of an organic food producer.
Gogan joined a non-profit credit counselling organization in 2005, and currently serves as its President.
He considered seeking the Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest
, but abandoned the process in July 2007 and resigned from the Liberal Party in September 2007.
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...
politician and businessman. During the early 1990s, he was the leader of a short-lived political party called Option Canada
Option Canada (political party)
Option Canada was a short-lived political party in Quebec, Canada, in the early 1990s. Gaining media attention in 1991 for its proposal to create an 11th province in southwestern Quebec, it did not maintain significant public support and never registered as an official political party before...
.
Gogan was a private entrepreneur before starting his political career. He was the founder of Tricom Personal Financial Planning Corp., and worked as an insurance salesman and financial planner in St. Hubert, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
during the 1980s. Gogan resigned as Tricom's president in 1988 and registered with Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
as a mature student, planning to earn a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
history. In January 1991, he withdrew from the university to establish Option Canada as a federal party representing Quebec's linguistic minorities (Montreal Gazette, 29 April 1991).
Option Canada was founded in response to Quebec's language tensions of the early 1990s. Its stated purpose was to create an eleventh Canadian province, carved out of the predominantly English-speaking regions of southwestern Quebec. Gogan, recognized as the party's leader, argued that English-speaking Quebecers had legitimate grievances against the "restrictive language policies [of] the provincial government", and would not tolerate being "second-class citizens in a first-class country" (Montreal Gazette, 25 April 1991).
Gogan also stated that he would abandon his proposal for an eleventh province if the Canadian Constitution were amended to remove the "notwithstanding clause", which allows governments to override binding decisions by the courts. This clause had been used in Quebec to perpetuate restrictions on English-language advertising.
Gogan, who was thirty-eight years old at the time, was able to attract national attention for his movement despite having no prior political experience (Vancouver Sun, 16 May 1991). In June 1991, he announced that his party had signed up 2,000 members since its founding (Montreal Gazette, 13 June 1991). The party received a warm reception in numerous anglophone communities, and one party event in Westmount was described in the media as " revival meeting for disfranchised West Island anglophones". Gogan emphasized that the party was not limited to anglophones, and predicted that half of its membership would be francophone within a year. (Montreal Gazette, 11 July 1991) The party was unable to maintain its early support base, however, and largely vanished from the public eye after the summer of 1991.
Gogan spoke out against the Charlottetown Accord
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
in 1992, claiming that it did not protect the interests of Canadians (Toronto Star, 12 October 1992).
Option Canada dissolved in 1993, in Gogan subsequently became a member of Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig
Mel Hurtig, is a Canadian publisher, author, political activist and former political candidate.He was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. He is the former president of the Edmonton Art Gallery.-Businessman and Publisher:...
's National Party of Canada
National Party of Canada
The National Party of Canada was a short-lived Canadian political party that contested the 1993 federal election. The party should not be confused by an earlier and unrelated National Party that was founded in 1979.-Formation:...
. He became an official spokesperson for the party, and contested the 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....
riding of Scarborough West
Scarborough West
Scarborough West was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commonsfrom 1968 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario...
in the 1993 federal 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...
. The Toronto Star newspaper cited him as saying that Canadians should "speak out and reclaim both the country and control of their future" (Toronto Star, 22 October 1993). He received 578 votes (1.47%), finishing fifth against 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...
incumbent Tom Wappel
Tom Wappel
Thomas William "Tom" Wappel is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the House of Commons from 1988 to 2008, representing the Toronto riding of Scarborough West and its successor riding of Scarborough Southwest. He did not seek re-election in the 2008 general election.Wappel is a...
.
Gogan later joined the New Democratic Party, and campaigned as that party's candidate in Scarborough Centre 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...
. He received 6,156 votes, finishing third against Liberal incumbent John Cannis
John Cannis
John Cannis is a former member of the House of Commons in Canada.-Background:Born in Kalymnos, Greece, Cannis was raised and educated in Toronto, Ontario. A successful entrepreneur for 18 years, Cannis owned a Toronto-based international executive search firm and was a member in good standing of...
.
He has also returned to his practice as a chartered financial planner. At the time of the 2004 election, he was on the board of directors of an organic food producer.
Gogan joined a non-profit credit counselling organization in 2005, and currently serves as its President.
He considered seeking the Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest
Scarborough Southwest
Scarborough Southwest is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons.On Toronto City Council, the southeast portion is represented by Gary Crawford. The northwest section is represented by Michelle Berardinetti.-Geography:It covers the...
, but abandoned the process in July 2007 and resigned from the Liberal Party in September 2007.