H. James Jones
Encyclopedia
H. James Jones (born February 4, 1943) is a Canadian
politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1997 to 2000, initially as a Progressive Conservative
and later as a member of the Canadian Alliance
.
Jones was born in Warwick
, Ontario
, and received a degree in Business Administration from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1967. He became a Certified General Accountant
in 1971. Jones was an internal auditor of the Moore Corporation from 1967 to 1969, and a Marketing Manager at IBM
Canada Ltd. from 1969 to 1997. He began his political career at the municipal level, serving as a councillor in Markham
's third ward from 1988 to 1997.
He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1997 federal election
, defeating Liberal
candidate Gobinder Randhawa by 3,639 votes in Markham
. Jones was the only Progressive Conservative candidate elected in Ontario in this election, and some credited his win to local dissatisfaction over the previous Member of Parliament
(MP), Jag Bhaduria
. Bhaduria had been elected as a Liberal, but resigned from the party amid controversy soon after the election.
Jones was on the right-wing of the Progressive Conservative Party. He initially supported Brian Pallister
in the first round of the PC Party's 1998 leadership election
, though he later endorsed Joe Clark
on the second ballot before Pallister officially withdrew. He later became a supporter of the United Alternative movement, and in 2000 floated the idea of seeking re-election with co-endorsements from the Progressive Conservatives and the newly formed Canadian Alliance, a successor to the Reform Party
.
Jones's proposal was rejected by the Progressive Conservative leadership, and he was thrown out of the party's caucus on July 4, 2000. Referring to the situation, Joe Clark was quoted as saying, "You can't play for two teams at the same time" (National Post, 28 November 2003). He joined the Canadian Alliance on September 6.
Jones ultimately sought re-election in the 2000 campaign
as a Canadian Alliance candidate, while David Scrymgeour
was given the Progressive Conservative nomination. Both Jones and Scrymgeour lost to Liberal
candidate John McCallum
.
Jones later returned to municipal politics, and was elected as a regional councillor in Markham in 2003. He was reelected in the November 2006 election, receiving the most votes of all regional councillor candidates, thereby becoming Markham's deputy mayor.
Jones plead guilty to assault in 2007, citing a momentary lapse in judgement. He was sentenced to 12 months probation and 20 hours of community service
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. He 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...
from 1997 to 2000, initially as a 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....
and later as a member of the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
.
Jones was born in Warwick
Warwick, Ontario
Warwick is a rural township in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada, with a population of 4,025.Bisected by the Egremont Road that was surveyed to link London with the Lake Huron shoreline in 1832, the township began to attract settlers including those helped by charitable organizations, such as Lord...
, 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....
, and received a degree in Business Administration from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1967. He became a Certified General Accountant
Certified General Accountant
Certified General Accountant is the designation of professionals who are jointly members of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada and a provincial or territorial CGA association, or a CGA association overseas...
in 1971. Jones was an internal auditor of the Moore Corporation from 1967 to 1969, and a Marketing Manager at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Canada Ltd. from 1969 to 1997. He began his political career at the municipal level, serving as a councillor in Markham
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
's third ward from 1988 to 1997.
He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons 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...
, defeating 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...
candidate Gobinder Randhawa by 3,639 votes in Markham
Markham (electoral district)
Markham was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada created in 1986. Also known as Markham—Whitchurch-Stouffville, it was a federal electoral district that elected representatives to the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2000....
. Jones was the only Progressive Conservative candidate elected in Ontario in this election, and some credited his win to local dissatisfaction over the previous 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,...
(MP), Jag Bhaduria
Jag Bhaduria
Jagdish Singh Bhaduria is a former Canadian politician....
. Bhaduria had been elected as a Liberal, but resigned from the party amid controversy soon after the election.
Jones was on the right-wing of the Progressive Conservative Party. He initially supported Brian Pallister
Brian Pallister
Brian William Pallister is a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Portage—Lisgar in the Canadian House of Commons from 2000 to 2008. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1992 to 1997, and was a cabinet minister in the provincial government of Gary Filmon...
in the first round of the PC Party's 1998 leadership election
Progressive Conservative leadership conventions
The first Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership election was held in 1927, when the party was called the Conservative Party. Prior to then the party's leader was chosen by caucus....
, though he later endorsed Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
on the second ballot before Pallister officially withdrew. He later became a supporter of the United Alternative movement, and in 2000 floated the idea of seeking re-election with co-endorsements from the Progressive Conservatives and the newly formed Canadian Alliance, a successor to the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
.
Jones's proposal was rejected by the Progressive Conservative leadership, and he was thrown out of the party's caucus on July 4, 2000. Referring to the situation, Joe Clark was quoted as saying, "You can't play for two teams at the same time" (National Post, 28 November 2003). He joined the Canadian Alliance on September 6.
Jones ultimately sought re-election in the 2000 campaign
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....
as a Canadian Alliance candidate, while David Scrymgeour
David Scrymgeour
T. David Scrymgeour is a Canadian entrepreneur. He is the founder of a group of companies in the information and training industries. Politically he has worked with the Green Party of Canada, the Green Party of Ontario, the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative...
was given the Progressive Conservative nomination. Both Jones and Scrymgeour lost to 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...
candidate John McCallum
John McCallum
John McCallum, PC, MP is a Liberal Canadian politician, economist and university professor. Following the 2006 Federal Election, he became the Liberal Finance Critic in the Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet...
.
Jones later returned to municipal politics, and was elected as a regional councillor in Markham in 2003. He was reelected in the November 2006 election, receiving the most votes of all regional councillor candidates, thereby becoming Markham's deputy mayor.
Jones plead guilty to assault in 2007, citing a momentary lapse in judgement. He was sentenced to 12 months probation and 20 hours of community service