John Parker (Canadian politician)
Encyclopedia
John L. Parker is a politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He was a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1995 to 1999. He is now Toronto
city councillor for Ward 26, Don Valley West
.
in 1980, and worked as a lawyer. After moving to the Leaside
area he became active in the community and was a founding member of the board of the Bessborough Child Care Centre. He is a member of the Leaside United Church
. He has coached community baseball, soccer and hockey teams. He served on the Board of the Leaside Hockey Rink and chaired the East York Committee of Adjustment.
In 2001, Parker helped found the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians. The association's objectives include offering experience in support of parliamentary democracy in a non-partisan way and to foster good relations between current members. Parker serves on the Board of Directors of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, a non-partisan, charitable organization that facilitates education, discussion and debate about Canada’s parliamentary democracy.
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Gary Malkowski
by 3,263 votes in the riding of York East
. He served in Mike Harris
's government for the next four years. During that time he was parliamentary assistant to Native Affairs.
In 1996, the Harris government reduced the number of provincial ridings from 130 to 103. This change resulted in some sitting MPPs having to compete against one another in the 1999 provincial election
. Parker ran against Liberal
Mike Colle
in the newly-created riding of Eglinton—Lawrence
, and was defeated by 11,307 votes. Colle received 56.85 percent of the popular vote compared to Parker's 29.72 percent.
In 2010, Parker was re-elected in Ward 26. He tallied the most votes in a three way race between previous contender Dhanani and newcomer Jon Burnside. The Toronto Sun supported Parker giving him the recommendation as "a hard-wired East Yorker, who brings a conservative ethic and is not easily panicked." Parker sits on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Film Board. He has previously worked with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. Parker is actively involved with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Toronto and Regional Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the Employee and Labour Relations Committee, City of Toronto Budget Committee. He was selected to be Deputy Speaker in December 2010.
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
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 was 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 1995 to 1999. He is now Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
city councillor for Ward 26, Don Valley West
Don Valley West (provincial electoral district)
Don Valley West is a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.It was created in 1999 from parts of Don Mills, York Mills, York East and Eglinton....
.
Background
Parker graduated from the University of Toronto, then Osgoode Hall Law SchoolOsgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
in 1980, and worked as a lawyer. After moving to the Leaside
Leaside
Leaside is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area takes its name from William Lea and the Lea family, who settled there in the early years of the nineteenth century. The area first developed as farmland along with Toronto through the nineteenth century. It was incorporated as a...
area he became active in the community and was a founding member of the board of the Bessborough Child Care Centre. He is a member of the Leaside United Church
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
. He has coached community baseball, soccer and hockey teams. He served on the Board of the Leaside Hockey Rink and chaired the East York Committee of Adjustment.
In 2001, Parker helped found the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians. The association's objectives include offering experience in support of parliamentary democracy in a non-partisan way and to foster good relations between current members. Parker serves on the Board of Directors of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, a non-partisan, charitable organization that facilitates education, discussion and debate about Canada’s parliamentary democracy.
Provincial politics
He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial electionOntario 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...
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Gary Malkowski
Gary Malkowski
Gary Malkowski is a former Canadian provincial politician. He represented the riding of York East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party...
by 3,263 votes in the riding of York East
York East
York East was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons at different times, and a provincial electoral district. It was located in the province of Ontario.-Federal electoral district :...
. He served in 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...
's government for the next four years. During that time he was parliamentary assistant to Native Affairs.
In 1996, the Harris government reduced the number of provincial ridings from 130 to 103. This change resulted in some sitting MPPs having to compete against one another in the 1999 provincial election
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....
. Parker ran against 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...
Mike Colle
Mike Colle
Michael Colle is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Eglinton—Lawrence for the Ontario Liberal Party.-Background:...
in the newly-created riding of Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999....
, and was defeated by 11,307 votes. Colle received 56.85 percent of the popular vote compared to Parker's 29.72 percent.
Municipal politics
In 2006, Parker was elected as the City Councillor for Toronto's Ward 26. In a field of 15 candidates, Parker prevailed by a margin of 215 votes over runner-up Mohamed Dhanani. Parker received a total of 3,369 votes which amounted to just 20% of the popular vote. Parker has received low grades on environmental issues. In 2008, the Toronto Environmental Alliance issued Parker an "F" grade for what they perceived to be an egregious voting record in 2007-2008. While he is widely considered to be a right-wing councillor, Parker has received poor performance grades from the editorial boards of traditionally conservative newspapers in Ontario. The National Post and Toronto Sun gave Parker "C" grades in "report cards" these outlets issued for Toronto City Councillors in 2007 and 2010 respectively. November 21, the Toronto Sun scored Councillor Parker an "A+".In 2010, Parker was re-elected in Ward 26. He tallied the most votes in a three way race between previous contender Dhanani and newcomer Jon Burnside. The Toronto Sun supported Parker giving him the recommendation as "a hard-wired East Yorker, who brings a conservative ethic and is not easily panicked." Parker sits on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Film Board. He has previously worked with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors. Parker is actively involved with the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Toronto and Regional Conservation Authority (TRCA), the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the Employee and Labour Relations Committee, City of Toronto Budget Committee. He was selected to be Deputy Speaker in December 2010.
Election results
| 2010 Toronto election Toronto city council election, 2010 For information on the campaign for mayor see Toronto mayoral election, 2010The 2010 Toronto council election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect councillors to represent Toronto's 44 wards at Toronto City Council... , Ward 26 |
||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| John Parker | 6,203 | 31.3 |
| Jon Burnside | 5,788 | 29.2 |
| Mohamed Dhanani | 5,627 | 28.4 |
| Yunus Pandor | 1,452 | 7.3 |
| Tanvir Ahmed | 377 | 1.9 |
| Shaukat Malik | 216 | 1.1 |
| Nawab Salim Khan | 169 | 0.9 |
| Total | 19,832 | 100 |
Unofficial results as of October 26, 2010 03:55 am
| 2006 Toronto election Toronto municipal election, 2006 The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest... , Ward 26 |
||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| John Parker | 3,369 | 20.1 |
| Mohamed Dhanani | 3,155 | 18.8 |
| Abdul Ingar | 2,940 | 17.6 |
| Geoff Kettel | 1,372 | 8.2 |
| Natalie Maniates | 1,336 | 8.0 |
| David Thomas | 1,095 | 6.5 |
| John Masterson | 887 | 5.3 |
| Michele Carroll-Smith | 743 | 4.4 |
| Debbie Lechter | 577 | 3.4 |
| Csaba Vegh | 371 | 2.2 |
| Muhammad Alam | 261 | 1.6 |
| Fred Williams | 256 | 1.5 |
| Bahar Aminvaziri | 215 | 1.3 |
| Orhan Aybars | 99 | 0.6 |
| Raza Jabbar | 76 | 0.5 |