John Tory
Encyclopedia
John Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster. He also is the volunteer chair of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance.
Tory was the runner-up in the 2003 Toronto municipal election
to succeed Mel Lastman
as Mayor of Toronto and lost to David Miller
. Despite widespread speculation that he would run for mayor again in 2010
, he announced in January that he would not be a candidate.
He is considered by some to be a Red Tory
, and holds socially liberal views on a number of issues including same-sex marriage
.
, Ontario
, and is the son of John A. Tory
, president of Thomson Investments Limited and a director of Rogers Communications
. He has been married to Barbara Hackett since 1978. From 1972 to 1979, Tory was hired by family friend Ted Rogers as a journalist for Rogers Broadcasting's Toronto radio stations CFTR
and CHFI
.
Before enrolling in university, he attended the University of Toronto Schools
, a private high school affiliated with the University of Toronto
.
Tory received his Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University of Trinity College
, University of Toronto
in 1975. He received his Bachelor of Laws
degree in 1978 from Osgoode Hall Law School
of York University
. He was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1980.
From 1980 to 1981, and later from 1986 to 1995, Tory held various positions at his father's Toronto law firm Tory, Tory, DesLauriers & Binnington
, including partner, managing partner, and member of the Executive Committee.
From 1981 to 1985, Tory served in the Office of the Premier of Ontario
, Bill Davis
as Principal Secretary
to the Premier and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet. In 1985, Davis retired as Premier. Tory joined the Office of the Canadian Special Envoy on Acid Rain
, as Special Advisor to the Special Envoy. The Special Envoy had been appointed by the federal government of Brian Mulroney
to review matters of air quality with a United States
counterpart. Tory supported Dianne Cunningham
's bid to lead the provincial Progressive Conservative Party in 1990 (Toronto Star, 3 May 1990).
Tory later served as Tour Director and Campaign Chairman to then Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney, and managed the 1993 federal election
campaign of Mulroney's successor, Kim Campbell
. Tory was criticized for approving a 1993 election ad that mocked Liberal Party leader Jean Chrétien
's facial deformity (although the Conservatives denied that was the ad's intention). The Conservatives suffered the most lopsided defeat for a governing party at the federal level in Canadian history, losing half their vote from 1988 and all but two of their 151 seats.
From 1995 to 1999, he returned to Rogers Communications Inc., but this time as president and CEO of Rogers Media which had become one of Canada's largest publishing and broadcasting companies. Rogers has interests in radio and television stations, specialty television channels, consumer magazines, trade magazines and, at the time, the Toronto Sun
and the Sun newspaper chain
. In 1999, he became president and CEO of Rogers subsidiary Rogers Cable
, Canada's largest cable television
company and a leading video rental chain and cable Internet
provider. He led it through a period of transition from a monopoly environment to an open marketplace, overseeing a significant increase in operating income. Tory stepped down after Ted Rogers
announced that he would stay on as President and CEO of parent company Rogers Communications.
Tory also served as commissioner of the Canadian Football League
from 1996 to 2000.
Tory continued to have an interest in being a broadcaster throughout his life and, as a Rogers executive, hosted a public affairs program on Rogers Cable's community access channel for many years.
, Tory ran in the November 2003 election
for Mayor of Toronto. He finished in second place, behind councillor David Miller and ahead of former mayor Barbara Hall
, former councillor and Member of Parliament
John Nunziata
, and former councillor and budget chief Tom Jakobek
.
Tory and Miller both entered the race with limited name recognition and support, but each quickly claimed a core base—Miller among progressives
and Tory among more conservative voters. Meanwhile, Hall's initially commanding lead slowly dissipated over the course of the campaign, and the campaigns of both Nunziata and Jakobek were sidelined by controversies.
Tory's campaign came under fire when it was accused by opponent Nunziata of attempting to bribe him into pulling out of the race by offering the Deputy Mayor's position. At first, Nunziata did not reveal who attempted to bribe him but several media sources speculated that it was Tory's campaign. Besides denying these allegations, Tory also made the pledge to drop out from the race if a police investigation found out that any member of his team was charged with wrongdoing. When Tory was cleared of wrongdoing, Nunziata was in turn accused of mischief for making an unsubstantiated smear claim and sunk further in polls.
Tory also accepted an endorsement from the Toronto Police Association
.
Tory held the traditional suburban conservative vote that had helped to elect Mel Lastman in the 1997 mayor's campaign, but lost the overall vote to Miller in a close race. After the election, Tory helped Miller and Hall raise funds to repay their campaign debts.
In March 2004, Tory hinted that he would be seeking the leadership of the provincial Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, after Ernie Eves
announced his intention to resign from that post. The provincial PC leadership election
was announced for September 18, 2004, and Tory made his candidacy official on May 6, 2004. John Laschinger was appointed to be Tory's campaign manager. Tory won the support of former provincial cabinet
ministers Elizabeth Witmer
, David Tsubouchi
, Jim Wilson, Janet Ecker
, Chris Hodgson
, Cam Jackson
, Phil Gillies and Bob Runciman
as well as backbench Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) Norm Miller
, Laurie Scott, Ted Arnott
and John O'Toole
.
Tory's opponents for the leadership post were former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
and Oak Ridges MPP Frank Klees
, both from the right-wing faction of the party. Tory positioned himself as a centrist candidate, and defeated Flaherty 54% to 46% on the second ballot. When Flaherty later left provincial politics to seek a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada
, Tory endorsed his former rival in the 2006 election
; Flaherty was elected and was appointed Finance Minister
. Tory also campaigned prominently with Flaherty's wife Christine Elliott
in the provincial by-election held March 30, enabling her to win the seat formerly held by her husband.
Tory told the media in November 2004 that he would seek election to the legislature
in time for the spring 2005 legislative session. On December 7, 2004, the Ontario Liberal Party
announced that it would run a candidate against Tory in a by-election. This caused some controversy as the Liberal and Conservative parties in Canada have historically allowed major party leaders who do not have a parliamentary seat to enter the legislature unopposed, though this has been broken in recent years and the NDP have never followed such an unwritten rule.
On January 31, 2005, after much public speculation and some delay, Ernie Eves resigned his seat and cleared the way for Tory to run in Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
, the safest Conservative seat in the province. As a "parachute candidate", Tory faced some criticism about his commitment to the riding. Nevertheless, he easily won the March 17, 2005 by-election with 56% of the vote. Former Premier Davis appeared for Tory's first session in the legislature as Progressive Conservative leader.
, the area where he grew up, raised his family and lived most of his life.
Tory released his platform on June 9, 2007. The platform, A Plan for a Better Ontario, commits a PC government to eliminate the health care tax introduced by the previous government, put scrubbers on coal-fired plants, address Ontario’s doctor shortage, allow new private health care partnerships provided services are paid by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan
(OHIP), impose more penalties on illegal land occupations in response to the Caledonia land dispute
, fast-track the building of nuclear power plants, and invest the gas tax in public transit and roads. A costing of the platform released in August estimates the PC promises will cost an additional $14 billion over four years.
The PC campaign was formally launched on September 3. Most of the campaign was dominated by discussion of his plan to extend public funding to Ontario’s faith-based schools. Earlier in the year, indications were that the party would have been a strong contender to win the election, but the school funding promise resulted in the Liberals regaining the lead in popular support for the duration of the campaign. Later in the campaign, in the face of heavy opposition, Tory promised a free vote
on the issue.
With the beginning of the official campaign period on September 10, the PC campaign made clear its intention to make the previous government’s record a key issue. In particular, Tory focused on the Liberals' 2003 election and 2004 pre-budget promise not to raise taxes and their subsequent imposition of a health care tax.
On election night, Tory was defeated in Don Valley West by the incumbent MPP, Ontario Liberal
Education Minister
Kathleen Wynne
. Although Tory was defeated in both his riding of Don Valley West and the race for the premiership, he said that he would stay on as leader unless the party wanted him to resign.
Throughout 2008, Tory's leadership of the party was perceived to be tenuous, as he faced widespread criticism for his seeming failure to convince a sitting MPP to resign in order to open a seat for him. Most notably, Bill Murdoch
called for Tory to resign as party leader in September, resulting in his suspension from the party caucus on September 12. Six days later, Murdoch was permanently expelled from the party caucus. In December 2008, media pundits speculated that Prime Minister Stephen Harper
would appoint Progressive Conservative MPP Bob Runciman
to the Senate to create a vacancy for Tory, but Harper did not do so.
On January 9, 2009, Progressive Conservative MPP Laurie Scott announced her resignation from the legislature, allowing Tory to run in the resulting by-election in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
. In exchange for agreeing to resign, Scott will serve as chair of the party's election preparedness committee until the 2011 election
. On March 5, 2009, he lost the by-election to Liberal Rick Johnson
. Tory announced his resignation as party leader the next day and was subsequently replaced as leader by Niagara West—Glanbrook
PC MPP Tim Hudak
at the 2009 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election
.
on Toronto talk radio
station CFRB. The John Tory Show simulcast on CHAM
in Hamilton
and CKTB in St. Catharines
. He is also looking for opportunities in business, law or the non-profit sector.
In the fall of 2009, CFRB moved Tory to its Monday to Friday afternoon slot, for a new show, Live Drive, which now airs from 4pm to 7pm. The show first broadcast on October 5, 2009.
as was Deputy Premier of Ontario George Smitherman
. On September 25, 2009, Miller announced he was not running for re-election. Tory announced on January 7 that he was not running in order to continue his radio show and also become head of the Toronto City Summit Alliance
. On August 5, 2010, after a week of press speculation that he was about to re-enter the race, Tory confirmed that he would not be running in 2010 for Mayor of Toronto.
|-
|Rick Johnson
|align="right"|15,482
|align="right"|43.73
|align="right"|
|-
|John Tory
|align="right"|14,576
|align="right"|41.17
|align="right"|
|-
|Mike Schreiner
|align="right"|2,352
|align="right"|6.64
|align="right"|
|-
|Lyn Edwards
|align="right"|2,117
|align="right"|5.98
|align="right"|
|-
|Jason Taylor
|align="right"|320
|align="right"|0.90
|align="right"|
|-
|Jake Pothaar
|align="right"|258
|align="right"|0.73
|align="right"|
|-
|Bill Denby
|align="right"|140
|align="right"|0.40
|align="right"|
|-
|John C. Turmel
|align="right"|92
|align="right"|0.26
|align="right"|
|-
|Paolo Fabrizio
|align="right"|71
|align="right"|0.20
|align="right"|
|-
|}
|-
|Kathleen Wynne
|align="right"|23,059
|align="right"|50.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|John Tory
|align="right"|18,136
|align="right"|39.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Adrian Walker
|align="right"|2,202
|align="right"|4.8
|align="right"| -
|-
|Mike Kenny
|align="right"|2,135
|align="right"|4.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Daniel Kidd
|align="right"|183
|align="right"|0.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
|John Tory
|15,610
|56.3
|-
|Bob Duncanson
|4,625
|16.7
|-
|Lynda McDougall
|3,881
|14.0
|-
|Frank de Jong
|2,767
|10.0
|-
|Paul Micelli
|479
|1.7
|-
|William Cook
|163
|0.6
|-
|Philip Bender
|135
|0.5
|-
|John C. Turmel
|85
|0.3
|-
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...
, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster. He also is the volunteer chair of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance.
Tory was the runner-up in the 2003 Toronto municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
to succeed Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
as Mayor of Toronto and lost to David Miller
David Miller (Canadian politician)
David Raymond Miller is a Canadian politician. He was the 63rd Mayor of Toronto and the second since the 1998 amalgamation. He was elected to the position in 2003 for a three-year term and re-elected in 2006 for a four-year term...
. Despite widespread speculation that he would run for mayor again in 2010
Toronto municipal election, 2010
The 2010 Toronto municipal election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Canada. 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 and...
, he announced in January that he would not be a candidate.
He is considered by some to be a Red Tory
Red Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
, and holds socially liberal views on a number of issues including same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in Canada
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
.
Background
Tory was born in TorontoToronto
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...
, 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 is the son of John A. Tory
John A. Tory
John Arnold Tory, QC was a Canadian lawyer and corporate executive. Born in Toronto, he was one of two sons of John Stewart Donald Tory...
, president of Thomson Investments Limited and a director of Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications Inc. is one of Canada's largest communications companies, particularly in the field of wireless communications, cable television, home phone and internet with additional telecommunications and mass media assets...
. He has been married to Barbara Hackett since 1978. From 1972 to 1979, Tory was hired by family friend Ted Rogers as a journalist for Rogers Broadcasting's Toronto radio stations CFTR
CFTR (AM)
CFTR, broadcasting under the brand 680News, is an all-news radio station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which broadcasts live 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 680 kHz on the AM dial...
and CHFI
CHFI-FM
CHFI-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 98.1 on the FM dial in Toronto, Ontario. Like most Toronto radio and TV channels, it broadcasts atop the CN Tower with and ERP of 44 kW and has a sizeable amount of American listeners...
.
Before enrolling in university, he attended the University of Toronto Schools
University of Toronto Schools
The University of Toronto Schools is an independent secondary day school affiliated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, a private high school affiliated with the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
Tory received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Trinity College
University of Trinity College
The University of Trinity College, informally referred to as Trin, is a college of the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Trinity was intended by Strachan as a college of strong Anglican alignment, after the University of Toronto severed its ties with the Church of...
, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1975. He received his Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree in 1978 from Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode 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...
of York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
. He was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1980.
From 1980 to 1981, and later from 1986 to 1995, Tory held various positions at his father's Toronto law firm Tory, Tory, DesLauriers & Binnington
Torys
Torys LLP is a Canadian international business law firm with offices in Toronto, Calgary and New York, United States. Torys serves clients in Canada, the United States, and globally. It is one of the Canadian "seven sisters" law firms....
, including partner, managing partner, and member of the Executive Committee.
From 1981 to 1985, Tory served in the Office of the Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
, Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
as Principal Secretary
Principal Secretary (Canada)
In Canada the Principal Secretary is a senior aide, often the most senior political aide, to a head of government. Formerly the position of Principal Secretary was the most senior in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, though since 1987 it is second to the Chief of Staff...
to the Premier and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet. In 1985, Davis retired as Premier. Tory joined the Office of the Canadian Special Envoy on Acid Rain
Acid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
, as Special Advisor to the Special Envoy. The Special Envoy had been appointed by the federal 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...
to review matters of air quality with a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counterpart. Tory supported Dianne Cunningham
Dianne Cunningham
Dianne Cunningham is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1988 to 2003, and a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves....
's bid to lead the provincial Progressive Conservative Party in 1990 (Toronto Star, 3 May 1990).
Tory later served as Tour Director and Campaign Chairman to then Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Brian Mulroney, and managed 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...
campaign of Mulroney's successor, Kim Campbell
Kim Campbell
Avril Phædra Douglas "Kim" Campbell, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, university professor, diplomat, and writer. She served as the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 25, 1993, to November 4, 1993...
. Tory was criticized for approving a 1993 election ad that mocked Liberal Party leader Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
's facial deformity (although the Conservatives denied that was the ad's intention). The Conservatives suffered the most lopsided defeat for a governing party at the federal level in Canadian history, losing half their vote from 1988 and all but two of their 151 seats.
From 1995 to 1999, he returned to Rogers Communications Inc., but this time as president and CEO of Rogers Media which had become one of Canada's largest publishing and broadcasting companies. Rogers has interests in radio and television stations, specialty television channels, consumer magazines, trade magazines and, at the time, the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
and the Sun newspaper chain
Sun Media
Sun Media Corporation is the owner of several widely read tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49 percent owner of Sun News Network...
. In 1999, he became president and CEO of Rogers subsidiary Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable
Rogers Cable Inc., a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc., is Canada's largest cable television service provider with about 2.25 million television customers, and over 930,000 Internet subscribers, in Manitoba, Southern & Eastern Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.The...
, Canada's largest cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
company and a leading video rental chain and cable Internet
Cable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
provider. He led it through a period of transition from a monopoly environment to an open marketplace, overseeing a significant increase in operating income. Tory stepped down after Ted Rogers
Edward Samuel Rogers
Edward Samuel "Ted" Rogers, Jr., OC was the President and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., and the fifth richest person in Canada in terms of net worth. His father Edward S. Rogers, Sr...
announced that he would stay on as President and CEO of parent company Rogers Communications.
Tory also served as commissioner of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
from 1996 to 2000.
Tory continued to have an interest in being a broadcaster throughout his life and, as a Rogers executive, hosted a public affairs program on Rogers Cable's community access channel for many years.
Toronto mayoral election campaign, 2003
After six years as a key backer of retiring Toronto Mayor Mel LastmanMel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
, Tory ran in the November 2003 election
Toronto municipal election, 2003
The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
for Mayor of Toronto. He finished in second place, behind councillor David Miller and ahead of former mayor Barbara Hall
Barbara Hall
Barbara Hall is a Canadian lawyer, public servant and former politician. She was the 61st mayor of Toronto, the last to run before amalgamation. She was elected mayor of the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto in 1994, and held office until December 31, 1997...
, former councillor and 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,...
John Nunziata
John Nunziata
John Nunziata is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 2000, initially as a Liberal and later as an independent member.-Background:...
, and former councillor and budget chief Tom Jakobek
Tom Jakobek
Tom Jakobek is a former member of the Toronto City Council. He was first elected to council in 1982 after serving as a school trustee, and remained a member until 2000....
.
Tory and Miller both entered the race with limited name recognition and support, but each quickly claimed a core base—Miller among progressives
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
and Tory among more conservative voters. Meanwhile, Hall's initially commanding lead slowly dissipated over the course of the campaign, and the campaigns of both Nunziata and Jakobek were sidelined by controversies.
Tory's campaign came under fire when it was accused by opponent Nunziata of attempting to bribe him into pulling out of the race by offering the Deputy Mayor's position. At first, Nunziata did not reveal who attempted to bribe him but several media sources speculated that it was Tory's campaign. Besides denying these allegations, Tory also made the pledge to drop out from the race if a police investigation found out that any member of his team was charged with wrongdoing. When Tory was cleared of wrongdoing, Nunziata was in turn accused of mischief for making an unsubstantiated smear claim and sunk further in polls.
Tory also accepted an endorsement from the Toronto Police Association
Toronto Police Association
The Toronto Police Association , founded in 1944, is a labour organization representing the approximately 5,500 uniformed and 2,500 civilian members of the Toronto Police Service in Toronto, Canada...
.
Tory held the traditional suburban conservative vote that had helped to elect Mel Lastman in the 1997 mayor's campaign, but lost the overall vote to Miller in a close race. After the election, Tory helped Miller and Hall raise funds to repay their campaign debts.
Election results as a mayoral candidate
Leader of the Ontario PC Party
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:...
announced his intention to resign from that post. The provincial PC leadership election
Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2004
On January 23, 2004, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader Ernie Eves announced his intention to step down as leader before the fall of 2004. Eves was elected party leader in the party's 2002 leadership election, and became Premier of Ontario...
was announced for September 18, 2004, and Tory made his candidacy official on May 6, 2004. John Laschinger was appointed to be Tory's campaign manager. Tory won the support of former provincial 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 :...
ministers Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...
, David Tsubouchi
David Tsubouchi
is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.-Education:...
, Jim Wilson, Janet Ecker
Janet Ecker
Janet Ecker is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a senior cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.-Background:...
, Chris Hodgson
Chris Hodgson
Chris Hodgson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1994 to 2003, and a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves...
, Cam Jackson
Cam Jackson
Cameron "Cam" Jackson is a Canadian politician. A Progressive Conservative, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1985, and held the office of Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington until his resignation on September 28, 2006 to run for mayor of Burlington in the...
, Phil Gillies and Bob Runciman
Bob Runciman
Robert William "Bob" Runciman is a veteran Canadian politician and former provincial Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature. First elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, he held the seat continuously for Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario for the next 29 years...
as well as backbench Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) Norm Miller
Norm Miller
Norm Miller is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka for the Progressive Conservatives...
, Laurie Scott, Ted Arnott
Ted Arnott
Theodore Calvin Arnott is a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the district of Wellington—Halton Hills....
and John O'Toole
John O'Toole
John O'Toole is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, representing the riding of Durham for the Progressive Conservative Party....
.
Tory's opponents for the leadership post were former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
and Oak Ridges MPP Frank Klees
Frank Klees
Frank Klees is a Canadian politician and the Progressive Conservative member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Newmarket—Aurora north of Toronto. He was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election placing second behind victor Tim Hudak.-Early life:Klees was born...
, both from the right-wing faction of the party. Tory positioned himself as a centrist candidate, and defeated Flaherty 54% to 46% on the second ballot. When Flaherty later left provincial politics to seek a seat 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 member of the Conservative Party of Canada
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...
, Tory endorsed his former rival 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:...
; Flaherty was elected and was appointed Finance Minister
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
. Tory also campaigned prominently with Flaherty's wife Christine Elliott
Christine Elliott
Christine Janice Elliott is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a byelection on March 30, 2006. Elliott was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election and came in third place behind winner Tim Hudak and runner-up Frank...
in the provincial by-election held March 30, enabling her to win the seat formerly held by her husband.
Tory told the media in November 2004 that he would seek election to the legislature
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...
in time for the spring 2005 legislative session. On December 7, 2004, the Ontario Liberal Party
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...
announced that it would run a candidate against Tory in a by-election. This caused some controversy as the Liberal and Conservative parties in Canada have historically allowed major party leaders who do not have a parliamentary seat to enter the legislature unopposed, though this has been broken in recent years and the NDP have never followed such an unwritten rule.
On January 31, 2005, after much public speculation and some delay, Ernie Eves resigned his seat and cleared the way for Tory to run in Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2004.-Federal electoral district:...
, the safest Conservative seat in the province. As a "parachute candidate", Tory faced some criticism about his commitment to the riding. Nevertheless, he easily won the March 17, 2005 by-election with 56% of the vote. Former Premier Davis appeared for Tory's first session in the legislature as Progressive Conservative leader.
2007 Ontario general election
In the 2007 general election, Tory ran in the Toronto riding of Don Valley WestDon 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....
, the area where he grew up, raised his family and lived most of his life.
Tory released his platform on June 9, 2007. The platform, A Plan for a Better Ontario, commits a PC government to eliminate the health care tax introduced by the previous government, put scrubbers on coal-fired plants, address Ontario’s doctor shortage, allow new private health care partnerships provided services are paid by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan
Ontario Health Insurance Plan
The Ontario Health Insurance Plan is the government-run health insurance plan for the Canadian province of Ontario...
(OHIP), impose more penalties on illegal land occupations in response to the Caledonia land dispute
Caledonia land dispute
The current Grand River land dispute came to wide attention in Canada on February 28, 2006. On that date, protesters from the Six Nations of the Grand River began a demonstration to raise awareness about First Nation land claims in Ontario, Canada...
, fast-track the building of nuclear power plants, and invest the gas tax in public transit and roads. A costing of the platform released in August estimates the PC promises will cost an additional $14 billion over four years.
The PC campaign was formally launched on September 3. Most of the campaign was dominated by discussion of his plan to extend public funding to Ontario’s faith-based schools. Earlier in the year, indications were that the party would have been a strong contender to win the election, but the school funding promise resulted in the Liberals regaining the lead in popular support for the duration of the campaign. Later in the campaign, in the face of heavy opposition, Tory promised a free vote
Conscience vote
A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party....
on the issue.
With the beginning of the official campaign period on September 10, the PC campaign made clear its intention to make the previous government’s record a key issue. In particular, Tory focused on the Liberals' 2003 election and 2004 pre-budget promise not to raise taxes and their subsequent imposition of a health care tax.
On election night, Tory was defeated in Don Valley West by the incumbent MPP, Ontario 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...
Education Minister
Ministry of Education (Ontario)
The Ministry of Education is the agency of the Ontario government in the Canadian province of Ontario responsible for government policy, funding, curriculum planning and direction in all levels of public education, including elementary and secondary schools.This Ministry is responsible for...
Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen O. Wynne is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Don Valley West for the Liberal Party.-Background:...
. Although Tory was defeated in both his riding of Don Valley West and the race for the premiership, he said that he would stay on as leader unless the party wanted him to resign.
Leading from outside the legislature
As a result of the election loss, the party decided to hold a leadership review vote at its 2008 general party meeting in London. Tory received 66.9 percent support, lower than internal tracking which showed him in the more comfortable 70 percent range. Three hours after the leadership review vote, Tory announced to the delegates that he would be staying on as leader. He came under heavy criticism from several party members following this delay, with his opponents signalling that they will continue to call for an end to what they called his 'weak' leadership. Other party members supported Tory, saying that his opponents should accept the results and move on.Throughout 2008, Tory's leadership of the party was perceived to be tenuous, as he faced widespread criticism for his seeming failure to convince a sitting MPP to resign in order to open a seat for him. Most notably, Bill Murdoch
Bill Murdoch
Bill Murdoch is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, and represents the riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound as a Progressive Conservative....
called for Tory to resign as party leader in September, resulting in his suspension from the party caucus on September 12. Six days later, Murdoch was permanently expelled from the party caucus. In December 2008, media pundits speculated that Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
would appoint Progressive Conservative MPP Bob Runciman
Bob Runciman
Robert William "Bob" Runciman is a veteran Canadian politician and former provincial Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature. First elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, he held the seat continuously for Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario for the next 29 years...
to the Senate to create a vacancy for Tory, but Harper did not do so.
On January 9, 2009, Progressive Conservative MPP Laurie Scott announced her resignation from the legislature, allowing Tory to run in the resulting by-election in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock (provincial electoral district)
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock is a provincial electoral district in Central Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario....
. In exchange for agreeing to resign, Scott will serve as chair of the party's election preparedness committee until the 2011 election
Ontario general election, 2011
The 40th Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011 to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party will form a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New...
. On March 5, 2009, he lost the by-election to Liberal Rick Johnson
Rick Johnson (politician)
Rick Johnson is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a by-election on March 5, 2009, defeating Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader John Tory in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock. He is a member of the Liberal Party.-Background:Before entering...
. Tory announced his resignation as party leader the next day and was subsequently replaced as leader by Niagara West—Glanbrook
Niagara West—Glanbrook
Niagara West—Glanbrook is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.The riding was created in 2003 from parts of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot,...
PC MPP Tim Hudak
Tim Hudak
Timothy Patrick "Tim" Hudak is a politician in Ontario, Canada, and the Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario . He also serves as member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of Niagara West—Glanbrook.-Background:Tim Hudak was born in Fort Erie, Ontario...
at the 2009 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election, 2009
On March 6, 2009, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader John Tory announced his intention to step down as leader following his defeat in a by-election. Tory was elected party leader in the party's 2004 leadership election, and led the party to defeat in the 2007 provincial election in...
.
Return to broadcasting
Several weeks following the end of his political career Tory announced that he was returning to his first love, broadcasting, to host a Sunday evening phone-in showTalk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
on Toronto talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station CFRB. The John Tory Show simulcast on CHAM
Cham
Cham may refer to:*Cham Albanians, also spelled as Çam, a people originating in northern Greece of Albanian descent*Cham , a people living in Vietnam and Cambodia**Cham language, the language of the Cham people...
in Hamilton
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...
and CKTB in St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
. He is also looking for opportunities in business, law or the non-profit sector.
In the fall of 2009, CFRB moved Tory to its Monday to Friday afternoon slot, for a new show, Live Drive, which now airs from 4pm to 7pm. The show first broadcast on October 5, 2009.
2010 mayoral run speculation
Tory was considering challenging incumbent Mayor of Toronto David Miller in the 2010 municipal electionToronto municipal election, 2010
The 2010 Toronto municipal election was held on October 25, 2010 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Canada. 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 and...
as was Deputy Premier of Ontario George Smitherman
George Smitherman
George Smitherman is a Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...
. On September 25, 2009, Miller announced he was not running for re-election. Tory announced on January 7 that he was not running in order to continue his radio show and also become head of the Toronto City Summit Alliance
Toronto City Summit Alliance
CivicAction is a coalition of civic leaders in the Toronto region...
. On August 5, 2010, after a week of press speculation that he was about to re-enter the race, Tory confirmed that he would not be running in 2010 for Mayor of Toronto.
Election results
|-
|Rick Johnson
Rick Johnson (politician)
Rick Johnson is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a by-election on March 5, 2009, defeating Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader John Tory in Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock. He is a member of the Liberal Party.-Background:Before entering...
|align="right"|15,482
|align="right"|43.73
|align="right"|
|-
|John Tory
|align="right"|14,576
|align="right"|41.17
|align="right"|
|-
|Mike Schreiner
Mike Schreiner
Mike Schreiner is the leader of the Green Party of Ontario . Professionally, he is a small business advocate, entrepreneur and food policy expert. Schreiner was the party's candidate in the Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock by-election on March 5, 2009...
|align="right"|2,352
|align="right"|6.64
|align="right"|
|-
|Lyn Edwards
|align="right"|2,117
|align="right"|5.98
|align="right"|
|-
|Jason Taylor
|align="right"|320
|align="right"|0.90
|align="right"|
|-
|Jake Pothaar
|align="right"|258
|align="right"|0.73
|align="right"|
|-
|Bill Denby
|align="right"|140
|align="right"|0.40
|align="right"|
|-
|John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the Guinness Book of Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost having contested 75 elections and lost 74...
|align="right"|92
|align="right"|0.26
|align="right"|
|-
|Paolo Fabrizio
|align="right"|71
|align="right"|0.20
|align="right"|
|-
|}
|-
|Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen O. Wynne is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Don Valley West for the Liberal Party.-Background:...
|align="right"|23,059
|align="right"|50.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|John Tory
|align="right"|18,136
|align="right"|39.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Adrian Walker
|align="right"|2,202
|align="right"|4.8
|align="right"| -
|-
|Mike Kenny
|align="right"|2,135
|align="right"|4.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Daniel Kidd
|align="right"|183
|align="right"|0.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
|John Tory
|15,610
|56.3
|-
|Bob Duncanson
|4,625
|16.7
|-
|Lynda McDougall
|3,881
|14.0
|-
|Frank de Jong
Frank de Jong
Frank de Jong, is a Canadian politician, environmentalist and elementary school teacher at Fern Avenue Public School...
|2,767
|10.0
|-
|Paul Micelli
|479
|1.7
|-
|William Cook
|163
|0.6
|-
|Philip Bender
|135
|0.5
|-
|John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the Guinness Book of Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost having contested 75 elections and lost 74...
|85
|0.3
|-