Joy Smith
Encyclopedia
Joy Ann Smith is a Canadian
politician. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
between 1999 and 2003, and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in 2004.
, Manitoba
. She holds a Master's Degree
in Education from the University of Manitoba
(majoring in Math and Science), and a music diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music
in Toronto
. She worked as a teacher for twenty-one years before entering political life, and in 1986 received the Hedley Award for Excellence in Research. During the 1990s, she served as a liaison for private and home-schooling groups.
Smith is also an entrepreneur. She published a best selling book entitled Lies My Kid's Teacher Told Me in 1996, and a follow-up entitled, Tools of the Trade a few years later. She was also the owner of Gem Records for a time. In 1996, she was nominated for Manitoba's Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award.
, as a Progressive Conservative
candidate in the south-central Winnipeg constituency of Fort Garry. Running under the banner of popular Premier Gary Filmon's PCs, she defeated New Democrat
Lawrie Cherniack by thirty votes, in one of the closest constituency races of the campaign. The New Democratic Party won the election, and Smith served as the Progressive Conservative critic for education and justice.
Fort Garry was a top NDP target in the 2003 election
, and Smith lost the constituency to New Democrat Kerri Irvin-Ross
by eighty-seven votes.
, Smith campaigned as a Conservative
candidate in the north Winnipeg riding of Kildonan—St. Paul
. She had previously been nominated as a candidate of the Canadian Alliance
, where she was the Manitoba organizer for Stockwell Day's bid for leadership, before that party merged with the Progressive Conservatives
in 2003-04.
Smith narrowly defeated Liberal
candidate Terry Duguid
, 13,582 votes to 13,304. Smith was named Manitoba caucus chair, giving her a seat on the Conservative Party's Planning and Priorities Committee.
In 2007, Smith introduced a private member's bill
called the Clean Internet Act (Bill C-427), that in her words would "... prevent the use of the Internet to distribute child pornography, material that advocates, promotes or incites racial hatred, and material that portrays or promotes violence against women."
Part of the bill proposes a "know your subscriber" requirement for ISPs and would mandate them to deny Internet access to offenders. Also, it proposes to give special searching powers to the Ministry of Industry. The above features have led it to be criticized as something that "... would not look out-of-place in countries that aggressively censor the Internet."
In 2006, Smith introduced a private member's bill, asking parliamentarians to condemn human trafficking and come up with a comprehensive plan to combat the problem.
In 2004, Smith was selected to be part of the Canadian delegation assigned to travel to Ukraine
and observe a court-ordered repeat of the second round of voting the Ukraine presidential election
She is also a committee member on the Status of Women Group, Ukrainian-Canadian Parliamentary Group, Canada-Israel Parliamentary Group and Canada-USA Relations
Parliamentary Group.
In 2002, as justice critic for the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives, she spoke against a bill which provided adoption rights to same-sex couples in that province. Smith argued that her party did not oppose same-sex adoption rights as such, but that the proposed legislation was flawed. In a June 2005 parliamentary debate on same-sex marriage
, she stated that, "If (her daughter) decides to get married, she will know that the meaning of marriage is the union of a man and a woman. If she chooses otherwise, it will be her choice." The result of the bill, she said, would be to "cause marriage to just go away with the stroke of a pen." She also claimed the bill was discriminatory against married couples. The Toronto Star
reported that Smith broke down in tears during the debate.
Smith defeated Duguid again by a significantly larger plurality in the 2006 federal election
, as the Conservatives won a national minority government
. Smith along with the Conservative government were re-elected in the October 2008 federal election
to another minority government.
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. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
between 1999 and 2003, and was elected to 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...
in 2004.
Education and business career
Smith was born in DeloraineDeloraine, Manitoba
Deloraine is a farming town in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is situated near the Turtle Mountains in the southwestern corner of the province. Located in the Westman Region, the town is 100 kilometres south of Brandon, the region's largest centre...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. She holds 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 Education from the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
(majoring in Math and Science), and a music diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music
Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto)
The Royal Conservatory of Music, also known as The Royal Conservatory, is one of the largest and most respected music education institutions in the world...
in 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...
. She worked as a teacher for twenty-one years before entering political life, and in 1986 received the Hedley Award for Excellence in Research. During the 1990s, she served as a liaison for private and home-schooling groups.
Smith is also an entrepreneur. She published a best selling book entitled Lies My Kid's Teacher Told Me in 1996, and a follow-up entitled, Tools of the Trade a few years later. She was also the owner of Gem Records for a time. In 1996, she was nominated for Manitoba's Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Career in provincial politics
Smith was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the 1999 provincial electionManitoba general election, 1999
The Manitoba general election of September 21, 1999 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada....
, as a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
candidate in the south-central Winnipeg constituency of Fort Garry. Running under the banner of popular Premier Gary Filmon's PCs, she defeated New Democrat
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
Lawrie Cherniack by thirty votes, in one of the closest constituency races of the campaign. The New Democratic Party won the election, and Smith served as the Progressive Conservative critic for education and justice.
Fort Garry was a top NDP target in the 2003 election
Manitoba general election, 2003
The Manitoba general election held on June 3, 2003 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the New Democratic Party, which won 35 seats out of 57. The Progressive Conservative Party finished second with twenty seats...
, and Smith lost the constituency to New Democrat Kerri Irvin-Ross
Kerri Irvin-Ross
Kerri Irvin-Ross is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. She is a current member of the Manitoba legislature.Irvin-Ross defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent Joy Smith by 3852 votes to 3765 in the general election.-External Links:...
by eighty-seven votes.
Career in federal politics
In the 2004 federal electionCanadian 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...
, Smith campaigned as a Conservative
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...
candidate in the north Winnipeg riding of Kildonan—St. Paul
Kildonan—St. Paul
Kildonan—St. Paul is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.It consists of the far northern end of Winnipeg and the rural municipalities of East St. Paul and West St. Paul....
. She had previously been nominated as a candidate 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...
, where she was the Manitoba organizer for Stockwell Day's bid for leadership, before that party merged with the Progressive Conservatives
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....
in 2003-04.
Smith narrowly defeated 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 Terry Duguid
Terry Duguid
Terry Duguid is a politician and activist and executive in Manitoba, Canada. He has campaigned for elected office at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, and was served as a City Councillor in Winnipeg between 1989-1995...
, 13,582 votes to 13,304. Smith was named Manitoba caucus chair, giving her a seat on the Conservative Party's Planning and Priorities Committee.
In 2007, Smith introduced a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
called the Clean Internet Act (Bill C-427), that in her words would "... prevent the use of the Internet to distribute child pornography, material that advocates, promotes or incites racial hatred, and material that portrays or promotes violence against women."
Part of the bill proposes a "know your subscriber" requirement for ISPs and would mandate them to deny Internet access to offenders. Also, it proposes to give special searching powers to the Ministry of Industry. The above features have led it to be criticized as something that "... would not look out-of-place in countries that aggressively censor the Internet."
In 2006, Smith introduced a private member's bill, asking parliamentarians to condemn human trafficking and come up with a comprehensive plan to combat the problem.
In 2004, Smith was selected to be part of the Canadian delegation assigned to travel to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and observe a court-ordered repeat of the second round of voting the Ukraine presidential election
She is also a committee member on the Status of Women Group, Ukrainian-Canadian Parliamentary Group, Canada-Israel Parliamentary Group and Canada-USA Relations
Canada-United States relations
Relations between Canada and the United States have spanned more than two centuries. This includes a shared British colonial heritage, warfare during the 1770s and 1812, and the eventual development of one of the most successful international relationships in the modern world...
Parliamentary Group.
In 2002, as justice critic for the Manitoba Progressive Conservatives, she spoke against a bill which provided adoption rights to same-sex couples in that province. Smith argued that her party did not oppose same-sex adoption rights as such, but that the proposed legislation was flawed. In a June 2005 parliamentary debate on 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...
, she stated that, "If (her daughter) decides to get married, she will know that the meaning of marriage is the union of a man and a woman. If she chooses otherwise, it will be her choice." The result of the bill, she said, would be to "cause marriage to just go away with the stroke of a pen." She also claimed the bill was discriminatory against married couples. The Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
reported that Smith broke down in tears during the debate.
Smith defeated Duguid again by a significantly larger plurality in the 2006 federal 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:...
, as the Conservatives won a national minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. Smith along with the Conservative government were re-elected in the October 2008 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
to another minority government.