Nelson Riis
Encyclopedia
Nelson Andrew Riis currently a businessman and is a former Canadian
politician and New Democratic Party
(NDP) Member of Parliament
(MP).
Riis graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.Ed, and MA( Geography). He is married to Penny with two grown sons, Nils and Jon.
Mr Riis currently is the Corporate Ambassador for Canadian Rockport Homes International Inc.(www.canadianrockport.com). He is co-founder of the corporation and has held a number of senior positions within the Company including President, Vice-President, VP Investor Relations and a member of the Company's Board of Directors.
A geographer
and teacher by profession, Riis taught in public schools and at the post-secondary level. He taught at what is presently known as Thompson Rivers University and served as Chair of Social Sciences for ten years. He served as an alderman
in Kamloops, British Columbia
from 1973 to 1978, and as a school trustee from 1978 until 1980. He was director of the Thompson Nicola Regional District. Riis was very active in Kamloops and surrounding communities and was named as honorary member in many organizations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1980 federal election
. He served as House Leader
from 1986 to 1996, and as Critic
for Finance for a number of years. He also served as caucus
chair from 1996 until his defeat in the 2000 federal election
. During this period he hosted a weekly television program, spoke at Party functions throughout Canada, served on a wide range of Parliamentary Committees and wrote a weekly column for five BC newspapers.
On the conservative wing of the social democratic
NDP, Riis was a contributing author to a report by the libertarian
think tank Fraser Institute
on how to spend the fiscal surplus. He championed small business concerns in the NDP and founded a small business caucus. His primary area of interest and expertize was in the area of finance.
Riis was rumoured at various times in the 1980s to have been offered cabinet positions in the Brian Mulroney
government if he were willing to cross the floor
and join the Progressive Conservative Party
.
During his Parliamentary career he introduced legislation formally making ice hockey
Canada's winter sport which was eventually signed into law. Shortly after the August 9, 1988 trade that saw Wayne Gretzky be traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, Riis emphatically demanded that the government block it. Riis issued a press release about the Wayne Gretzky
trade, suggesting that the Canadian Federal Government ought to do something to prevent Gretzky from leaving.
He was only one of a handful of NDP MPs to survive the 1993 federal election.
From 2000 though late 2005, Riis was "Vice-President, Investor and Government Relations, Director" of Canadian Rockport Homes International, Inc.http://www.canadianrockport.com/, a company that builds low-cost, quality, modular housing in developing nations. He resigned those positions on November 22, 2005 and now serves as Rockport's Global Ambassador and is focused on the Company's overseas expansion. http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1136263/000106299305003030/form8k.htm As of 2010, he is working as a Long Term Care Planning Specialist in Ottawa.http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/02/seen-on-the-hill-nelson-riis.html
His hobbies include canoeing, landscape painting, music, reading and travel.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) 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).
Riis graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.Ed, and MA( Geography). He is married to Penny with two grown sons, Nils and Jon.
Mr Riis currently is the Corporate Ambassador for Canadian Rockport Homes International Inc.(www.canadianrockport.com). He is co-founder of the corporation and has held a number of senior positions within the Company including President, Vice-President, VP Investor Relations and a member of the Company's Board of Directors.
A geographer
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and teacher by profession, Riis taught in public schools and at the post-secondary level. He taught at what is presently known as Thompson Rivers University and served as Chair of Social Sciences for ten years. He served as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in Kamloops, British Columbia
Kamloops, British Columbia
Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the location of the regional district's offices. The surrounding region is more commonly...
from 1973 to 1978, and as a school trustee from 1978 until 1980. He was director of the Thompson Nicola Regional District. Riis was very active in Kamloops and surrounding communities and was named as honorary member in many organizations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.
He was first 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 the 1980 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
. He served as House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
from 1986 to 1996, and as Critic
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
for Finance for a number of years. He also served as caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
chair from 1996 until his defeat in the 2000 federal election
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....
. During this period he hosted a weekly television program, spoke at Party functions throughout Canada, served on a wide range of Parliamentary Committees and wrote a weekly column for five BC newspapers.
On the conservative wing of the social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
NDP, Riis was a contributing author to a report by the libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
think tank Fraser Institute
Fraser Institute
The Fraser Institute is a Canadian think tank. It has been described as politically conservative and right-wing libertarian and espouses free market principles...
on how to spend the fiscal surplus. He championed small business concerns in the NDP and founded a small business caucus. His primary area of interest and expertize was in the area of finance.
Riis was rumoured at various times in the 1980s to have been offered cabinet positions in the 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...
government if he were willing to cross the floor
Crossing the floor
In politics, crossing the floor has two meanings referring to a change of allegiance in a Westminster system parliament.The term originates from the British House of Commons, which is configured with the Government and Opposition facing each other on rows of benches...
and join the Progressive Conservative Party
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....
.
During his Parliamentary career he introduced legislation formally making ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
Canada's winter sport which was eventually signed into law. Shortly after the August 9, 1988 trade that saw Wayne Gretzky be traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings, Riis emphatically demanded that the government block it. Riis issued a press release about the Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
trade, suggesting that the Canadian Federal Government ought to do something to prevent Gretzky from leaving.
He was only one of a handful of NDP MPs to survive the 1993 federal election.
From 2000 though late 2005, Riis was "Vice-President, Investor and Government Relations, Director" of Canadian Rockport Homes International, Inc.http://www.canadianrockport.com/, a company that builds low-cost, quality, modular housing in developing nations. He resigned those positions on November 22, 2005 and now serves as Rockport's Global Ambassador and is focused on the Company's overseas expansion. http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1136263/000106299305003030/form8k.htm As of 2010, he is working as a Long Term Care Planning Specialist in Ottawa.http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/02/seen-on-the-hill-nelson-riis.html
His hobbies include canoeing, landscape painting, music, reading and travel.