Peter John North
Encyclopedia
Peter John North is a politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He was elected to two terms in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, where he served from 1990 to 1999.
North graduated from high school in 1979 and worked as a building contractor. He was first elected to the legislature in the 1990 Ontario election
as the New Democratic Party
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Elgin, defeating incumbent Liberal
Marietta Roberts
by over 4,000 votes. As one of the few NDP MPPs to represent a rural constituency in southern Ontario, North was appointed to Bob Rae
's cabinet
as Minister of Tourism and Recreation on October 1, 1990. He resigned as tourism minister in November 1992 after allegations he had offered a government job to a woman with whom he was having an unconsummated affair. An investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police
found no evidence of wrongdoing, but North was not returned to cabinet by Rae.
North resigned from the NDP in August 1993 and declared his intention to join the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. He did not discuss this with the Progressive Conservatives in advance, however, and was told that he would have to get the support of the PC riding association in Elgin before he would be accepted by the party. North then sat as an independent.
North was re-elected in the 1995 provincial election
, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Jim Williams by nearly 2,000 votes, becoming the first MPP in the province to be elected as an independent candidate since 1934. He had no formal legislative responsibilities from 1995 to 1997, and made only minor contributions to legislative debate.
North did not seek re-election in 1999
, clearing the way for PC incumbent Bruce Smith to run (unsuccessfully) in the redistributed riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London. In July 1999, North was appointed co-ordinator of Community Sport and Recreation Development by the Tory government.
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 elected to two terms in 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...
, where he served from 1990 to 1999.
North graduated from high school in 1979 and worked as a building contractor. He was first elected to the legislature in the 1990 Ontario election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
as the New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Elgin, defeating incumbent 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...
Marietta Roberts
Marietta Roberts
Marietta Roberts is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990....
by over 4,000 votes. As one of the few NDP MPPs to represent a rural constituency in southern Ontario, North was appointed to Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's 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 :...
as Minister of Tourism and Recreation on October 1, 1990. He resigned as tourism minister in November 1992 after allegations he had offered a government job to a woman with whom he was having an unconsummated affair. An investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
found no evidence of wrongdoing, but North was not returned to cabinet by Rae.
North resigned from the NDP in August 1993 and declared his intention to join the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. He did not discuss this with the Progressive Conservatives in advance, however, and was told that he would have to get the support of the PC riding association in Elgin before he would be accepted by the party. North then sat as an independent.
North was re-elected in the 1995 provincial election
Ontario 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 Progressive Conservative candidate Jim Williams by nearly 2,000 votes, becoming the first MPP in the province to be elected as an independent candidate since 1934. He had no formal legislative responsibilities from 1995 to 1997, and made only minor contributions to legislative debate.
North did not seek re-election in 1999
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....
, clearing the way for PC incumbent Bruce Smith to run (unsuccessfully) in the redistributed riding of Elgin—Middlesex—London. In July 1999, North was appointed co-ordinator of Community Sport and Recreation Development by the Tory government.