Rafe Mair
Encyclopedia
Rafe Mair, born , is a lawyer, political commentator and former radio personality and politician in British Columbia
, Canada
.
Mair was born in Vancouver
, British Columbia
where he worked as a lawyer for many years.
His political career began in 1975, when he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) of the British Columbia Social Credit Party
representing the riding of Kamloops
. He held that seat until retiring from politics in 1981; the seat was taken over by Claude Richmond
. Mair served as a cabinet minister in the government of Premier
Bill Bennett
under a variety of portfolios including health and education. During the patriation
of the Constitution of Canada
, he was BC's chief delegate on constitutional matters.
In 1981, he left government and has since served as a radio talk show
host in Vancouver. In the early 1990s, he gained national notoriety and support alike for his role as an outspoken opponent of both the Meech Lake
and Charlottetown
constitutional accords.
Despite high ratings, his show was cancelled by CKNW in 2003, and he was subsequently hired at CKBD (600 AM), an oldies
station, to start a morning talk show. This job ended in late 2005. In the Fall of 2005 he became a regular commentary guest on Omni Television
's prime time current affairs program, The Standard (seen in Vancouver on CHNU-TV
). Mair contributed three commentaries a week until January 2006 when the Commentary segment of the program was axed. However, he has continued his relationship with The Standard, guest-hosting the program from time to time. He remains active as a regular columnist for a chain of community newspapers, the online magazine The Tyee
and often appears nationally as a political commentator for several outlets including CBC Radio.
He is an avid fisherman and he has become an outspoken critic of salmon farming
in BC. This often puts him at odds with former political colleagues and makes him allies with former political enemies such as the New Democratic Party of British Columbia
.
Although he has traditionally been considered a political conservative
, Mair's views have always been moderate on certain issues, notably the environment and social welfare. Disillusioned with the three mainstream federal parties, he has lately become a significant supporter of the Green Party
urging people to vote for them in recent federal and provincial elections. Though he shies away from endorsing entire parties, he still supports individual candidates, most recently including New Democrat
candidate Svend Robinson
in Vancouver Centre
.
For the British Columbia general election of 2009, Rafe Mair publicly stated that he voted NDP. Though he has written about a great many reasons why he thinks BC Premier Gordon Campbell has failed British Columbians, his biggest concern is that the BC Liberals are destroying the publicly owned utility, BC Hydro, and is giving British Columbia's water rights to international corporate interests.
Rafe Mair was the spokesperson for a group organized to fight private run of the river hydroelectric developments named Save Our Rivers.
Mair has authored several books on Canadian politics, including his memoir
s and a regular columnist at the online newsmagazine The Tyee.
Mair is currently a principal contributor to The Common Sense Canadian, a news and opinion site with a British Columbia focus. He currently hosts a program called The Search with Rafe Mair on Joy TV.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, 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...
.
Mair was born in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
where he worked as a lawyer for many years.
His political career began in 1975, when he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) of the British Columbia Social Credit Party
British Columbia Social Credit Party
The British Columbia Social Credit Party, whose members are known as Socreds, was the governing political party of British Columbia, Canada, for more than 30 years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election...
representing the riding of Kamloops
Kamloops (provincial electoral district)
Kamloops was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1903 to 2009. The provincial constituency should not be confused with the former federal electoral district of Kamloops, which encompassed a much larger area.For other ridings named Kamloops...
. He held that seat until retiring from politics in 1981; the seat was taken over by Claude Richmond
Claude Richmond
Claude Richmond is a former BC Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. He represented the riding of Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 and from 2001 to 2009....
. Mair served as a cabinet minister in the government of Premier
Premier (Canada)
In Canada, a premier is the head of government of a province or territory. There are currently ten provincial premiers and three territorial premiers in Canada....
Bill Bennett
Bill Bennett
William Richards Bennett, PC, OBC , commonly known as Bill Bennett, was the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is a son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of R.B...
under a variety of portfolios including health and education. During the patriation
Patriation
Patriation is a non-legal term used in Canada to describe a process of constitutional change also known as "homecoming" of the constitution. Up until 1982, Canada was governed by a constitution that was a British law and could be changed only by an Act of the British Parliament...
of the Constitution of Canada
Constitution of Canada
The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and uncodified traditions and conventions. It outlines Canada's system of government, as well as the civil rights of all Canadian citizens and those in Canada...
, he was BC's chief delegate on constitutional matters.
In 1981, he left government and has since served as a radio talk show
Talk 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....
host in Vancouver. In the early 1990s, he gained national notoriety and support alike for his role as an outspoken opponent of both the Meech Lake
Meech Lake Accord
The Meech Lake Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada negotiated in 1987 by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and ten provincial premiers. It was intended to persuade the government of the Province of Quebec to endorse the 1982 Canadian Constitution and increase...
and Charlottetown
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October 26 of that year, and was defeated.-Background:...
constitutional accords.
Despite high ratings, his show was cancelled by CKNW in 2003, and he was subsequently hired at CKBD (600 AM), an oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
station, to start a morning talk show. This job ended in late 2005. In the Fall of 2005 he became a regular commentary guest on Omni Television
OMNI Television
Omni Television, corporately styled as OMNI Television, is a Canadian television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications. It consists of the company's conventional television stations in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta which are licensed as multicultural stations...
's prime time current affairs program, The Standard (seen in Vancouver on CHNU-TV
CHNU-TV
CHNU-DT is an English language television station based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The station is licensed to the Fraser Valley Region, and also serves Metro Vancouver, Victoria and surrounding areas. CHNU is owned by ZoomerMedia, and is an owned and operated station of the Joytv...
). Mair contributed three commentaries a week until January 2006 when the Commentary segment of the program was axed. However, he has continued his relationship with The Standard, guest-hosting the program from time to time. He remains active as a regular columnist for a chain of community newspapers, the online magazine The Tyee
The Tyee
The Tyee is an independent Canadian online web magazine, which focuses on coverage of news and media issues in British Columbia.The Tyee was launched in November 2003 by David Beers, a journalist who had previously been associated with the Vancouver Sun...
and often appears nationally as a political commentator for several outlets including CBC Radio.
He is an avid fisherman and he has become an outspoken critic of salmon farming
Aquaculture of salmon
Salmon, along with carp, are the two most important fish groups in aquaculture. In 2007, the aquaculture of salmon and salmon trout was worth US$10.7 billion. The most commonly farmed salmon is the Atlantic salmon. Other commonly farmed fish groups include tilapia, catfish, sea bass, bream and...
in BC. This often puts him at odds with former political colleagues and makes him allies with former political enemies such as the New Democratic Party of British Columbia
New Democratic Party of British Columbia
The New Democratic Party of British Columbia is a social-democratic political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party currently forms the official opposition to the governing British Columbia Liberal Party following the 2009 provincial election in British Columbia.The BC NDP is the provincial...
.
Although he has traditionally been considered a political conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, Mair's views have always been moderate on certain issues, notably the environment and social welfare. Disillusioned with the three mainstream federal parties, he has lately become a significant supporter of the Green Party
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
urging people to vote for them in recent federal and provincial elections. Though he shies away from endorsing entire parties, he still supports individual candidates, most recently including New Democrat
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...
candidate Svend Robinson
Svend Robinson
Svend Robinson is a former Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004, representing the suburban Vancouver-area constituency of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party...
in Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:...
.
For the British Columbia general election of 2009, Rafe Mair publicly stated that he voted NDP. Though he has written about a great many reasons why he thinks BC Premier Gordon Campbell has failed British Columbians, his biggest concern is that the BC Liberals are destroying the publicly owned utility, BC Hydro, and is giving British Columbia's water rights to international corporate interests.
Rafe Mair was the spokesperson for a group organized to fight private run of the river hydroelectric developments named Save Our Rivers.
Mair has authored several books on Canadian politics, including his memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
s and a regular columnist at the online newsmagazine The Tyee.
Mair is currently a principal contributor to The Common Sense Canadian, a news and opinion site with a British Columbia focus. He currently hosts a program called The Search with Rafe Mair on Joy TV.
Selected works
- Canada, is anyone listening? (1998) ISBN 1-55263-000-5
- Rants, raves and recollections (2000) ISBN 1-55285-145-1
- Rafe : a memoir (2004) ISBN 1-55017-319-7
- Hard talk (2005) ISBN 1-55017-374-X
- Over the Mountains: More Thoughts on Things that Matter (2006) ISBN 1-55017-371-5
Awards
- 1977 - Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Anniversary Medal
- 1993 - B.C. Association of Broadcasters "Broadcast Performer of the Year"
- 1995 - Haig-Brown Award for Conservation work
- 1995 - Received prestigious Michener Award from the Governor-General of Canada for courageous journalism, the first radio broadcaster to do so (nominated on two other occasions)
- 1997 - BC Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association “Media Person Of the Year”
- 1997 - National Canadian Mental Health Association Media Person of The Year (shared with Pamela Wallin)
- 1998 - BC Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association "Media person of The Year"
- 2003 - Bruce HutchisonBruce HutchisonWilliam Bruce Hutchison, was a Canadian author and journalist.Born in Prescott, Ontario, Hutchison was educated in public schools in Victoria, British Columbia. He married Dorothy Kidd McDiarmid in 1925, around the same time that he began his journalism career as a political reporter in Ottawa...
Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Jack WebsterJack WebsterJohn Edgar "Jack" Webster, CM was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, radio and television personality.-Life in the United Kingdom:...
Foundation - 2005 – Inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame
- 2005 – Named by readers poll of Georgia Straight (78,000 responses) as best talk show host in Vancouver