Tim Murphy
Encyclopedia
Timothy John Murphy is a former politician
and was the chief of staff
of the Canadian
Prime Minister's Office under Paul Martin
's government.
degree from Queen's University
(1982) and a law degree from the University of Toronto
. He practiced law with Blake Cassels and Graydon before entering politics, and also served as a special advisor to Attorney-General Ian Scott and a senior advisor to Ontario Minister of Education Sean Conway
. In 1989-90, he ran the Ontario Campaign during Paul Martin
's first unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada
.
was called for April 1, 1993 to replace him. Murphy ran to succeed Scott as the Liberal
member for St. George—St. David, and was successful, defeating Progressive Conservative
Nancy Jackman by 2,232 votes.
St. George—St. David, which is now part of Toronto Centre—Rosedale, included the Church and Wellesley
neighbourhood, the largest gay village
in Ontario. Although Murphy is not himself gay, he soon emerged as a leading spokesperson in the Ontario legislature for progressive legislation pertaining to the rights of same-sex couples. He was one of only three Liberal MPPs, along with Jean Poirier
and Dianne Poole
, to support Bill 167, the Bob Rae
government's proposed same-sex benefits package in 1994, and was critical of Liberal leader Lyn McLeod
's decision to oppose the bill.
Murphy was defeated in the 1995 provincial election
, losing his seat to Progressive Conservative
Al Leach by 337 votes (New Democrat Brent Hawkes
was a close third, and many believe that it was only the Liberal-NDP vote split which allowed Leach to win).
, and served for a time as president of the Ontario Liberal Party. He supported Dwight Duncan
's bid for the Ontario party leadership in 1996.
On June 28, 2001, Murphy was hired by Canadian Finance Minister
Paul Martin as a senior political advisor. When Martin became Prime Minister in late 2003, he appointed Murphy as his chief of staff. Murphy was considered to be one of the most influential figures in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, helping formulate policy matters as well as coordinating meetings with ministers and departments and with foreign heads of state.
After the Martin government was defeated in the 2006 federal election
, Murphy returned to Toronto where he joined the law firm of McMillan Binch Mendelsohn. Murphy served as a political panelist on Global
's coverage of the 2006 Liberal leadership convention.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and was the chief of staff
Chief of Staff (Canada)
The Chief of Staff of Canada's Prime Minister's Office is the top official of the office. It was created in 1987 to head the Prime Minister's Office or PMO....
of the Canadian
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...
Prime Minister's Office under Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's government.
Background
Murphy obtained a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor 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 Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
(1982) and a law degree from 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...
. He practiced law with Blake Cassels and Graydon before entering politics, and also served as a special advisor to Attorney-General Ian Scott and a senior advisor to Ontario Minister of Education Sean Conway
Sean Conway
Sean Conway is a Canadian university professor and administrator. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson...
. In 1989-90, he ran the Ontario Campaign during Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's first unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada
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...
.
Politics
When Ian Scott resigned his legislative seat in late 1992, a by-electionBy-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
was called for April 1, 1993 to replace him. Murphy ran to succeed Scott as the 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...
member for St. George—St. David, and was successful, defeating Progressive Conservative
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...
Nancy Jackman by 2,232 votes.
St. George—St. David, which is now part of Toronto Centre—Rosedale, included the Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley
Church and Wellesley is an LGBT-oriented community located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Gerrard Street to the south, Yonge Street to the west, Charles Street to the north, and Jarvis Street to the east, with the core commercial strip located along Church Street from...
neighbourhood, the largest gay village
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
in Ontario. Although Murphy is not himself gay, he soon emerged as a leading spokesperson in the Ontario legislature for progressive legislation pertaining to the rights of same-sex couples. He was one of only three Liberal MPPs, along with Jean Poirier
Jean Poirier
Jean Poirier is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1984 to 1995.-Background:Poirier was educated at the University of Waterloo, receiving a B.E.S. degree in 1972...
and Dianne Poole
Dianne Poole
Dianne Poole is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995....
, to support Bill 167, the 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....
government's proposed same-sex benefits package in 1994, and was critical of Liberal leader Lyn McLeod
Lyn McLeod
Lyn McLeod is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2003. McLeod was a cabinet minister in the Liberal government of David Peterson from 1987 to 1990, and served as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 1992 to 1996.-Background - Pre...
's decision to oppose the bill.
Murphy was defeated 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...
, losing his seat to Progressive Conservative
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...
Al Leach by 337 votes (New Democrat Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes
Brent Hawkes, is a Canadian clergyman. Since 1977, he has served as senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for LGBT parishioners, and is one of Canada's leading gay rights activists....
was a close third, and many believe that it was only the Liberal-NDP vote split which allowed Leach to win).
Later life
He returned to practicing law with McCarthy TétraultMcCarthy Tétrault
McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a law firm with offices in Canada’s major commercial centres and in London, UK. It provides business law, litigation, tax, real estate, and labour and employment law services....
, and served for a time as president of the Ontario Liberal Party. He supported Dwight Duncan
Dwight Duncan
Dwight Duncan, MPP is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is the Minister of Finance in the government of Dalton McGuinty...
's bid for the Ontario party leadership in 1996.
On June 28, 2001, Murphy was hired by Canadian 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...
Paul Martin as a senior political advisor. When Martin became Prime Minister in late 2003, he appointed Murphy as his chief of staff. Murphy was considered to be one of the most influential figures in the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, helping formulate policy matters as well as coordinating meetings with ministers and departments and with foreign heads of state.
After the Martin government was defeated 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:...
, Murphy returned to Toronto where he joined the law firm of McMillan Binch Mendelsohn. Murphy served as a political panelist on Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
's coverage of the 2006 Liberal leadership convention.