Frank Baylis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Baylis
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Baylis in 2016
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| Member of Parliament for Pierrefonds—Dollard |
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| In office October 19, 2015 – September 11, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe |
| Succeeded by | Sameer Zuberi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 15, 1962 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Parent | Gloria Baylis (mother) |
| Relatives | Françoise Baylis (sister) |
| Alma mater | University of Waterloo |
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Frank Baylis (born November 15, 1962) is a Canadian businessman and politician. He was elected to represent the area of Pierrefonds—Dollard in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election. This is like being a representative for a specific area in the Canadian government. He did not run for re-election in 2019. In January 2025, he ran to become the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Baylis finished fourth in that election.
Baylis is currently the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for Baylis Medical Technologies. This company designs, develops, and distributes medical equipment.
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Early Life and Education
Frank Baylis's father, Richard Baylis, moved to Canada from the United Kingdom in 1956. His mother, Gloria Baylis, came from Barbados in 1952. Frank has three siblings: Dr. Françoise Baylis, Dr. Peter Baylis, and Dr. Penny Baylis.
Even though he grew up mostly in the Greater Montreal area, Baylis lived in Toronto for a while before going to university. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1986, graduating with high honors.
Business Career
Before he became a Member of Parliament, Frank Baylis worked in industrial manufacturing and consulting. More recently, he has also been involved in the entertainment industry.
Baylis Medical Company
Frank Baylis's mother, Gloria Baylis, who was a nurse, started Baylis Medical Company in the early 1980s. She ran the business from their family home. In 1986, Baylis Medical became an official company that imported and distributed medical devices.
Frank Baylis joined the company in 1989 to help with distribution. He served as its president from 1989 to 2015.
Company Growth and Sales
Starting in 1990, the company grew from just distributing products to creating and selling its own medical devices. They focused on areas like heart procedures (interventional cardiology) and pain management.
In 2009, Baylis Medical sold its pain management part of the business to Kimberly-Clark Corporation. At the end of 2015, they sold their OsteoCool™ RF Ablation System to Medtronic. After this sale, Baylis Medical worked with Medtronic to improve the system and continued to manufacture it.
Ventilator Production During COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada in 2020, a group of Canadian entrepreneurs called Ventilators for Canadians (V4C) planned to make ventilators for hospitals. Baylis Medical was involved as a manufacturing partner.
Because Frank Baylis was a former Member of Parliament, some people wondered if there was a conflict of interest. However, after looking into it, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner found that Frank Baylis was no longer a Member of Parliament, so the rules for current MPs did not apply to him. The contract was also not made directly with him. Frank Baylis stated that he did not try to influence anyone in the government to get the contract.
Sale to Boston Scientific
In October 2021, Baylis Medical agreed to sell its heart-related medical devices business to Boston Scientific Corporation for a large amount of money. This sale was completed in February 2022.
This sale showed how successful Frank Baylis and his business partner, Kris Shah, were. They had built a very successful company that had sold parts of its business to major U.S. companies multiple times. Under their leadership, Baylis Medical grew to have many employees and offices in different cities around the world.
Frank Baylis is now the executive chairman of Baylis Medical Technologies. This is a separate company that focuses on other medical areas and was not part of the sale to Boston Scientific.
OME Group Inc.
In 1991, Frank Baylis co-founded the OME Group with Kris Shah. This company helped businesses with scientific research and development tax consulting. Baylis was the Vice President and managed the Montreal office until 2011. The OME Group was sold to Ernst and Young in 2011.
Righteous Films
Since 2007, Baylis has been a producer with Righteous Films. This company makes films that are entertaining and often focus on social or environmental topics.
Baylis helped write, co-produce, and act in the film Transit (2008). He also wrote and was an executive producer for Generation Wolf (2016). More recently, he was the executive producer of Undocumented (Sin papeles) (2023), a film about an activist from Mexico. This film won an award at the Seattle Latino Film Festival. In May 2024, Righteous Films released a documentary called My Friend Omar: The Battle of a Seasonal Worker, with Baylis as an associate producer.
Political Career
On November 18, 2014, Frank Baylis was chosen to be the Liberal Party of Canada's candidate for the area of Pierrefonds—Dollard in Quebec.
On October 19, 2015, Baylis won the election in Pierrefonds-Dollard with 58.7% of the votes. After the election, Baylis joined the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. He also chaired the Canada—United-Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association.
He decided not to run for re-election in the 2019 Canadian federal election. Sameer Zuberi took his place. After leaving politics, Baylis returned to his business career.
Leadership Race in 2025
Baylis was a candidate in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, which happened after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned. He received just under 3% of the votes, finishing fourth. Mark Carney won the election. Even though Baylis finished last overall, he did very well in his old area of Pierrefonds—Dollard. He did not seek a seat in the 2025 Canadian federal election.
Personal Life
Baylis currently lives in the West Island area of Montreal. He is married and has three children.
Electoral Record
| Canadian federal election, 2015: Pierrefonds—Dollard | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Frank Baylis | 34,319 | 58.7 | +28.23 | – | |||
| Conservative | Valérie Assouline | 11,694 | 20.0 | -6.86 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe | 9,584 | 16.4 | -17.73 | – | |||
| Bloc Québécois | Natalie Laplante | 2,043 | 3.5 | -1.48 | – | |||
| Green | Abraham Weizfeld | 865 | 1.5 | -2.06 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 58,505 | 100.0 | $223,427.18 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 368 | – | – | |||||
| Turnout | 58,873 | 69.28 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 84,978 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | +22.98 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada | ||||||||
Awards and Honours
Frank Baylis has received many awards for his success in business and his work helping the community.
- In 2024, Baylis received The Harry Jerome Award for business. These awards celebrate excellence within the African-Canadian community.
- In 2022, Baylis was a finalist for the Bloom Burton Awards. These awards honor people who have made big contributions to Canada's healthcare industry.
- In 2022, Baylis Medical and Boston Scientific were nominated for a Prix Galien USA Award. These awards recognize great achievements in medical research that improve human health.
- In 2022, Baylis received an Alpha 2022 Business Personalities award from a local Chamber of Commerce.
- In 2014, Baylis and his business partner Kris Shah received an award from the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Engineering. This was for their important work in the medical technology industry.
- In 2012, Baylis received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. This medal is given to Canadians who have made significant contributions to their communities.
- In 2011, Baylis and Kris Shah received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for health services in Quebec from Ernst and Young.
- When he was younger, Baylis received the Chief Scout's Award (Scouts Canada). This is the highest award given by Scouts Canada, recognizing skills in outdoor activities, leadership, and community service.
