Frank Baylis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frank Baylis
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Baylis at an annual BBQ greeting constituents
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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 |
| Alma mater | University of Waterloo |
| Profession | Politician, Businessman |
Frank Baylis (born November 15, 1962) is a Canadian businessperson and politician. He was elected to represent the area of Pierrefonds—Dollard in the House of Commons of Canada. This happened during the 2015 Canadian federal election. He served as a Member of Parliament until 2019. In January 2025, he announced he wants to become the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Baylis is currently the Executive Chairman of Baylis Medical Technologies. This company creates, designs, develops, and sells medical equipment.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
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. Francoise Baylis, Dr. Peter Baylis, and Dr. Penny Baylis.
He grew up mostly in the Greater Montreal area. He also spent some of his youth living in Toronto. Frank Baylis went to the University of Waterloo. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1986. He graduated with high marks.
Business Adventures
Before becoming a politician, Frank Baylis worked in manufacturing and consulting. He has also been involved in making movies.
Baylis Medical Company
Frank Baylis's mother, Gloria Baylis, started Baylis Medical Company in the early 1980s. She was a nurse and ran the business from their home. In 1986, the company officially became Baylis Medical. It started by importing and selling medical devices.
Frank Baylis joined the company in 1989 to help with selling products. He became its president in 1989 and stayed in that role until 2015. Over time, the company began to create and sell its own medical devices. They focused on heart procedures and pain relief.
In 2009, Baylis Medical sold its pain management part to Kimberly-Clark. In 2015, they sold another system, OsteoCool™, to Medtronic. Baylis Medical then worked with Medtronic to improve this system. They also made the OsteoCool™ product at their factory in Mississauga, Ontario.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada in 2020, a group called Ventilators for Canadians (V4C) planned to make ventilators. These were urgently needed for hospitals. Baylis Medical helped by manufacturing these ventilators. Some people in the media and other political parties asked questions. They wondered if there was a conflict of interest because Frank Baylis used to be a Member of Parliament.
However, an official investigation found that Frank Baylis was no longer a Member of Parliament. This meant he was not subject to the rules for current Members. The contract was also not made directly with him. Frank Baylis stated that he did not try to influence anyone to get the contract.
In October 2021, Baylis Medical agreed to sell its heart device business to Boston Scientific. This sale was for a large amount of money, US$1.75 billion. The deal was completed in February 2022. News reports said that Frank Baylis and his partner Kris Shah owned the company without debt. They were called very successful medical device business owners in Canada.
Under Frank Baylis's leadership, Baylis Medical grew a lot. It had about 874 employees and offices in several cities. These included Montreal, Toronto, Boston, London (UK), and Munich. In 2023, the company's yearly income was estimated at $219.4 million USD.
Baylis Medical Technologies is a separate company. It focuses on other medical areas like radiology and neurology. Frank Baylis is still the Executive Chairman of its board of directors.
OME Group Inc.
In 1991, Frank Baylis also helped start the OME Group with Kris Shah. This company offered special tax consulting services to businesses in Canada. Frank Baylis was the Vice President of OME Group. He managed all business in the Montreal office from 1991 to 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 movies that are entertaining and often have social or environmental messages. Their goal is to help people discover different cultures.
Baylis helped write, produce, and even acted in the film Transit (2008). He also wrote and was an executive producer for Generation Wolf (2016). More recently, he is the executive producer of Undocumented (Sin papeles). This film is about an activist from Mexico. It won an award at the Seattle Latino Film Festival in 2023. In May 2024, Righteous Films released a documentary called My Friend Omar: The Battle of a Seasonal Worker. Baylis was an associate producer for this film.
Political Journey
On November 18, 2014, Frank Baylis was chosen by the Liberal Party of Canada. He became their candidate for the area of Pierrefonds—Dollard.
On October 19, 2015, Baylis won the election in Pierrefonds-Dollard. He received 58.7% of the votes. After winning, Baylis joined the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. He also led the Canada—United-Kingdom Inter-Parliamentary Association.
Baylis is now a candidate in the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election. This election will choose the next leader of the party after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau steps down.
Personal Life
Baylis lives in the West Island area of Montreal. He is married and has three children.
Awards and Recognitions
Frank Baylis has received many awards for his business success and his charity work.
- In 2024, he won The Harry Jerome Award for business. This award celebrates excellence within the African-Canadian community.
- In 2022, Baylis was a finalist for the Bloom Burton Awards. These awards honor people who have greatly helped Canada's healthcare industry.
- In 2022, Baylis Medical and Boston Scientific were nominated for a Prix Galien USA Award. This award recognizes great improvements in medical research.
- In 2022, Baylis received an Alpha 2022 Business Personalities award.
- In 2014, Baylis and his business partner Kris Shah received an award from the University of Waterloo. It was for their important work in medical technology.
- In 2012, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. This was for his community involvement and service.
- In 2011, Baylis and Kris Shah won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award for health services in Quebec.
- When he was younger, Baylis received the Chief Scout's Award (Scouts Canada). This is the highest award given by Scouts Canada. It recognizes skills in outdoor activities, leadership, and helping the community.
Images for kids
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Baylis at an annual BBQ greeting constituents
