Peter North (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter North
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|
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1990–1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Marietta Roberts |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Constituency | Elgin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter John North
August 23, 1960 St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | New Democratic Party (1990-1993) Independent (1993-1999) |
| Spouse | Deneen North |
| Children | Jade Rogers, Cassidy North, Abi North |
| Residences | Southwold Township, Ontario |
| Occupation | Building contractor |
Peter John North (born August 23, 1960) is a former politician from Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999. During this time, he represented the area of Elgin in southwestern Ontario.
Peter North was part of the New Democratic Party for some years. He also served as a cabinet minister in the government led by Bob Rae. In 1993, he left the New Democratic Party. He then served as an independent member for seven years.
He was the first Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) of First Nations background ever elected in Ontario.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Peter North finished high school in 1979. After graduating, he worked as a building contractor. This means he managed construction projects.
Political Career
Joining the New Democrats
Peter North was elected to the provincial legislature in the 1990 Ontario election. He became a MPP for the Elgin area. He was part of the New Democratic Party. He won against the Liberal candidate, Marietta Roberts, by more than 4,000 votes.
Since he was one of the few New Democratic Party MPPs from a rural area in southern Ontario, he was given an important job. On October 1, 1990, he was appointed to Bob Rae's cabinet. He became the Minister of Tourism and Recreation.
He resigned from his role as tourism minister in November 1992. This happened after allegations were made about him offering a government job. An investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police looked into the matter. They found no evidence that he had done anything wrong. However, Peter North was not brought back into the cabinet by Bob Rae.
Serving as an Independent MPP
In August 1993, Peter North left the New Democratic Party. He announced that he wanted to join the Progressive Conservative Party. However, he had not discussed this with the party beforehand. He was told he needed to get support from the local party group in Elgin to be accepted.
Because of this, Peter North then served as an independent MPP. This means he was not officially part of any political party.
He was re-elected in the 1995 provincial election. He won against the Progressive Conservative candidate, Jim Williams, by almost 2,000 votes. This made him the first MPP in Ontario to be elected as an independent candidate since 1934. From 1995 to 1997, he did not have any formal duties in the legislature. He made only small contributions to the debates.
Peter North did not run for re-election in 1999. This allowed the Progressive Conservative candidate, Bruce Smith, to run in the new Elgin—Middlesex—London area. In July 1999, the government appointed Peter North as the co-ordinator for Community Sport and Recreation Development.
Later Career and Attempted Return
After leaving politics, Peter North went back to his old job as a building contractor. He based his business in Port Stanley, Ontario.
In 2011, he tried to return to politics. He sought to become the Progressive Conservative candidate for Elgin—Middlesex—London. However, he lost the nomination to Jeff Yurek. Jeff Yurek later went on to be elected as the MPP for that area.
External Links
- Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history
