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 Garth Turner at a town hall meeting in Oakville, Ontario (2008) |
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| In office 2006 federal election – 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Carr |
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| Succeeded by | Lisa Raitt |
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| In office 1988 – 1993 |
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| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Julian Reed |
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| In office June 25, 1993 – 1993 federal election |
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| Prime Minister | Kim Campbell |
| Preceded by | Otto Jelinek |
| Succeeded by | David Anderson |
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| Born | March 14, 1949 Woodstock, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal (2007-present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Conservative (2006) Progressive Conservative (1988-1993) |
| Spouse | Dorothy Turner |
| Residence | Oakville, Ontario1 |
| Profession | Author, columnist, journalist, teacher |
John Garth Turner, PC, MP (born March 14, 1949) is a Canadian business journalist, broadcaster, and politician. A former member of the Progressive Conservative caucus, he returned to political life as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2006 federal election, beating Liberal Gary Carr in the riding of Halton, Ontario. On October 18, 2006, the Conservative Party suspended him from the Conservative caucus and he sat as an Independent MP until February 6, 2007, when he joined the Liberal Party of Canada.2 His great-grandfather, Ebenezer Vining Bodwell, was also a Liberal Member of Parliament.3 He was defeated in the 2008 election by Conservative Lisa Raitt.
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Early life and career
Turner was born in Woodstock, Ontario, and educated at the University of Toronto Schools. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Arts in English literature from the University of Western Ontario.
Before entering a career in politics, Turner was business editor of the Toronto Sun.
Progressive Conservative MP
Turner was elected as the Progressive Conservative (PC) MP for Halton—Peel in the 1988 election. A Red Tory, he became chairman of the consumer and corporate affairs committee. He became a candidate for the leadership of the PC Party in 1993, placing fourth on the first ballot, with 76 votes. In the short-lived cabinet of Kim Campbell he was appointed Minister of National Revenue, but lost his seat in the 1993 election when his party was reduced to just two seats.
Financial commentator
After his election loss, Turner returned to journalism, becoming business editor for Baton Broadcasting and authoring a series of books on real estate and personal finance. He became a popular public speaker on financial issues.
After parting with Baton, he formed the television production company Millennium Media Television, which became the largest independent producer of network television programming in Canada. In 2002, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television investigative news magazine Disclosure aired a report, "Paying for Time", alleging his Millennium Media Television programs sometimes broadcast unattributed quasi-infomercials.
Also during this period, Turner accepted work as a paid presenter to prospective clients for a variety of investment companies, which attracted the attention of the Ontario Securities Commission – Turner was never a registered investment advisor. The OSC launched an informal investigation of his activities, which was abandoned shortly afterwards.
Turner is former CEO and founder of The Credit River Company, a Caledon-based destination and ecotourism company that is noted for the restoration of heritage buildings in the area. Turner served as national director of the Vancouver-based Sierra Legal Defence Fund, an organization dedicated to upholding environmental laws, resigning after his return to the House of Commons.
In April 2008, Garth Turner added a new book to his library as a noted investment author. Greater Fool, The Troubled Future of Real Estate, details Turner's view of the dangers confronting middle class Canadians who reside in volatile urban real estate markets across the country.
Conservative MP
Turner returned to politics with his election as a Conservative MP for Halton, which included most of the territory he had represented in his previous term, in the general election in 2006. Local political organizer Esther Shaye acted as his campaign manager.
Turner was very critical of former Liberal cabinet minister David Emerson's floor-crossing to the Conservatives. Turner called for Emerson to resign from Parliament and try to regain his seat in a by-election, saying that "anyone who crosses the floor ultimately should go back to the people for ratification and I stick by it and hopefully in this case that will happen...." [2]
Liberal MP
On October 18, 2006, the Ontario members of the Conservative caucus voted to suspend Turner for what they claimed were violations of caucus confidentiality as published in his weblog. Within hours, Turner was dismissed from the Conservative Party caucus, and ultimately from the Conservative Party of Canada, by edict of the party's political leadership.
On October 19, 2006, the Toronto Star reported that Turner was being courted to become the first ever Green Party of Canada member of Parliament. Turner praised Green leader Elizabeth May on his blog and campaigned for her in her bid to win a seat in the London by-election.4 According to Turner's weblog, his constituents were consulted over a number of weeks, and various options for action were considered: that he remain an independent Member of Parliament with no party affiliation; that he reconcile with the Conservative party; or that he join the Green Party. After a period of introspection and deliberation, on February 6, 2007 Turner surprised many observers by joining the Liberal Party caucus at the invitation of its leader, Stéphane Dion.
The Conservative Party has criticized this decision as contrary to Turner's often-declared principle of electoral accountability to voters. In response, Turner repeatedly has offered to run in a by-election in his constituency of Halton, Ontario, should David Emerson and Wajid Khan (floor-crossing members in the Conservative caucus, each former Liberals) also run in by-elections in their constituencies held at the same time.
Footnotes
- ^ http://www.garth.ca/weblog/2008/08/31/wiki-this/ www.garth.ca - Wiki this
- ^ [1] Independent MP Garth Turner joins the Liberals, CBC, February 6, 2007
- ^ garth.ca blog entry
- ^ Maverick MP Turner resigns from Conservative party, CBC, November 14, 2006
External links
- Turner's official website and blog
- Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
- Profile in The Ottawa Citizen, February 2006
| 25th Ministry - Government of Kim Campbell | ||
| Cabinet Posts (1) | ||
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| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Otto Jelinek | Minister of National Revenue (June 25, 1993 – November 3, 1993) |
David Anderson |
| Parliament of Canada | ||
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| Preceded by riding created |
Member of Parliament for Halton—Peel 1988–1993 |
Succeeded by Julian Reed, Liberal |
| Preceded by Gary Carr, Liberal |
Member of Parliament for Halton 2006–2008 |
Succeeded by Lisa Raitt, Conservative |
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