Bill Vankoughnet
Encyclopedia
William John Vankoughnet (born January 7, 1943 in Kingston
, Ontario
) is a former politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He was a Progressive Conservative
member of the Canadian House of Commons
from 1979 to 1993, and a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1995 to 1999.
Vankoughnet was educated at Loyalist College
and Queen's University, and subsequently worked as a municipal administrator. He was also an active freemason and shriner, and is a life member of the Monarchist League of Canada
and the Royal Canadian Legion
.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1979 federal election
, defeating Liberal
Ron Vastokas by about 6,500 votes in the rural riding of Hastings—Frontenac
, near Kingston. He was re-elected over Vastokas by a narrower margin in the 1980 election
(which the Tories lost), and by a greater margin in the 1984 election
(which they won in a landslide) in the renamed riding of Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington. In the 1988 election
, he defeated Liberal Earl Smith by fewer than 1,000 votes. During his fourteen years in parliament, Vankoughnet never held an official legislative position. Unlike most Progressive Conservative MPs, Vankoughnet opposed the Meech Lake
constitutional accord.
The Progressive Conservatives lost all their Ontario seats in the 1993 federal election
, and Vankoughnet lost to Liberal Larry McCormick
by over 13,000 votes.
Vankoughnet was elected to the provincial legislature two years later, defeating Liberal
Peter Walker by about 2,000 votes in the riding of Frontenac—Addington
(incumbent New Democrat Fred Wilson was third). He was not initially appointed to the cabinet
of Mike Harris
, though there was some speculation concerning the possibility of a future promotion.
Vankoughnet's prospects for career advancement all but ended on May 1, 1996, when he was caught trying to buy sexual favours from an undercover police officer who was posing as a prostitute in the Parkdale
neighbourhood of Toronto. The charges were dropped when Vankoughnet agreed to attend a "john school". He was immediately dropped from the Progressive Conservative caucus, though he returned on September 23, 1996. Vankoughnet played only a minimal role in the legislature after this incident. Ironically, he was formally accepted into the exclusive Albany Club of Toronto on the same day as his arrest.
In 1996, the government of Mike Harris reduced the number of provincial ridings from 130 to 103. This forced a number of sitting MPPs to compete against one another for renomination. Vankoughnet, his reputation still damaged by the prostitute incident, lost the Progressive Conservative nomination in Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington to Harry Danford
in 1999.
Vankoughnet sought a political comeback in 2004 by challenging Scott Reid for the Conservative Party of Canada
nomination in Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington. The party refused to permit his candidacy, however, and Vankoughnet challenged Reid in the general election as an independent candidate. He received only 820 votes.
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
) is a former politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario, Canada
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...
. He was a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
member of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
from 1979 to 1993, and a 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...
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1995 to 1999.
Vankoughnet was educated at Loyalist College
Loyalist College
Loyalist College is an English-language community college in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.- History :...
and Queen's University, and subsequently worked as a municipal administrator. He was also an active freemason and shriner, and is a life member of the Monarchist League of Canada
Monarchist League of Canada
The Monarchist League of Canada is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is "to promote the full expression and a better understanding of the history and real benefits of a uniquely Canadian constitutional monarchy"....
and the Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1979 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
, defeating Liberal
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...
Ron Vastokas by about 6,500 votes in the rural riding of Hastings—Frontenac
Hastings—Frontenac
Hastings—Frontenac was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1953 to 1968, and from 1979 to 2004.-Constituency boundaries:...
, near Kingston. He was re-elected over Vastokas by a narrower margin in the 1980 election
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
(which the Tories lost), and by a greater margin in the 1984 election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
(which they won in a landslide) in the renamed riding of Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington. In the 1988 election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, he defeated Liberal Earl Smith by fewer than 1,000 votes. During his fourteen years in parliament, Vankoughnet never held an official legislative position. Unlike most Progressive Conservative MPs, Vankoughnet opposed the Meech Lake
Meech Lake
Meech Lake is located within Gatineau Park in the Municipality of Chelsea, Quebec, Canada . The lake was named after Reverend Asa Meech, an early settler in this area....
constitutional accord.
The Progressive Conservatives lost all their Ontario seats in the 1993 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and Vankoughnet lost to Liberal Larry McCormick
Larry McCormick
Larry McCormick was a Canadian politician.McCormick was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington from 1993 to 2004...
by over 13,000 votes.
Vankoughnet was elected to the provincial legislature two years later, defeating 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...
Peter Walker by about 2,000 votes in the riding of Frontenac—Addington
Frontenac—Addington
Frontenac—Addington was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario...
(incumbent New Democrat Fred Wilson was third). He was not initially appointed to the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
of Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, though there was some speculation concerning the possibility of a future promotion.
Vankoughnet's prospects for career advancement all but ended on May 1, 1996, when he was caught trying to buy sexual favours from an undercover police officer who was posing as a prostitute in the Parkdale
Parkdale
- Communities :Australia* Parkdale, VictoriaCanada* Parkdale No. 498, Saskatchewan, a rural municipality in Saskatchewan* Parkdale, Toronto, a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto* Parkdale, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in Lunenburg County...
neighbourhood of Toronto. The charges were dropped when Vankoughnet agreed to attend a "john school". He was immediately dropped from the Progressive Conservative caucus, though he returned on September 23, 1996. Vankoughnet played only a minimal role in the legislature after this incident. Ironically, he was formally accepted into the exclusive Albany Club of Toronto on the same day as his arrest.
In 1996, the government of Mike Harris reduced the number of provincial ridings from 130 to 103. This forced a number of sitting MPPs to compete against one another for renomination. Vankoughnet, his reputation still damaged by the prostitute incident, lost the Progressive Conservative nomination in Hastings—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington to Harry Danford
Harry Danford
Harry Danford is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999....
in 1999.
Vankoughnet sought a political comeback in 2004 by challenging Scott Reid for the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
nomination in Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington. The party refused to permit his candidacy, however, and Vankoughnet challenged Reid in the general election as an independent candidate. He received only 820 votes.