Blair MacLean
Encyclopedia
Blair MacLean is a Canadian
politician. He has campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
on two occasions, for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
and the Conservative Party of Canada
.
, Ontario
, moved to Kingston
as a child, and received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Political Science
and Philosophy
from Queen's University
in 1974. MacLean worked with his father in the firm of John B. MacLean Real Estate Broker after graduating, and was an executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister Keith Norton
during the 1980s.
He is a communications consultant and longtime party organizer
, and has volunteered for groups such as the Community Foundation, the Salvation Army and the Arthritis Society.
nomination for the 1987 provincial election
, but left the contest before the nomination meeting when he realized he could not win. He also sought the federal Progressive Conservative nomination for the 1993 election
, but was not successful. MacLean was a frequent columnist for the Kingston Whig-Standard
newspaper in the 1990s, and often wrote columns supporting the provincial government of Mike Harris
and opposing local Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) Peter Milliken
.
He sought the federal Progressive Conservative
nomination to face Milliken in 1997
, but lost to former mayor Helen Cooper
. In 1998, he was the local organizer for Joe Clark
's bid to lead the federal PCs.
MacLean won the federal Progressive Conservative nomination for the 2000 federal election
, defeating Hans Westenberg. He finished second against Milliken in the general election. In 2003, he supported Peter Mackay
's bid to succeed Clark as party leader.
After being chosen as federal PC leader, Peter Mackay led his party into a merger with the Canadian Alliance
as the Conservative Party of Canada
. MacLean supported the merger, and defeated Stephen Taylor and Ron Turley to win the new party's nomination for the 2004 election
. He finished second against Milliken with 12,582 votes (23.12%).
MacLean sought the Conservative nomination again for the 2006 campaign
, but withdrew a week before the nomination.
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...
politician. He has campaigned for 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...
on two occasions, for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
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....
and 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...
.
Early life
MacLean was born in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, 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....
, moved to Kingston
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...
as a child, and received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
in 1974. MacLean worked with his father in the firm of John B. MacLean Real Estate Broker after graduating, and was an executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister Keith Norton
Keith Norton
Keith Calder Norton was a Canadian politician and public servant. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985, and was until 2005 the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.-Education and early career:Norton was...
during the 1980s.
He is a communications consultant and longtime party organizer
Party organizer
A party organizer or local party organizer is a position in some political parties in charge of the establishing a party organization in a certain locality.Herbert Ames wrote in his 1911 article "Organization of Political Parties in Canada" :...
, and has volunteered for groups such as the Community Foundation, the Salvation Army and the Arthritis Society.
Elective career
He campaigned for the provincial Kingston and the Islands Progressive ConservativeProgressive 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...
nomination for the 1987 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
, but left the contest before the nomination meeting when he realized he could not win. He also sought the federal Progressive Conservative nomination for the 1993 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...
, but was not successful. MacLean was a frequent columnist for the Kingston Whig-Standard
Kingston Whig-Standard
The Kingston Whig-Standard is a newspaper in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is published daily, except on Sunday. It publishes a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by Sun Media...
newspaper in the 1990s, and often wrote columns supporting the provincial government 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...
and opposing local 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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) Peter Milliken
Peter Milliken
Peter Andrew Stewart Milliken, UE is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until his retirement in 2011 and served as Speaker of the House for 10 years beginning in 2001. Milliken represented the Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands as a...
.
He sought the federal 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....
nomination to face Milliken in 1997
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, but lost to former mayor Helen Cooper
Helen Cooper
Helen Cooper may refer to:*Helen Cooper , of Medieval and Renaissance English*Helen Cooper , illustrator and author of children’s books*Helen Cooper , former mayor of Kingston, Ontario...
. In 1998, he was the local organizer for Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
's bid to lead the federal PCs.
MacLean won the federal Progressive Conservative nomination for the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, defeating Hans Westenberg. He finished second against Milliken in the general election. In 2003, he supported Peter Mackay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
's bid to succeed Clark as party leader.
After being chosen as federal PC leader, Peter Mackay led his party into a merger with the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
as 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...
. MacLean supported the merger, and defeated Stephen Taylor and Ron Turley to win the new party's nomination for the 2004 election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
. He finished second against Milliken with 12,582 votes (23.12%).
MacLean sought the Conservative nomination again for the 2006 campaign
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, but withdrew a week before the nomination.