Ed Philip
Encyclopedia
Edward Thomas Philip is a former politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1975 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae
.
Philip was educated at St. Joseph's Teachers' College, the University of Ottawa
and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
, earning a Master's Degree
in Education. He worked as an adult educator and management consultant before entering politics, and was a coordinator of leadership training with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
Philip has two children (twins) Andrew Fergus and Sarah Meghan Philip.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1975
, defeating incumbent Liberal
Leonard Braithwaite
by 1,256 votes in the Toronto
riding of Etobicoke
. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the election of 1977
, and fended off a stronger challenge from Progressive Conservative
Aileen Anderson in the 1981 election
. In the elections of 1985
, 1987
and 1990
, he was elected without difficulty. Philip supported Bob Rae for the provincial NDP leadership in 1982.
In the 1990 provincial election
the NDP won and formed a majority government under the leadership of Bob Rae. Philip had been his party's Transport Critic for the previous three years, and was appointed as Ontario's Minister of Transport on October 1, 1990. He became Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology on July 31, 1991, and Minister of Municipal Affairs on February 3, 1993. Philip held the latter position until the 1995 election. He was also the interim Minister of Tourism and Recreation from November 13, 1992 to February 3, 1993.
Philip was on the right wing of the NDP. He recommended greater privileges for multinational pharmaceutical companies while in government, and rejected a "global warming" strategy while in the Transportation portfolio. Notwithstanding this, he was generally supportive of progressive legislation and was regularly endorsed by left-leaning groups in Toronto.
The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election
, and Philip lost the riding of Etobicoke-Rexdale to Progressive Conservative John Hastings by fewer than 900 votes. This was considered a major upset, and Philip was regarded as a favoured candidate for re-election when he ran in the redistributed seat of Etobicoke North
in the 1999 provincial election
.
The character of the riding had changed since the 1980s, however, and many in the riding's large community of recent immigrants had no history of supporting the NDP. Philip finished third, and Hastings was re-elected by what most considered to be a vote-split among the Liberals and NDP. Philip has not run for office since this time.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in 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....
, 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 New Democratic Party 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 1975 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
.
Philip was educated at St. Joseph's Teachers' College, the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto is a teachers' college in Toronto, Ontario.-History:OISE/UT traces its origins to the founding of the Provincial Normal School in 1847...
, earning a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Education. He worked as an adult educator and management consultant before entering politics, and was a coordinator of leadership training with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
Philip has two children (twins) Andrew Fergus and Sarah Meghan Philip.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1975
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating incumbent 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...
Leonard Braithwaite
Leonard Braithwaite
Leonard Austin Braithwaite, CM, O.Ont is a lawyer and politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1975, as a member of the Liberal Party...
by 1,256 votes in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
riding of Etobicoke
Etobicoke (electoral district)
Etobicoke was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario...
. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the election of 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and fended off a stronger challenge from 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...
Aileen Anderson in the 1981 election
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. In the elections of 1985
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
, 1987
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...
and 1990
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
, he was elected without difficulty. Philip supported Bob Rae for the provincial NDP leadership in 1982.
In the 1990 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
the NDP won and formed a majority government under the leadership of Bob Rae. Philip had been his party's Transport Critic for the previous three years, and was appointed as Ontario's Minister of Transport on October 1, 1990. He became Minister of Industry, Trade and Technology on July 31, 1991, and Minister of Municipal Affairs on February 3, 1993. Philip held the latter position until the 1995 election. He was also the interim Minister of Tourism and Recreation from November 13, 1992 to February 3, 1993.
Philip was on the right wing of the NDP. He recommended greater privileges for multinational pharmaceutical companies while in government, and rejected a "global warming" strategy while in the Transportation portfolio. Notwithstanding this, he was generally supportive of progressive legislation and was regularly endorsed by left-leaning groups in Toronto.
The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, and Philip lost the riding of Etobicoke-Rexdale to Progressive Conservative John Hastings by fewer than 900 votes. This was considered a major upset, and Philip was regarded as a favoured candidate for re-election when he ran in the redistributed seat of Etobicoke North
Etobicoke North (provincial electoral district)
Etobicoke North is a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.It was created in 1999 from parts of Etobicoke—Rexdale and Etobicoke—Humber....
in the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
.
The character of the riding had changed since the 1980s, however, and many in the riding's large community of recent immigrants had no history of supporting the NDP. Philip finished third, and Hastings was re-elected by what most considered to be a vote-split among the Liberals and NDP. Philip has not run for office since this time.