Francis Fox
Encyclopedia
Francis Fox, PC
, QC
(born December 2, 1939) is a member of the Senate of Canada
. He is a former Canadian Cabinet minister and is the former Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, and thus was a senior aide to Prime Minister
Paul Martin
. He also worked as a lobbyist in the 1980s.
, Quebec
, Fox is a lawyer
by training. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1972 election
as a Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for the riding
of Argenteuil—Deux-Montagnes, Quebec. He was re-elected in the 1974 election
from the same constituency. In the 1979
and 1980 elections
, he was returned as MP for Blainville—Deux-Montagnes
before being defeated in that riding in the 1984 election
.
Fox was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
in 1976 when he became Solicitor General of Canada
. Bilingual, Fox was seen as an up-and-comer in the Liberal cabinet, and even a potential party leader. However, he was forced to resign on January 27, 1978, when it became known that he had forged the signature of his then girlfriend's husband on a form granting permission for her to have an abortion
. Although he was married at the time of the scandal, he subsequently divorced his wife, Joan Pennefather
. He later married a subsequent girlfriend Vivian Case. He is currently married to Vivian Case, who is an artist, and has three children, John Fox (with his first wife) and Daniel and Julianna Fox (with Vivian). Daniel is currently studying to become a chartered accountant and Julianna is a lawyer.
He returned to Cabinet after the 1980 election
when Trudeau appointed him to the position of Secretary of State for Canada
and Minister of Communications
. He then served as Minister of International Trade
in 1984 in the short-lived government of Trudeau's successor, John Turner
.
With the defeat of the Turner government and the loss of his own seat, Fox returned to the private sector. He became a lobbyist, and a member of Government Consultants International, a consulting firm, with Frank Moores
, Gary Ouellet
and Gerald Doucet
. Subsequently he was a senior partner in the law firm of Martineau Walker, and later as an executive at Rogers AT&T Wireless.
In 2003, he became a senior member of Paul Martin's transition team as he prepared to succeed Jean Chrétien
as prime minister. In 2004, Fox became Martin's principal secretary, but it was announced on August 18 that he would be leaving the position on October 1 in order to return to private life.
In private life, Fox served as the President of former minister Liza Frulla's riding.
He was an early prominent supporter of former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff
.
Fox was appointed to the Senate on Martin's recommendation on August 29, 2005, and announced his resignation on November 30, 2011, effective December 2.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(born December 2, 1939) is a member of the Senate of Canada
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
. He is a former Canadian Cabinet minister and is the former Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, and thus was a senior aide to Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. He also worked as a lobbyist in the 1980s.
Life and career
Born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Fox is a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
by training. He was first elected to 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...
in the 1972 election
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
as a 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) for the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Argenteuil—Deux-Montagnes, Quebec. He was re-elected in the 1974 election
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
from the same constituency. In the 1979
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...
and 1980 elections
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...
, he was returned as MP for Blainville—Deux-Montagnes
Blainville—Deux-Montagnes
Blainville—Deux-Montagnes was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons from 1979 to 1997....
before being defeated in that riding 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...
.
Fox was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
in 1976 when he became Solicitor General of Canada
Solicitor General of Canada
The Solicitor General of Canada was a position in the Canadian ministry from 1892 to 2005. The position was based on the Solicitor General in the British system and was originally designated as an officer to assist the Minister of Justice...
. Bilingual, Fox was seen as an up-and-comer in the Liberal cabinet, and even a potential party leader. However, he was forced to resign on January 27, 1978, when it became known that he had forged the signature of his then girlfriend's husband on a form granting permission for her to have an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. Although he was married at the time of the scandal, he subsequently divorced his wife, Joan Pennefather
Joan Pennefather
Joan Pennefather is a Canadian film and cultural executive. She was the first woman to be the Commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada ....
. He later married a subsequent girlfriend Vivian Case. He is currently married to Vivian Case, who is an artist, and has three children, John Fox (with his first wife) and Daniel and Julianna Fox (with Vivian). Daniel is currently studying to become a chartered accountant and Julianna is a lawyer.
He returned to Cabinet after 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...
when Trudeau appointed him to the position of Secretary of State for Canada
Secretary of State for Canada
The position of Secretary of State for Canada was a Canadian Cabinet position with a corresponding department. It was established in 1867 as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London...
and Minister of Communications
Minister of Communications (Canada)
The Minister of Communications of Canada is a now-defunct cabinet post which existed from 1969 to 1996, when it was abolished. Its telecommunications policy functions were transferred to Industry Canada and its cultural role was assumed by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.The post was...
. He then served as Minister of International Trade
Minister of International Trade (Canada)
The Minister of International Trade is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet is the head of the federal government's international trade department and the provisions of treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement .The post was first established in 1983 as the Minister...
in 1984 in the short-lived government of Trudeau's successor, John Turner
John Turner
John Napier Wyndham Turner, PC, CC, QC is an English Canadian lawyer and retired politician, who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada from June 30 to September 17, 1984....
.
With the defeat of the Turner government and the loss of his own seat, Fox returned to the private sector. He became a lobbyist, and a member of Government Consultants International, a consulting firm, with Frank Moores
Frank Moores
Frank Duff Moores served as the 2nd Premier of Newfoundland. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservatives from 1972 until his retirement in 1979.-Early life:...
, Gary Ouellet
Gary Ouellet
Gary Ouellet was a French-Canadian television producer and magician who lived and worked in the United States.He may be best-known as the driving force behind a number of network television specials that helped some of the top performers in modern magic to gain a national and international profile...
and Gerald Doucet
Gerald Doucet
Gerald Doucet is a former politician and lobbyist from Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented the electoral district of Richmond in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1963–1974, as a Progressive Conservative.He graduated from St...
. Subsequently he was a senior partner in the law firm of Martineau Walker, and later as an executive at Rogers AT&T Wireless.
In 2003, he became a senior member of Paul Martin's transition team as he prepared to succeed Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
as prime minister. In 2004, Fox became Martin's principal secretary, but it was announced on August 18 that he would be leaving the position on October 1 in order to return to private life.
In private life, Fox served as the President of former minister Liza Frulla's riding.
He was an early prominent supporter of former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
.
Fox was appointed to the Senate on Martin's recommendation on August 29, 2005, and announced his resignation on November 30, 2011, effective December 2.