Geills Turner
Encyclopedia
Geills McCrae Kilgour Turner (first name pronounced "Jill"; born December 23, 1937) is the wife of John Napier Turner, a former Prime Minister of Canada
. They have four children, one daughter and three sons.
Turner was born in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, and is the great-niece of John McCrae
, author of the poem In Flanders Fields
, and the sister of long time Alberta
Member of Parliament
David Kilgour
. She went to Harvard Business School
and was employed at IBM
. Author Gordon Donaldson
called her an "upper-crust pretty [girl]".
Her contribution to John Turner's political life included being a "campaign worker" for him in the Canadian federal election of 1962
, and she "brought computer
s into Turner's campaign."
Besides this, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
states that "She was not keen to subsume her personality to further her husband’s goals, and for the most part stayed out of the spotlight." She also did not like the way she was portrayed in the press and therefore tried to stay away from it. In his book Birds of a Feather: The Press and the Politicians, Allan Fotheringham
claimed that Turner tried to exact her revenge on the press during the 1988 election campaign
by secretly taking photographs of journalists partying on a campaign bus
, with an eye toward publishing them in a magazine. The photographs were never subsequently published, however, and Fotheringham states that John Turner himself most likely killed the idea.
In 2001, Turner made news when she crashed her minivan and was charged for careless driving. She claimed that she had momentarily stopped driving responsibly to save her dog.
In March 2008 she brought an action in the Ontario Superior Court Justice against the City of Guelph claiming ownership of several McCrae medals donated to the McCrae House in 1997 and 2005. She is seeking to have personal possession of the medals. The action is ongoing. www.guelphtribune.ca/news/city-reveals-it-faces-14-lawsuits/
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...
. They have four children, one daughter and three sons.
Turner was born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, and is the great-niece of John McCrae
John McCrae
Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres...
, author of the poem In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields
"In Flanders Fields" is one of the most notable poems written during World War I, created in the form of a French rondeau. It has been called "the most popular poem" produced during that period...
, and the sister of long time Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
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,...
David Kilgour
David Kilgour
David Kilgour, PC is a former Canadian politician.Kilgour graduated from the University of Manitoba in economics in 1962 and the University of Toronto law school in 1966. From crown attorney in northern Alberta to Canadian Cabinet minister, Kilgour ended his 27 year tenure in the Canadian House of...
. She went to Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
and was employed at IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. Author Gordon Donaldson
Gordon Donaldson (journalist)
Archibald Gordon Clark Donaldson was a Scottish-Canadian author and journalist. He appeared on television and also produced television programming.- Early life :...
called her an "upper-crust pretty [girl]".
Her contribution to John Turner's political life included being a "campaign worker" for him in the Canadian federal election of 1962
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
, and she "brought computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s into Turner's campaign."
Besides this, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
states that "She was not keen to subsume her personality to further her husband’s goals, and for the most part stayed out of the spotlight." She also did not like the way she was portrayed in the press and therefore tried to stay away from it. In his book Birds of a Feather: The Press and the Politicians, Allan Fotheringham
Allan Fotheringham
Allan Fotheringham is a Canadian newspaper and magazine journalist. He is widely known by the nickname Dr. Foth and styles himself as, "Always controversial... never at a loss for words" and also as "the Great Gatheringfroth".-Life:Fotheringham attended Chilliwack Secondary School, where he was...
claimed that Turner tried to exact her revenge on the press during the 1988 election campaign
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 ....
by secretly taking photographs of journalists partying on a campaign bus
Campaign bus
A campaign bus is a bus used as both a vehicle and a center of operations in a political campaign. The modern use of campaign buses is often calculated to bring to mind whistlestop train tour tours that political candidates had historically used to reach large numbers of voters while campaigning...
, with an eye toward publishing them in a magazine. The photographs were never subsequently published, however, and Fotheringham states that John Turner himself most likely killed the idea.
In 2001, Turner made news when she crashed her minivan and was charged for careless driving. She claimed that she had momentarily stopped driving responsibly to save her dog.
In March 2008 she brought an action in the Ontario Superior Court Justice against the City of Guelph claiming ownership of several McCrae medals donated to the McCrae House in 1997 and 2005. She is seeking to have personal possession of the medals. The action is ongoing. www.guelphtribune.ca/news/city-reveals-it-faces-14-lawsuits/