Gilbert Parent
Encyclopedia
Gilbert "Gib" Parent, PC
(July 25, 1935 – March 3, 2009) was a Canadian
Member of Parliament
. He is best known in his role of Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
between 1994 and 2001.
Parent was born on July 25, 1935, in Mattawa, Ontario
and his janitor father moved the young family to Welland, Ontario
. He went to St. Joseph's College on a football scholarship, and earned a teaching certificate from the Ontario College of Education
.
Prior to his election to the House of Commons
, he worked as a teacher
and was vice-principal
at Thorold Secondary School
.
. He was first elected in the 1974 election
representing the riding of St. Catharines
. He was re-elected in the 1979
, 1980
. Parent was defeated in the 1984 election
as Brian Mulroney
's Progressive Conservative Party
swept to power, but regained his seat four years later in 1988
, and was re-elected in the 1993
and 1997 elections
.
His riding's name was subsequently changed to Welland
, then Welland—St. Catharines—Thorold
and finally Niagara Centre
. Under Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau
, Parent served, at different times between 1977 and 1981, as Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, to the Minister of Labour and to the Minister of State
(Sports).
Parent was first elected Speaker in January 1994. In the House, Parent was forced into the challenge of presiding over a five-party Parliament that resulted from the emergence of the Bloc Québécois
and the Reform Party
. Upon being re-elected to the position in September 1997, he told the Montreal Gazette that he expected the different voices in Parliament, informed by strong opinions on all sides, would make the House the lively place it should be.
Parent died at Mount Sinai Hospital
in Toronto
at the age of 73 of pneumonia
while recovering from colon cancer surgery. He is survived by his brothers, Gerald Parent and Romeo Parent, wife of 39 years, Joan Parent (née Davis), their 4 daughters and 13 grandchildren, and partner Sandra Page, 2 daughters and 1 grandchild.
|PARENT, Gib
|align="right"| 24,115
|-
|JOHNSTONE, Don
|align="right"| 12,053
|-
|ATKINSON, Joe
|align="right"|5,827
|-
|WILSON, James
|align="right"| 5,510
|-
|BYLSMA, David
|align="right"|515
|-
|LARRASS, Anne
|align="right"| 363
|-
|WALKER, Ron
|align="right"|143
|}
|-
|Liberal
|PARENT, Gilbert
|align="right"|25,534
|53.97%
|Reform
|JOHNSTONE, Don
|align="right"| 11,901
|25.15%
|Progressive Conservative
|ST. AMAND, Terry
|align="right"| 5,472
|11.56%
|New Democratic Party
|DOBRUCKI, Rob
|align="right"|3,737
|7.89%
|Natural Law
|AMOS, Laureen
|align="right"|311
|0.66%
|Green
|FANNON, Jim
|align="right"|304
|0.64%
|Abolitionist
|DOUCET, Leonard
|align="right"|64
|0.14%
|}
|-
|Liberal
|PARENT, Gilbert
|align="right"|17,878
|
|Progressive Conservative
|PIETZ, Allan
|align="right"|16,287
|
|New Democratic Party
|LEE, Ken
|align="right"|12,646
|
|Green
|THOMSON, Rachel
|align="right"|273
|
|No affiliation
|WALKER, Ron
|align="right"|71
|
|Communist
|WALLIS, David
|align="right"|57
|
|}
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,...
(July 25, 1935 – March 3, 2009) was a Canadian
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...
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,...
. He is best known in his role of Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
between 1994 and 2001.
Parent was born on July 25, 1935, in Mattawa, Ontario
Mattawa, Ontario
Mattawa is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers in Nipissing District. Mattawa means "Meeting of the Waters" in Ojibwa...
and his janitor father moved the young family to Welland, Ontario
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
. He went to St. Joseph's College on a football scholarship, and earned a teaching certificate from the Ontario College of 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...
.
Prior to his election to the 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...
, he worked as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and was vice-principal
Vice-principal
In larger school systems, a principal is often assisted by someone known as a vice-principal or assistant principal. Unlike the principal, the vice-principal does not have quite the decision-making authority that the principal carries...
at Thorold Secondary School
Thorold Secondary School
Thorold Secondary School is a public secondary school in Thorold, Ontario, Canada. The school was named after Sir John Thorold, a member of the British Parliament for Lincolnshire, England.-History:...
.
Political career
Parent was elected to Parliament six times as a member of the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal 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...
. He was first 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...
representing the riding of St. Catharines
St. Catharines (electoral district)
St. Catharines is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.It consists of the part of the City of St. Catharines lying north of a line drawn from west to east along St. Paul Street West, St...
. He was re-elected 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...
, 1980
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...
. Parent was defeated 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...
as Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
's Progressive Conservative Party
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....
swept to power, but regained his seat four years later in 1988
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 ....
, and was re-elected in the 1993
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 1997 elections
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...
.
His riding's name was subsequently changed to Welland
Welland (electoral district)
Welland is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1988, and since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 112,875....
, then Welland—St. Catharines—Thorold
Welland—St. Catharines—Thorold
Welland—St. Catharines—Thorold was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1987 from Welland riding....
and finally Niagara Centre
Niagara Centre
Niagara Centre was a federal and provincial electoral district that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2003, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2007.-Federal riding:...
. Under 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...
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,...
, Parent served, at different times between 1977 and 1981, as Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, to the Minister of Labour and to the Minister of State
Minister of state (Canada)
A Minister of State is a junior cabinet minister in the Canadian Cabinet, usually given specific responsibilities to assist a senior cabinet minister in a specific area....
(Sports).
Parent was first elected Speaker in January 1994. In the House, Parent was forced into the challenge of presiding over a five-party Parliament that resulted from the emergence of the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
and the Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
. Upon being re-elected to the position in September 1997, he told the Montreal Gazette that he expected the different voices in Parliament, informed by strong opinions on all sides, would make the House the lively place it should be.
Parent died at Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto)
Mount Sinai Hospital is a hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Although it is physically linked by bridges and tunnels to two University Health Network hospitals , Mount Sinai is an independently operated facility...
in 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...
at the age of 73 of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
while recovering from colon cancer surgery. He is survived by his brothers, Gerald Parent and Romeo Parent, wife of 39 years, Joan Parent (née Davis), their 4 daughters and 13 grandchildren, and partner Sandra Page, 2 daughters and 1 grandchild.
Electoral record
|-|PARENT, Gib
|align="right"| 24,115
|-
|JOHNSTONE, Don
|align="right"| 12,053
|-
|ATKINSON, Joe
|align="right"|5,827
|-
|WILSON, James
|align="right"| 5,510
|-
|BYLSMA, David
|align="right"|515
|-
|LARRASS, Anne
|align="right"| 363
|-
|WALKER, Ron
|align="right"|143
|}
|-
|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...
|PARENT, Gilbert
|align="right"|25,534
|53.97%
|Reform
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
|JOHNSTONE, Don
|align="right"| 11,901
|25.15%
|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....
|ST. AMAND, Terry
|align="right"| 5,472
|11.56%
|New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
|DOBRUCKI, Rob
|align="right"|3,737
|7.89%
|Natural Law
Natural Law Party of Canada
The Natural Law Party of Canada was the Canadian branch of the international Natural Law Party founded in 1992 by a group of educators, business leaders, and lawyers who practiced Transcendental Meditation....
|AMOS, Laureen
|align="right"|311
|0.66%
|Green
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
|FANNON, Jim
Jim Fannon
Jim Fannon , is a Canadian politician, radio talk show host, entrepreneur, and real estate agent in St. Catharines. He campaigned for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada in 2006....
|align="right"|304
|0.64%
|Abolitionist
Abolitionist Party of Canada
The Abolitionist Party of Canada was a Canadian political party founded by perennial candidate John C. Turmel. The party ran on a platform of: monetary reform, including the abolition of interest rates and the income tax, the use of the local employment trading system of banking, and introducing a...
|DOUCET, Leonard
|align="right"|64
|0.14%
|}
|-
|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...
|PARENT, Gilbert
|align="right"|17,878
|
|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....
|PIETZ, Allan
|align="right"|16,287
|
|New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
|LEE, Ken
|align="right"|12,646
|
|Green
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
|THOMSON, Rachel
|align="right"|273
|
|No affiliation
|WALKER, Ron
|align="right"|71
|
|Communist
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
|WALLIS, David
|align="right"|57
|
|}