Glenn Thibeault
Encyclopedia
Glenn Thibeault is a Canadian
politician. Since 2008, he has represented the Ontario
electoral district
of Sudbury
in the Canadian House of Commons
. He is a member of the New Democratic Party
, and was the first non-Liberal
candidate to win a federal election in Sudbury since Bud Germa
in 1967.
during the 1990s. He later graduated from the developmental services worker program at Cambrian College
, and was hired as a behavioural consultant for the West Vancouver School Board in British Columbia
. He worked for five years as coordinator at the Mainstream Association for Pro-Active Community Living in Vancouver, and returned to Sudbury in 2003 to become campaign director of the United Way
of Sudbury and District. In June 2005, he was promoted to executive director. The United Way held several successful campaigns in this period, increasing its total from $1.3 million in 2003 to $2.3 million in 2007.
newspaper, the Sudbury and District Labour Council
and United Steelworkers of America Local 2020, and won an upset victory over six-term Liberal Party
incumbent Diane Marleau
.
The Conservative Party
won a minority government
in this election, and Thibeault entered parliament as a member of the opposition. He was appointed as his party's critic for consumer protection and amateur sport in late November 2008. Along with other New Democratic Party MPs, he later called for an investigation into the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
's handling of tainted milk
that was sold in Sudbury and other parts of Ontario. Thibeault supported a planned coalition government
of Liberals and New Democrats in late 2008, and wrote an editorial describing Conservative Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
as a "coward" for proroguing
parliament when it appeared his government would be defeated by the coalition in a motion of non-confidence. The coalition was abandoned when Michael Ignatieff
became Liberal Party leader, and decided to support the Conservative government's January 2009 budget.
Thibeault called on the federal government to regulate interest rates and fees on credit card
s and debit card
s in March 2009, describing existing rates as "out of control" and a hindrance to consumers and businesses during an economic downturn. Finance Minister
Jim Flaherty
later announced that his government would launch an education campaign and provide for increased disclosure on credit-card statements, but would not regulate rates. Thibeault described this as "disappointing". On June 18, 2010, Thibeault introduced a private member's bill
to cap annual interest rates on credit cards to no more than five per cent above the current Bank of Canada
target for overnight rates.
Thibeault also introduced a private member's bill in April 2009 to ensure the cost of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for autistic persons
is provided by health insurance programs in every province. He later introduced another private bill to have the third Saturday in June recognized as Emergency Services Appreciation Day in Canada.
Thibeault stood with striking workers from Vale Inco in the summer of 2009, and criticized Industry Minister
Tony Clement
's announcement that the federal government would not intervene to stop job and production cuts in Sudbury. He called for Clement's resignation after the minister stated that Vale had "saved Sudbury" from becoming a "Valley of Death" by purchasing Inco in 2006. He also protested cuts to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's Northern Ontario
radio services in this period.
Thibeault, as the New Democrat critic for Sport, has been instrumental in raising national awareness about the very serious increase of violence in amateur sport and the ongoing concussion epidemic plaguing amateur hockey. He called for a Royal Commission to study violence in sports in February 2010; his call has been echoed by others, including Jaime Watt
, a conservative strategist. In February 2011, Thibeault introduced Bill C-616, calling for a national strategy to reduce the incidence of serious injury in amateur sport.
He was successfully re-elected in the 2011 election.
's bid to lead the Ontario New Democratic Party
at its 2009 leadership convention
.
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. Since 2008, he has represented the 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....
electoral district
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 Sudbury
Sudbury (electoral district)
Sudbury is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1949.Its population in 2001 was 89,443. The district is one of two serving the city of Greater Sudbury, Ontario....
in 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...
. He is a member of the 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...
, and was the first non-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...
candidate to win a federal election in Sudbury since Bud Germa
Bud Germa
Melville Carlyle Germa was a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Sudbury from 1967 to 1968 in the Canadian House of Commons, and from 1971 to 1981 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
in 1967.
Early life and career
Thibeault was born in Sudbury, and was a newscaster and reporter at local stations CIGM and CJRQCJRQ-FM
CJRQ-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts in Sudbury, Ontario. The station uses the on-air brand Q92, and airs at 92.7 MHz on the FM band. The station airs a mainstream/active rock format....
during the 1990s. He later graduated from the developmental services worker program at Cambrian College
Cambrian College
Cambrian College is a college of applied arts and technology in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1967, and funded by the province of Ontario, Cambrian has campuses in Sudbury, Espanola and Little Current....
, and was hired as a behavioural consultant for the West Vancouver School Board in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He worked for five years as coordinator at the Mainstream Association for Pro-Active Community Living in Vancouver, and returned to Sudbury in 2003 to become campaign director of the United Way
United Way of Canada
United Way of Canada is the national organization for the 117 autonomous, volunteer-based United Ways across Canada. United Way campaigns raise money for local groups that address community issues and problems, and the national organization provides leadership, services and coordination to the...
of Sudbury and District. In June 2005, he was promoted to executive director. The United Way held several successful campaigns in this period, increasing its total from $1.3 million in 2003 to $2.3 million in 2007.
Member of Parliament
Thibeault won the New Democratic Party's Sudbury nomination in September 2008, after the resignation of previously nominated candidate Gerry McIntaggart and the withdrawal of Dave Battaino from the contest. He received endorsements from the Sudbury StarSudbury Star
The Sudbury Star is a Canadian daily regional newspaper, published in Sudbury, Ontario. It is run by the media conglomerate Sun Media, which is controlled by Quebecor....
newspaper, the Sudbury and District Labour Council
Sudbury and District Labour Council
The Sudbury and District Labour Council is a labour council based in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It has been affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress since 1957. Its current president is John Closs from Ontario Public Service Employees Union 655....
and United Steelworkers of America Local 2020, and won an upset victory over six-term Liberal Party
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...
incumbent Diane Marleau
Diane Marleau
Diane Marleau, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. She represented the riding of Sudbury in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2008, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Jean Chrétien...
.
The Conservative Party
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...
won a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
in this election, and Thibeault entered parliament as a member of the opposition. He was appointed as his party's critic for consumer protection and amateur sport in late November 2008. Along with other New Democratic Party MPs, he later called for an investigation into the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a science based regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, animals, and plants, which enhance the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy...
's handling of tainted milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
that was sold in Sudbury and other parts of Ontario. Thibeault supported a planned coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
of Liberals and New Democrats in late 2008, and wrote an editorial describing Conservative 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...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
as a "coward" for proroguing
Prorogation in Canada
Prorogation is the end of a parliamentary session in the Parliament of Canada and the parliaments of its provinces and territories. It differs from a recess or adjournment, which do not end a session, and from a complete dissolution of parliament, which ends both the session and the entire...
parliament when it appeared his government would be defeated by the coalition in a motion of non-confidence. The coalition was abandoned when 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...
became Liberal Party leader, and decided to support the Conservative government's January 2009 budget.
Thibeault called on the federal government to regulate interest rates and fees on credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s and debit card
Debit card
A debit card is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution...
s in March 2009, describing existing rates as "out of control" and a hindrance to consumers and businesses during an economic downturn. Finance Minister
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
later announced that his government would launch an education campaign and provide for increased disclosure on credit-card statements, but would not regulate rates. Thibeault described this as "disappointing". On June 18, 2010, Thibeault introduced a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
to cap annual interest rates on credit cards to no more than five per cent above the current Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
target for overnight rates.
Thibeault also introduced a private member's bill in April 2009 to ensure the cost of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for autistic persons
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
is provided by health insurance programs in every province. He later introduced another private bill to have the third Saturday in June recognized as Emergency Services Appreciation Day in Canada.
Thibeault stood with striking workers from Vale Inco in the summer of 2009, and criticized Industry Minister
Minister of Industry (Canada)
The Minister of Industry is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's economic development and corporate affairs department, Industry Canada. The Minister of Industry is also the minister responsible for Statistics Canada...
Tony Clement
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement, PC, MP is a Canadian federal politician, President of the Treasury Board, Minister for the Federal Economic Initiative for Northern Ontario and member of the Conservative Party of Canada....
's announcement that the federal government would not intervene to stop job and production cuts in Sudbury. He called for Clement's resignation after the minister stated that Vale had "saved Sudbury" from becoming a "Valley of Death" by purchasing Inco in 2006. He also protested cuts to 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...
's Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
radio services in this period.
Thibeault, as the New Democrat critic for Sport, has been instrumental in raising national awareness about the very serious increase of violence in amateur sport and the ongoing concussion epidemic plaguing amateur hockey. He called for a Royal Commission to study violence in sports in February 2010; his call has been echoed by others, including Jaime Watt
Jaime Watt
Jaime Watt is a Canadian political strategist who was most notable for playing an important role in the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario's two election victories under the leadership of Mike Harris....
, a conservative strategist. In February 2011, Thibeault introduced Bill C-616, calling for a national strategy to reduce the incidence of serious injury in amateur sport.
He was successfully re-elected in the 2011 election.
Provincial politics
Thibeault supported Gilles BissonGilles Bisson
Gilles Bisson is a Franco-Ontarian Canadian politician who has represented the northern riding of Timmins—James Bay in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990...
's bid to lead the Ontario New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
at its 2009 leadership convention
Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election, 2009
The 2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election was held in Hamilton, from March 6 to 8, 2009 to elect a successor to Howard Hampton as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party . On June 15, 2008, Hampton informed the party's provincial council that he would not stand for re-election as...
.