James A. Taylor
Encyclopedia
James A. Taylor is a lawyer and politician in Ontario
, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bill Davis
. Taylor was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
.
Taylor campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1968 federal election
, as a candidate of the federal Progressive Conservative Party
. He finished third in Scarborough East
, against Liberal
candidate Martin Patrick O'Connell.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election
, defeating Liberal
candidate Barry Young by 3,404 votes in Prince Edward—Lennox
. He served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis
's government for the next four years, and was re-elected with a reduced majority in the 1975 election
. On October 7, 1975, Taylor was appointed to Davis's cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services.
Taylor was named as Davis's Minister of Energy on February 3, 1977, and was re-elected with a greatly increased majority in the 1977 election
. He was dropped from cabinet on January 21, 1978, and again served as a government backbencher. He was re-elected in the elections of 1981
and 1985
.
After serving in government for forty-two years, the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a tenuous minority government
in the 1985 election, and were subsequently defeated in the legislature on a motion of non-confidence. Taylor served in opposition as his party's Energy Critic, and did not run for re-election in 1987.
Taylor served as the first mayor
of the amalgamated Prince Edward County
from 1997 to 2003.
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 served in 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 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
. Taylor was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
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...
.
Taylor campaigned for 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 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...
, as a candidate of the federal 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....
. He finished third in Scarborough East
Scarborough East
Scarborough East was a Canadian electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 2003, and was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to 2007, and on Toronto City Council....
, against 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 Martin Patrick O'Connell.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1971
The Ontario general election of 1971 was held on October 21, 1971, to elect the 117 members of the 29th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating 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...
candidate Barry Young by 3,404 votes in Prince Edward—Lennox
Prince Edward—Lennox
Prince Edward-Lennox was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario...
. He served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
's government for the next four years, and was re-elected with a reduced majority in the 1975 election
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....
. On October 7, 1975, Taylor was appointed to Davis's cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services.
Taylor was named as Davis's Minister of Energy on February 3, 1977, and was re-elected with a greatly increased majority in the 1977 election
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....
. He was dropped from cabinet on January 21, 1978, and again served as a government backbencher. He was re-elected in the elections of 1981
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....
and 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...
.
After serving in government for forty-two years, the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a tenuous 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 the 1985 election, and were subsequently defeated in the legislature on a motion of non-confidence. Taylor served in opposition as his party's Energy Critic, and did not run for re-election in 1987.
Taylor served as the first mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the amalgamated Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County, Ontario
Prince Edward County is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario.-Geography:Prince Edward County is located in Southern Ontario on a large irregular headland or littoral at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, just west of the head of the St. Lawrence River...
from 1997 to 2003.