Jim Conrad
Encyclopedia
Jim Conrad is a Canadian
politician. He has campaigned for public office on several occasions, and has been active with no fewer than five different political parties throughout the course of his career.
In private life, Conrad is a petrochemical engineer with extensive experience in the oil sector. A newspaper report from 1978 lists him as 47 years old, with twenty years experience working for multinational corporations such as Texaco
, Shell
, Union Carbide
and Sun Oil (Globe and Mail, 7 April 1978). During the 1980s, he became the executive director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Petroleum Marketers. He was a frequent critic of the major firms during this period, and often accused them of overcharging Canadian consumers (Globe and Mail, 21 February 1987). In late 1987, he was a vocal opponent of the Brian Mulroney
government's free trade deal with the United States (Globe and Mail, 30 November 1987).
He has long been active in Canadian politics, having joined the Liberal Party of Canada in the late 1970s. In 1978, he was chosen as executive director of the Committee for an Independent Canada, a group which promoted economic nationalism in industry (Globe and Mail, 7 April 1978). Conrad sought the Liberal Party
nomination for Etobicoke Centre in the 1988 federal election
, but lost to Mary Schwass (Globe and Mail, 24 June 1988). He also sought the party's nomination in Mississauga South
, but lost to Gil Gillespie (Toronto Star, 26 September 1988).
In 1990, Conrad was an Etobicoke
organizer in Jean Chrétien
's bid to lead the Liberal Party of Canada. He was criticized for a letter he wrote to Croatia
n groups in the riding, which read, "It is particularly important that Croatians be seen to support Chrétien. Otherwise, when (Paul Martin
) loses, which is likely, then Croatians will not have many friends with Chrétien supporters." He later apologized (Toronto Star, 19 April 1990). Conrad continued to oppose the Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement at the 1992 Liberal Party convention, and also criticized prominent party figures for what he described as an attempt to silence pro-life
delegates (Toronto Star, 23 February 1992 [two articles]).
Members of the anti-abortion
group Liberals for Life
won control of the Etobicoke Centre Liberal association in 1992, leading to media speculation they would endorse Conrad as their candidate (Toronto Star, 19 November 1992). Conrad initially planned to contest the riding nomination, and indicated to the media his desire to run a pro-life and anti-free trade campaign in the 1993 election
(Toronto Star, 20 November 1992). Ultimately, however, he did not seek the nomination. There are conflicting reports on the reason for this: Conrad claimed the party refused to sign his nomination papers, while the party argued that he was accepted, but resigned in favour of another pro-life candidate (Toronto Star, 3 September 1993). He heckled Chrétien at a Toronto campaign stop during the 1993 election (Toronto Star, 4 September 1993).
Conrad campaigned in the 1993 election as an independent candidate in the riding of St. Paul's. He received 245 votes (0.48%), finishing in eighth place against Liberal candidate Barry Campbell. Conrad campaigned in favour of "a strong, central government, protection of individual rights, sustainable development and reforming the justice system to provide tougher laws against violent crime" (Toronto Star, 22 October 1993).
After the election, Conrad joined the right-wing Reform Party of Canada
. He became president of the party's St. Paul's association, but resigned in 1996 after a falling out with party leader Preston Manning
. He was quoted as saying, "They are control freaks in Calgary. Manning can't let go and a serious lack of trust has developed. Reform will not win anything with Manning as leader" (Kingston-Whig Standard, 25 May 1996). Conrad remained in the party, and attracted controversy in the 1997 election
, when he warned provincial Progressive Conservative
legislators that they could face nomination challenges if they supported the federal Progressive Conservatives
against Reform (Globe and Mail, 1 March 1997).
In the 1999 provincial election
, Conrad was a candidate of the socially-conservative
Family Coalition Party
in the Willowdale
riding. He finished fourth against Progressive Conservative candidate David Young
. In 2000, he was a vocal opponent of Tom Long's bid to lead the Canadian Alliance
, a successor to the Reform Party. Conrad accused Long of authoritarianism, and wrote, "As a social conservative, I believe all the Bible is true. Everywhere the Bible opposes oppression and supports justice. Never mind the life and gay issues—all of us would lose our political and economic freedoms under Tom Long."http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2000-06-01/letters.html He also noted his continued opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement
.
Conrad later joined Paul Hellyer
's economically nationalist Canadian Action Party
, and ran under its banner in the 2000 federal election
. He finished last in a field of seven candidates in Markham
. He ran as a member of the Progressive Canadian Party
in the 2004 election
, and placed fifth in Oak Ridges—Markham
.
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. He has campaigned for public office on several occasions, and has been active with no fewer than five different political parties throughout the course of his career.
In private life, Conrad is a petrochemical engineer with extensive experience in the oil sector. A newspaper report from 1978 lists him as 47 years old, with twenty years experience working for multinational corporations such as Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
, Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, Union Carbide
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It currently employs more than 2,400 people. Union Carbide primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume...
and Sun Oil (Globe and Mail, 7 April 1978). During the 1980s, he became the executive director of the Canadian Federation of Independent Petroleum Marketers. He was a frequent critic of the major firms during this period, and often accused them of overcharging Canadian consumers (Globe and Mail, 21 February 1987). In late 1987, he was a vocal opponent of the 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...
government's free trade deal with the United States (Globe and Mail, 30 November 1987).
He has long been active in Canadian politics, having joined the Liberal Party of Canada in the late 1970s. In 1978, he was chosen as executive director of the Committee for an Independent Canada, a group which promoted economic nationalism in industry (Globe and Mail, 7 April 1978). Conrad sought the 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...
nomination for Etobicoke Centre in the 1988 federal election
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 ....
, but lost to Mary Schwass (Globe and Mail, 24 June 1988). He also sought the party's nomination in Mississauga South
Mississauga South
Mississauga South is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979....
, but lost to Gil Gillespie (Toronto Star, 26 September 1988).
In 1990, Conrad was an Etobicoke
Etobicoke, Ontario
Etobicoke is a dissolved municipality located within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the western section of the current city, it had an official population of 338,117 as measured by the 2001 Census and 334,491 people as of the 2006 Census. While it only contains 13% of...
organizer in 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....
's bid to lead the Liberal Party of Canada. He was criticized for a letter he wrote to Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n groups in the riding, which read, "It is particularly important that Croatians be seen to support Chrétien. Otherwise, when (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....
) loses, which is likely, then Croatians will not have many friends with Chrétien supporters." He later apologized (Toronto Star, 19 April 1990). Conrad continued to oppose the Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement at the 1992 Liberal Party convention, and also criticized prominent party figures for what he described as an attempt to silence pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
delegates (Toronto Star, 23 February 1992 [two articles]).
Members of the anti-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...
group Liberals for Life
Liberals for Life
Liberals for Life was a pro-life advocacy group that worked within the Liberal Party of Canada during the 1980s and early 1990s. Some of its members were also affiliated with the Campaign Life Coalition, and, as such, the group was often accused of entryism....
won control of the Etobicoke Centre Liberal association in 1992, leading to media speculation they would endorse Conrad as their candidate (Toronto Star, 19 November 1992). Conrad initially planned to contest the riding nomination, and indicated to the media his desire to run a pro-life and anti-free trade campaign in the 1993 election
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...
(Toronto Star, 20 November 1992). Ultimately, however, he did not seek the nomination. There are conflicting reports on the reason for this: Conrad claimed the party refused to sign his nomination papers, while the party argued that he was accepted, but resigned in favour of another pro-life candidate (Toronto Star, 3 September 1993). He heckled Chrétien at a Toronto campaign stop during the 1993 election (Toronto Star, 4 September 1993).
Conrad campaigned in the 1993 election as an independent candidate in the riding of St. Paul's. He received 245 votes (0.48%), finishing in eighth place against Liberal candidate Barry Campbell. Conrad campaigned in favour of "a strong, central government, protection of individual rights, sustainable development and reforming the justice system to provide tougher laws against violent crime" (Toronto Star, 22 October 1993).
After the election, Conrad joined the right-wing Reform Party of Canada
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....
. He became president of the party's St. Paul's association, but resigned in 1996 after a falling out with party leader Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
. He was quoted as saying, "They are control freaks in Calgary. Manning can't let go and a serious lack of trust has developed. Reform will not win anything with Manning as leader" (Kingston-Whig Standard, 25 May 1996). Conrad remained in the party, and attracted controversy in the 1997 election
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...
, when he warned provincial Progressive Conservative
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...
legislators that they could face nomination challenges if they supported the federal Progressive Conservatives
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....
against Reform (Globe and Mail, 1 March 1997).
In the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, Conrad was a candidate of the socially-conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
Family Coalition Party
Family Coalition Party of Ontario
The Family Coalition Party is a small political party in Ontario, Canada that promotes a socially conservative ideology. It was formed in 1987 by members of the pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and has fielded candidates in every provincial election since then...
in the Willowdale
Willowdale (electoral district)
Willowdale is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.The riding was created in 1976 from part of Eglinton....
riding. He finished fourth against Progressive Conservative candidate David Young
David Young (Ontario politician)
David Young was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves....
. In 2000, he was a vocal opponent of Tom Long's bid to lead the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
, a successor to the Reform Party. Conrad accused Long of authoritarianism, and wrote, "As a social conservative, I believe all the Bible is true. Everywhere the Bible opposes oppression and supports justice. Never mind the life and gay issues—all of us would lose our political and economic freedoms under Tom Long."http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2000-06-01/letters.html He also noted his continued opposition to the North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA is an agreement signed by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. The agreement came into force on January 1, 1994. It superseded the Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement...
.
Conrad later joined Paul Hellyer
Paul Hellyer
Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.-Early life:...
's economically nationalist Canadian Action Party
Canadian Action Party
The Canadian Action Party is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1997. It promotes Canadian nationalism, monetary and electoral reform, and opposes neoliberal globalization and free trade agreements.- Background :The Canadian Action Party was founded by Paul T...
, and ran under its banner in the 2000 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
. He finished last in a field of seven candidates in Markham
Markham (electoral district)
Markham was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada created in 1986. Also known as Markham—Whitchurch-Stouffville, it was a federal electoral district that elected representatives to the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2000....
. He ran as a member of the Progressive Canadian Party
Progressive Canadian Party
The Progressive Canadian Party is a minor federal political party in Canada. It is a centre/centre-right party that was officially registered with Elections Canada, the government's election agency, on March 29, 2004....
in the 2004 election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, and placed fifth in Oak Ridges—Markham
Oak Ridges—Markham
Oak Ridges—Markham is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 169,645., with 136,755 electors, the highest of any riding in Canada...
.