John Gilbert (Canadian politician)
Encyclopedia
John Gilbert was a Canadian lawyer, politician and jurist.
Gilbert was born in Toronto and grew up in a poor working class family which he helped support during the Great Depression
by selling newspapers at the corner of Yonge
and Bloor
for two cents each and by gathering coal that had fallen off horse-drawn coal wagons in order to help heat his family's home. The home was eventually lost when the bank foreclosed on its mortgage. He was the youngest of five children, his parents were poor Irish Protestants who had immigrated to Canada. He left school early to support his family by working in a box factory until marrying his wife, Nora, and going to university.
As an adult, Gilbert became a lawyer and worked briefly for a large firm. He left it, feeling they charged clients too much, and set up his own private practice. Once a week he went to the Salvation Army
to operate a clinic where he gave free legal counsel to the poor. He vowed that every dollar he earned over $5,000 a year he would give away.
He entered federal politics in the 1963 federal election
running unsuccessfully as a New Democratic Party
candidate in the Toronto
riding of Broadview
with a third place finish. He won the seat two years later in the 1965 election
and was re-elected in 1968, 1972 and 1974 before retiring from politics.
While an MP, he devoted one day a week meeting constituents at the Woodgreen Community Centre where he would help them with their legal problems.
Jack Layton
said of Gilbert : "The work that John did in Parliament was exemplary. He, alongside Tommy Douglas
and Ed Broadbent, believed that fundamental elements of healthy and prosperous living should not come and go with the precocity of economic times; rather, he believed that the purpose of having a government was to defend the rights and the dignity of people from every social station, and to ensure that nobody had to go without the basic necessities of life."
"He was one of the members of Parliament that I most admired in my life," said former NDP leader Ed Broadbent
who served in the House of Commons with Gilbert for several years, describing him as a gentle and kind individual adding "there wasn't a tinge of self-righteousness about him," and that the MP "was always good in caucus. He knew the national issues and he made his views known."
In 1969, Gilbert criticized the Liberal
government of the day accusing it of lacking the commitment to build affordable housing and instead spending money on an inquiry of the issue to discover what was already known.
He retired from Parliament in 1978 to accept an appointment as a judge on the Ontario District Court
. He asked a young Bob Rae
to run as the NDP candidate to succeed him in Broadview. Rae accepted and was elected in a 1978 by-election
.
|HAHN, D.G.
|align="right"| 8,743
|-
|DAY, Glen
|align="right"| 6,684
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 5,574
|-
|COMERFORD, Tom
|align="right"| 166
|-
|GRAHAM, Fred
|align="right"| 149
|-
|SANDERSON, Alan
|align="right"| 43
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 8,232
|-
|HAHN, David G.
|align="right"| 6,876
|-
|LYALL, Richard H.
|align="right"| 5,481
|-
|HENDRY, William B.
|align="right"| 147
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 10,406
|-
|SUTHERLAND, Bob
|align="right"| 9,929
|-
|KNIGHT, Betty M.
|align="right"| 4,752
|-
|HENDRY, William B.
|align="right"| 202
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"|11,063
|-
|CLIFFORD, Tom
|align="right"| 7,903
|-
|MURPHY, Peter
|align="right"| 7,465
|-
|DEWHURST, Alfred
|align="right"|123
|-
|HALL, Ron
|align="right"| 54
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 9,392
|-
|YANKOU, Lou
|align="right"| 8,158
|-
|JAMIESON, Bob
|align="right"| 5,617
|-
|BELEJ, Walter
|align="right"| 137
|-
|GIANNAKOPOULOS, Angelo E.
|align="right"|128
|-
|DENNIS, Susan
|align="right"| 101
|}
Gilbert was born in Toronto and grew up in a poor working class family which he helped support during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by selling newspapers at the corner of Yonge
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
and Bloor
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
for two cents each and by gathering coal that had fallen off horse-drawn coal wagons in order to help heat his family's home. The home was eventually lost when the bank foreclosed on its mortgage. He was the youngest of five children, his parents were poor Irish Protestants who had immigrated to Canada. He left school early to support his family by working in a box factory until marrying his wife, Nora, and going to university.
As an adult, Gilbert became a lawyer and worked briefly for a large firm. He left it, feeling they charged clients too much, and set up his own private practice. Once a week he went to the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
to operate a clinic where he gave free legal counsel to the poor. He vowed that every dollar he earned over $5,000 a year he would give away.
He entered federal politics in the 1963 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1963
The Canadian federal election of 1963 was held on April 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 26th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of the minority Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.-Overview:During the Tories' last year in...
running unsuccessfully as a 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...
candidate in the 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...
riding of Broadview
Broadview (electoral district)
Broadview was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1979. This riding was created in 1933 from parts of Toronto East and Toronto—Scarborough ridings....
with a third place finish. He won the seat two years later in the 1965 election
Canadian federal election, 1965
The Canadian federal election of 1965 was held on November 8 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 27th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal Party of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson was re-elected with a larger number of seats in the House...
and was re-elected in 1968, 1972 and 1974 before retiring from politics.
While an MP, he devoted one day a week meeting constituents at the Woodgreen Community Centre where he would help them with their legal problems.
Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
said of Gilbert : "The work that John did in Parliament was exemplary. He, alongside Tommy Douglas
Tommy Douglas
Thomas Clement "Tommy" Douglas, was a Scottish-born Baptist minister who became a prominent Canadian social democratic politician...
and Ed Broadbent, believed that fundamental elements of healthy and prosperous living should not come and go with the precocity of economic times; rather, he believed that the purpose of having a government was to defend the rights and the dignity of people from every social station, and to ensure that nobody had to go without the basic necessities of life."
"He was one of the members of Parliament that I most admired in my life," said former NDP leader Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
who served in the House of Commons with Gilbert for several years, describing him as a gentle and kind individual adding "there wasn't a tinge of self-righteousness about him," and that the MP "was always good in caucus. He knew the national issues and he made his views known."
In 1969, Gilbert criticized the 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...
government of the day accusing it of lacking the commitment to build affordable housing and instead spending money on an inquiry of the issue to discover what was already known.
He retired from Parliament in 1978 to accept an appointment as a judge on the Ontario District Court
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
The Superior Court of Justice is the superior court of general jurisdiction for the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is the successor to the former Ontario Court of Justice , and was created on April 19, 1999...
. He asked a young Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
to run as the NDP candidate to succeed him in Broadview. Rae accepted and was elected in a 1978 by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
.
Electoral record
|-|HAHN, D.G.
|align="right"| 8,743
|-
|DAY, Glen
|align="right"| 6,684
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 5,574
|-
|COMERFORD, Tom
|align="right"| 166
|-
|GRAHAM, Fred
|align="right"| 149
|-
|SANDERSON, Alan
|align="right"| 43
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 8,232
|-
|HAHN, David G.
|align="right"| 6,876
|-
|LYALL, Richard H.
|align="right"| 5,481
|-
|HENDRY, William B.
|align="right"| 147
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 10,406
|-
|SUTHERLAND, Bob
|align="right"| 9,929
|-
|KNIGHT, Betty M.
|align="right"| 4,752
|-
|HENDRY, William B.
|align="right"| 202
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"|11,063
|-
|CLIFFORD, Tom
|align="right"| 7,903
|-
|MURPHY, Peter
|align="right"| 7,465
|-
|DEWHURST, Alfred
|align="right"|123
|-
|HALL, Ron
|align="right"| 54
|}
|-
|GILBERT, John
|align="right"| 9,392
|-
|YANKOU, Lou
|align="right"| 8,158
|-
|JAMIESON, Bob
|align="right"| 5,617
|-
|BELEJ, Walter
|align="right"| 137
|-
|GIANNAKOPOULOS, Angelo E.
|align="right"|128
|-
|DENNIS, Susan
|align="right"| 101
|}