Mark Holland
Encyclopedia
Mark Holland is a Canadian
politician. In the 2004 federal election
he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as a candidate of the Liberal Party
in the Ontario
riding
of Ajax-Pickering. Holland was subsequently re-elected in the 2006
and 2008
federal elections. Holland served as the critic for Public Safety and National Security in the shadow cabinet
up until 2011, when he fell to Conservative Candidate Christopher Alexander.
, Holland majored in political science
and history
at the University of Toronto
and graduated in 1996. He worked as an assistant to Member of Parliament Dan McTeague
and at the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. He also worked for the Royal Bank of Canada
and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
. He served as a city councilor for the city of Pickering from 1997 till 2004 as well as a councilor for the Regional Municipality of Durham from 2000 to 2004. In 2004 Holland served as the acting Mayor of Pickering.
Holland created the Millennium Waterfront Committee in Pickering in 1998 and led the redevelopment of the City of Pickering's waterfront. He also founded the Region of Durham's Youth Partnership Initiative, the City of Pickering's Winterfest and was a member of the Board of Directors for Veridian Corporation. Holland was also a member of the Durham Region Police Services Board, past Vice-Chair of both the Ajax-Pickering Social Development Council and the Ajax-Pickering Block Parent program and a past member of Durham Region Finance and Administration Committee. He continues to be a member of the Durham West Arts Centre, and was one of their founding members.
in the Canadian House of Commons
, representing the riding of Ajax-Pickering, Ontario, from 2004 to 2011. He has served as Vice-Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Vice Chair of the Public Safety and National Security Committee, Critic for Natural Resources, Critic for Public Works and Procurement, Critic for the Canadian Border Services Agency, Associate Critic for Treasury Board, as a member of the Finance Committee, Industry Committee, Public Accounts Committee, Government Operations Committee and on the Cities and Communities Caucus. Holland currently serves in the Liberal shadow cabinet
as critic for Public Safety and National Security, he is also the Vice Chair of the Public Safety and National Security Committee.
In Parliament, Holland brought up a private members bill to advocate for the cause of lowering the voting age. The bill stipulated that 16–18 year-olds be allowed to vote in federal elections encouraged provincial and municipal jurisdictions to allow the same. He asked that an elections unit be taught in high schools before elections take place, to inform students on current events and issues at debate. By raising this interest in youth first, at the election they will make more informed choices. Furthermore, voting would take place in schools, raising voter turnout. In October 2006, Holland re-introduced as a private members bill a former Liberal government bill to reform the animal cruelty sections of the Criminal Code of Canada, which have changed little since 1892.
Holland has been named by the Globe and Mail as a member of the new 'Rat Pack
' and was voted by the Hill Times as the most effective Opposition MP in Question Period and the 'Best Up-And-Comer' four times from 2006 – 2008. Conservative Minister Stockwell Day
has referred to Holland as 'Perry Mason on Steroids' and 'the Caped Crusader' during their sometimes heated exchanges in the Public Safety and National Security meetings. CTV called Holland "a one-man rat pack on a mission to change the hill". Macleans has labeled Holland – 'Part Attack Dog – Part King Maker' for his going after Conservatives and for his role in the 2006 leadership campaign.
Aaron Wherry of Macleans Magazine spoke of Holland saying "If you saw Kennedy in Montreal, Holland was inevitably not far behind. Already a favourite of some on Parliament Hill for his oratory skills and his impressive head of hair, Holland is a mere 32 years old – making him a potential leadership candidate for the next 30 years."
Holland supported Gerard Kennedy
's leadership bid for the Federal Liberal Party and was Kennedy's Ontario Campaign Chair. When Kennedy dropped off after the 2nd ballot to support former Environment Minister
Stéphane Dion
, Holland went with him and was seen as key in building a bridge between the two camps. Holland was the Ontario Co-Chair of Michael Ignatieff's 2008 leadership campaign.
On January 18, 2007 Holland was named the Critic for Natural Resources in Dion's shadow cabinet. It was in this capacity that he garnered nationwide attention for stating that greenhouse gas emissions in the Alberta Oil Sands needed to be capped.
Holland is one of the more enthusiastic users of social networking sites Twitter
and Facebook
amongst Liberal MP's, frequently tweeting, updating his profile and writing notes about government announcements and party policy.
with his wife, Cindy Fournier-Holland, and his three children from a previous marriage, Braeson, Maia and Riley. He competes in adventure racing, running and is a writer.
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. In the 2004 federal 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...
he was elected to 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...
as a candidate of 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...
in 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....
riding
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 Ajax-Pickering. Holland was subsequently re-elected in the 2006
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
and 2008
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
federal elections. Holland served as the critic for Public Safety and National Security in the shadow cabinet
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)
The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 39th Canadian parliament is listed below. Members are drawn from the Liberal Party of Canada, and most are members of their parliamentary caucus...
up until 2011, when he fell to Conservative Candidate Christopher Alexander.
Early life
Born in Pickering, OntarioPickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
, Holland majored in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and graduated in 1996. He worked as an assistant to Member of Parliament Dan McTeague
Dan McTeague
Daniel P. "Dan" McTeague, PC is a former Canadian Member of Parliament for the Ontario riding of Pickering—Scarborough East.-Background:He was born to a devoutly Catholic family, one of three children...
and at the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. He also worked for the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
. He served as a city councilor for the city of Pickering from 1997 till 2004 as well as a councilor for the Regional Municipality of Durham from 2000 to 2004. In 2004 Holland served as the acting Mayor of Pickering.
Holland created the Millennium Waterfront Committee in Pickering in 1998 and led the redevelopment of the City of Pickering's waterfront. He also founded the Region of Durham's Youth Partnership Initiative, the City of Pickering's Winterfest and was a member of the Board of Directors for Veridian Corporation. Holland was also a member of the Durham Region Police Services Board, past Vice-Chair of both the Ajax-Pickering Social Development Council and the Ajax-Pickering Block Parent program and a past member of Durham Region Finance and Administration Committee. He continues to be a member of the Durham West Arts Centre, and was one of their founding members.
Politics
Holland was 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...
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...
, representing the riding of Ajax-Pickering, Ontario, from 2004 to 2011. He has served as Vice-Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Vice Chair of the Public Safety and National Security Committee, Critic for Natural Resources, Critic for Public Works and Procurement, Critic for the Canadian Border Services Agency, Associate Critic for Treasury Board, as a member of the Finance Committee, Industry Committee, Public Accounts Committee, Government Operations Committee and on the Cities and Communities Caucus. Holland currently serves in the Liberal shadow cabinet
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)
The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 39th Canadian parliament is listed below. Members are drawn from the Liberal Party of Canada, and most are members of their parliamentary caucus...
as critic for Public Safety and National Security, he is also the Vice Chair of the Public Safety and National Security Committee.
In Parliament, Holland brought up a private members bill to advocate for the cause of lowering the voting age. The bill stipulated that 16–18 year-olds be allowed to vote in federal elections encouraged provincial and municipal jurisdictions to allow the same. He asked that an elections unit be taught in high schools before elections take place, to inform students on current events and issues at debate. By raising this interest in youth first, at the election they will make more informed choices. Furthermore, voting would take place in schools, raising voter turnout. In October 2006, Holland re-introduced as a private members bill a former Liberal government bill to reform the animal cruelty sections of the Criminal Code of Canada, which have changed little since 1892.
Holland has been named by the Globe and Mail as a member of the new 'Rat Pack
Liberal Party of Canada Rat Pack
The Rat Pack was the nickname given to a group of young, high-profile Canadian Liberal opposition Members of Parliament during the Progressive Conservative government of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney....
' and was voted by the Hill Times as the most effective Opposition MP in Question Period and the 'Best Up-And-Comer' four times from 2006 – 2008. Conservative Minister Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
has referred to Holland as 'Perry Mason on Steroids' and 'the Caped Crusader' during their sometimes heated exchanges in the Public Safety and National Security meetings. CTV called Holland "a one-man rat pack on a mission to change the hill". Macleans has labeled Holland – 'Part Attack Dog – Part King Maker' for his going after Conservatives and for his role in the 2006 leadership campaign.
Aaron Wherry of Macleans Magazine spoke of Holland saying "If you saw Kennedy in Montreal, Holland was inevitably not far behind. Already a favourite of some on Parliament Hill for his oratory skills and his impressive head of hair, Holland is a mere 32 years old – making him a potential leadership candidate for the next 30 years."
Holland supported Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada...
's leadership bid for the Federal Liberal Party and was Kennedy's Ontario Campaign Chair. When Kennedy dropped off after the 2nd ballot to support former Environment Minister
Minister of the Environment (Canada)
The Minister of the Environment is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's environment department, Environment Canada...
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
, Holland went with him and was seen as key in building a bridge between the two camps. Holland was the Ontario Co-Chair of Michael Ignatieff's 2008 leadership campaign.
On January 18, 2007 Holland was named the Critic for Natural Resources in Dion's shadow cabinet. It was in this capacity that he garnered nationwide attention for stating that greenhouse gas emissions in the Alberta Oil Sands needed to be capped.
Holland is one of the more enthusiastic users of social networking sites Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
amongst Liberal MP's, frequently tweeting, updating his profile and writing notes about government announcements and party policy.
Electoral results
Personal life
A life long resident of west Durham, Holland lives in PickeringPickering, Ontario
Pickering is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the largest metropolitan area in Canada.- Early Period :...
with his wife, Cindy Fournier-Holland, and his three children from a previous marriage, Braeson, Maia and Riley. He competes in adventure racing, running and is a writer.