Otto Jelinek
Encyclopedia
Otto John Jelinek, PC
(born May 20, 1940 in Prague
, Bohemia
) is a businessman, former figure skater, and Canadian
politician
. Jelinek's family fled to Canada from Czechoslovakia
in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War
.
. They are the 1962 World Champions
, the 1961 North American national champions
, and 1961-1962 Canadian national champions
. They represented Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics
, where they placed 4th. The pair were the first to perform lifts with several rotations, and also performed side-by-side double jumps.
After they won the World Championships in 1962, the Jelineks retired from competition, and toured professionally with Ice Capades
. In late 1963, Jelinek became engaged to Darlene Streich, an American
ice dancer who went on to win the U.S. Championships
in that discipline in 1964.
The Jelineks were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
in 1962 and into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame
in 1994.
After a time in business, Otto Jelinek entered politics and was elected in the 1972 election
to the House of Commons
as the Progressive Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for High Park-Humber Valley
in Metropolitan Toronto
. He was re-elected in 1974
. In 1979, he switched to the riding
of Halton
, where he ran and won in the 1979 federal election
.
When the Tories formed government after the 1984 election
, Prime Minister
Brian Mulroney
appointed Jelinek to Cabinet as Minister of State
for Fitness and Amateur Sport, and the Minister responsible for Multiculturalism
.
In 1988, he was named Minister of Supply and Services, and later, Minister of National Revenue
. Jelinek was returned to Parliament in the 1988 federal election
in Oakville—Milton
left politics after Mulroney retired and did not run in the 1993 election
.
In politics, Jelinek was considered a right-wing conservative
, and a staunch anti-Communist
.
, and became chairman of the Board of Directors
of Deloitte & Touche Central Europe, and chairman and managing partner of the firm in the Czech Republic, a position he held until 2006. In 2007, Jelinek assumed the role of chairman of Colliers International
, CEE Region. Jelinek is also a chairman of the society Olympiad for Czech Republic, which leads the activities of Prague to become the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics
.
In 2011, Jelinek became a board member of Passport Energy, a Canadian oil and gas company.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(born May 20, 1940 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
) is a businessman, former figure skater, and Canadian
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
Politics of Canada
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state...
. Jelinek's family fled to Canada from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Figure skating career
Jelinek competed as a pair skater with his sister, MariaMaria Jelinek
Maria Jelinek is a Canadian pair skater. She competed with her brother Otto Jelinek. They are the 1962 World Champions, the 1961 North American national champions, and 1961-1962 Canadian national champions...
. They are the 1962 World Champions
World Figure Skating Championships
The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...
, the 1961 North American national champions
North American Figure Skating Championships
The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating between the two countries.Although the event was classified as an...
, and 1961-1962 Canadian national champions
Canadian Figure Skating Championships
The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has...
. They represented Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Canada at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Canada competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, United States. Canada has competed at every Winter Olympic Games.-Medalists:- Alpine skiing:MenWomen- Cross-country skiing:Men- Figure skating:MenWomenPairs...
, where they placed 4th. The pair were the first to perform lifts with several rotations, and also performed side-by-side double jumps.
After they won the World Championships in 1962, the Jelineks retired from competition, and toured professionally with Ice Capades
Ice Capades
The Ice Capades was a traveling entertainment show featuring theatrical performances involving ice skating. Shows often featured former Olympicand National Champion figure skaters who had retired from amateur competition....
. In late 1963, Jelinek became engaged to Darlene Streich, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ice dancer who went on to win the U.S. Championships
United States Figure Skating Championships
The United States Figure Skating Championships is figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of the United States. The competition is sanctioned by U.S. Figure Skating. In the U.S. skating community, the event is often referred to informally as "Nationals".Skaters...
in that discipline in 1964.
The Jelineks were inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established in 1955 to "preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport." It is located at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta...
in 1962 and into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame
Skate Canada Hall of Fame
The Skate Canada Hall of Fame is the sports hall of fame for figure skating in Canada. It was established in 1990. The members are inducted into one of four categories that best represents the inductee's contributions to skating in Canada: athletes, coaches, builders, and...
in 1994.
Political career
After retiring from professional skating, Jelinek started a business, Canadian Skate Industries, to manufacture figure and hockey skates for the mass market. He also had considerable investments in real estate.After a time in business, Otto Jelinek entered politics and was elected in the 1972 election
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
to the 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 the Progressive Conservative
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....
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for High Park-Humber Valley
High Park (electoral district)
High Park was a federal electoral district in the west end of the city of Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
in Metropolitan Toronto
Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
. He was re-elected in 1974
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
. In 1979, he switched to the 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 Halton
Halton (electoral district)
Halton is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1988 and again since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 100,055.-Geography:...
, where he ran and won in the 1979 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
.
When the Tories formed government after the 1984 election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, 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...
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...
appointed Jelinek to Cabinet as Minister of State
Minister of state (Canada)
A Minister of State is a junior cabinet minister in the Canadian Cabinet, usually given specific responsibilities to assist a senior cabinet minister in a specific area....
for Fitness and Amateur Sport, and the Minister responsible for Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
.
In 1988, he was named Minister of Supply and Services, and later, Minister of National Revenue
Minister of National Revenue (Canada)
The Minister of National Revenue is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency and the administration of taxation law and collection....
. Jelinek was returned to Parliament 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 ....
in Oakville—Milton
Oakville—Milton
Oakville—Milton was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario...
left politics after Mulroney retired and did not run 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...
.
In politics, Jelinek was considered a right-wing conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
, and a staunch anti-Communist
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
.
Business career
In 1994, he moved to the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, and became chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Deloitte & Touche Central Europe, and chairman and managing partner of the firm in the Czech Republic, a position he held until 2006. In 2007, Jelinek assumed the role of chairman of Colliers International
Colliers International
Colliers International is a global commercial real estate services organization with approximately 12,500 professionals in more than 500 offices in 61 countries....
, CEE Region. Jelinek is also a chairman of the society Olympiad for Czech Republic, which leads the activities of Prague to become the host city of the 2020 Summer Olympics
2020 Summer Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, will be a major international sports and cultural festival, celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games....
.
In 2011, Jelinek became a board member of Passport Energy, a Canadian oil and gas company.
Results
with Maria JelinekMaria Jelinek
Maria Jelinek is a Canadian pair skater. She competed with her brother Otto Jelinek. They are the 1962 World Champions, the 1961 North American national champions, and 1961-1962 Canadian national champions...
| Event | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating... |
4th | |||||||
| World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion... |
3rd | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | 1st | |||
| North American Championships North American Figure Skating Championships The North American Figure Skating Championships were a former elite figure skating competition for skaters from the United States and Canada. It was a biennial competition held between 1923 and 1971, with locations alternating between the two countries.Although the event was classified as an... |
2nd | 1st | ||||||
| Canadian Championships Canadian Figure Skating Championships The Canadian Figure Skating Championships is a figure skating competition held annually to crown the national champions of Canada. It is organized by Skate Canada, the nation's figure skating governing body. The levels of the competition are senior and junior; in some years, the novice level has... |
1st J. | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | |
- J = Junior level