Robert Stanley Welch
Encyclopedia
Robert Stanley Kemp "Bob" Welch, OC
(July 13, 1928—July 29, 2000) was a Canadian
politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1963 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts
, Bill Davis
and Frank Miller.
, the son of a railway brakeman. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree from McMaster University
in Hamilton
, and a Bachelor of Laws
degree from Osgoode Hall Law School
in Toronto
. He worked as a barrister and solicitor after his graduation, and was a member of that St. Catharines Board of Education from 1955 until 1963. Welch was also a lay preacher in the Anglican church, and served chancellor of the Anglican Diocese in Niagara from 1965 to 1992.
, winning a convincing victory in the rural, southwestern Ontario constituency of Lincoln
. After serving as a backbench supporter of Robarts's government for two years, he was named to cabinet on November 24, 1966 as Provincial Secretary (Ontario)
and Minister of Citizenship
. Welch was re-elected by a landslide in the 1967 provincial election
, and was retained in both portfolios.
.
He finished fourth on the first ballot (three votes behind McKeough), and was eliminated after the second. Despite rumours that he would support McKeough, he remained neutral after his elimination and released his delegates. Davis was elected on the fourth ballot, defeating upstart candidate Allan Lawrence by 44 votes.
, he was named as Provincial Secretary for Social Development
on January 5, 1972.
The Social Development portfolio was a newly-created "super-ministry", and was intended to provide Welch with supervisory powers over the departments of Education, Health, Universities and Colleges and Social and Family Services. Though it was a powerful position in principle, it carried no direct administrative responsibilities and led to a reduced profile for the minister. Welch was often forced to remain silent in the legislative question period, while ministers under his watch responded to members of the opposition. He returned to a higher profile position on November 7, 1973, when Davis gave him additional responsibilities as Minister of Housing. In this capacity, he oversaw the cancellation of the Davis government's "Cedarwood" project near Pickering
.
Following a cabinet shuffle on February 26, 1974, Welch was promoted to Attorney General and Provincial Secretary for Justice. The latter position gave him supervisory powers over the departments of Correctional Services, Consumer and Corporate Affairs and the Solicitor General. He was also named Minister of Culture and Recreation on January 14, 1975, and was relieved of his other two positions on July 18 of the same year.
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
in the 1975 provincial election
, but remained in power due to divisions among the opposition parties. Welch was re-elected for the newly-created Brock constituency, while the redistributed division of Lincoln was won by the Liberal Party
. Welch was appointed Government House Leader
after the election, giving him the responsibility for working with opposition parties to ensure the passage of government legislation. He was also retained as Culture and Recreation Minister, and served as Commissioner of the Board of Internal Economy from November 4, 1975 to April 29, 1977.
The 1977 provincial election
yielded another minority government for the Progressive Conservatives. Welch remained Culture and Tourism minister until August 16, 1978, when he was re-appointed as Provincial Secretary for Justice. He held this position until August 30, 1979, when he was named Minister of Energy. He also became Ontario's Deputy Premier
on September 21, 1977, although this was not a cabinet position at the time.
The Progressive Conservatives were returned to power with a majority government in the 1981 election
. Welch remained Deputy Premier throughout the legislative session that followed, and saw the position elevated to cabinet level by an order in council of June 21, 1983. He also remained Energy Minister until July 6 of the same year, and was named as Minister responsible for Women's Issues on May 17, 1983. In the latter position, Welch announced plans to study and reduce the wage gap between male and female workers.
's unsuccessful campaign to succeed Davis as party leader in 1985. When Frank Miller was sworn in as premier on February 8, 1985, he kept Welch as deputy premier and also re-appointed him to the office of Attorney-General. Welch was also named Government House Leader
on February 20. He did not contest the 1985 provincial election
, and formally resigned from cabinet on May 17.
from 1985 until his death in 2000. In 1993, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(July 13, 1928—July 29, 2000) was a 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. 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 1963 to 1985 as 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...
, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts
John Robarts
John Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...
, 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...
and Frank Miller.
Early life
Welch was born in St. CatharinesSt. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, the son of a railway brakeman. He received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, and a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree from Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
in 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...
. He worked as a barrister and solicitor after his graduation, and was a member of that St. Catharines Board of Education from 1955 until 1963. Welch was also a lay preacher in the Anglican church, and served chancellor of the Anglican Diocese in Niagara from 1965 to 1992.
Political career
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1963 provincial electionOntario general election, 1963
The Ontario general election of 1963 was held on September 25, 1963, to elect the 108 members of the 27th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, winning a convincing victory in the rural, southwestern Ontario constituency of Lincoln
Lincoln (electoral district)
Lincoln was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1883 and from 1904 to 1997. It was on the Niagara Peninsula in the Canadian province of Ontario...
. After serving as a backbench supporter of Robarts's government for two years, he was named to cabinet on November 24, 1966 as Provincial Secretary (Ontario)
Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario
The Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario was a senior position in the provincial cabinet of Ontario from before Canadian Confederation until the 1960s....
and Minister of Citizenship
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (Ontario)
The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration is responsible for citizenship and immigration issues in the Canadian province of Ontario. Overall immigration and citizenship policy is still held by the federal government....
. Welch was re-elected by a landslide in the 1967 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1967
The Ontario general election of 1967 was held on October 17, 1967, to elect the 117 members of the 28th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and was retained in both portfolios.
Leadership campaign
When Robarts retired, Welch ran to succeed him in the 1971 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership convention. He was often depicted as a "consensus candidate", and was criticized for not debating policy issues. His campaign organization was initially weak, but received an unexpected boost from four of Robarts' senior advisors. Some have speculated that Robarts only intended to give Welch's campaign the appearance of strength, such that frontrunner Bill Davis would not appear to win the leadership by default (Jonathan Manthorpe, The Power and the Tories, p. 100). Welch proved a likeable figure and a good speaker, and built a base of delegate support at the expense of rival candidate Darcy McKeoughDarcy McKeough
William Darcy McKeough, is a Canadian businessman and former politician. He is a member of the board of Hydro One and is chairman of McKeough Investments and McKeough Supply, and former CEO of Union Gas....
.
He finished fourth on the first ballot (three votes behind McKeough), and was eliminated after the second. Despite rumours that he would support McKeough, he remained neutral after his elimination and released his delegates. Davis was elected on the fourth ballot, defeating upstart candidate Allan Lawrence by 44 votes.
Davis years
Welch became part of the new premier's inner circle of advisors and was often used as a "fixer" in the Davis government, taking temporary placements in difficult portfolios as a crisis manager. Davis initially named Welch to be his own successor as Education Minister on March 1, 1971. In this capacity, he was responsible for drafting policy guidelines on funding for Ontario's Roman Catholic school system. After another convincing victory in the 1971 provincial electionOntario 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....
, he was named as Provincial Secretary for Social Development
Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario
The Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario was a senior position in the provincial cabinet of Ontario from before Canadian Confederation until the 1960s....
on January 5, 1972.
The Social Development portfolio was a newly-created "super-ministry", and was intended to provide Welch with supervisory powers over the departments of Education, Health, Universities and Colleges and Social and Family Services. Though it was a powerful position in principle, it carried no direct administrative responsibilities and led to a reduced profile for the minister. Welch was often forced to remain silent in the legislative question period, while ministers under his watch responded to members of the opposition. He returned to a higher profile position on November 7, 1973, when Davis gave him additional responsibilities as Minister of Housing. In this capacity, he oversaw the cancellation of the Davis government's "Cedarwood" project near Pickering
Pickering, 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 :...
.
Following a cabinet shuffle on February 26, 1974, Welch was promoted to Attorney General and Provincial Secretary for Justice. The latter position gave him supervisory powers over the departments of Correctional Services, Consumer and Corporate Affairs and the Solicitor General. He was also named Minister of Culture and Recreation on January 14, 1975, and was relieved of his other two positions on July 18 of the same year.
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a 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 1975 provincial 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....
, but remained in power due to divisions among the opposition parties. Welch was re-elected for the newly-created Brock constituency, while the redistributed division of Lincoln was won by the Liberal Party
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...
. Welch was appointed Government House Leader
Government House Leader (Ontario)
The Ontario Government House Leader is the provincial cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the government's legislative program in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
after the election, giving him the responsibility for working with opposition parties to ensure the passage of government legislation. He was also retained as Culture and Recreation Minister, and served as Commissioner of the Board of Internal Economy from November 4, 1975 to April 29, 1977.
The 1977 provincial 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....
yielded another minority government for the Progressive Conservatives. Welch remained Culture and Tourism minister until August 16, 1978, when he was re-appointed as Provincial Secretary for Justice. He held this position until August 30, 1979, when he was named Minister of Energy. He also became Ontario's Deputy Premier
Deputy Premier of Ontario
The Deputy Premier of Ontario is the representative of the Premier of Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario when the current Premier is unable to attend functions executed by the Premier...
on September 21, 1977, although this was not a cabinet position at the time.
The Progressive Conservatives were returned to power with a majority government in the 1981 election
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....
. Welch remained Deputy Premier throughout the legislative session that followed, and saw the position elevated to cabinet level by an order in council of June 21, 1983. He also remained Energy Minister until July 6 of the same year, and was named as Minister responsible for Women's Issues on May 17, 1983. In the latter position, Welch announced plans to study and reduce the wage gap between male and female workers.
Miller premiership
Welch supported Dennis TimbrellDennis Timbrell
Dennis Roy Timbrell is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.-Early life and career:...
's unsuccessful campaign to succeed Davis as party leader in 1985. When Frank Miller was sworn in as premier on February 8, 1985, he kept Welch as deputy premier and also re-appointed him to the office of Attorney-General. Welch was also named Government House Leader
Government House Leader (Ontario)
The Ontario Government House Leader is the provincial cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the government's legislative program in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
on February 20. He did not contest the 1985 provincial election
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...
, and formally resigned from cabinet on May 17.
Retirement
Welch returned to his law practice after leaving politics, and served as chancellor of Brock UniversityBrock University
Brock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...
from 1985 until his death in 2000. In 1993, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.