Sharon Hayes
Encyclopedia
Sharon Ruth Hayes is a former Canadian
politician
.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she represented the riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam from 1993 to 1997 for the Reform Party of Canada
.
Hayes is a graduate of the Honours Math and Computer Science program at the University of Waterloo
; while enrolled there, she worked as a co-op student with the Toronto Stock Exchange
and IBM
. After graduation, she worked as a program analyst at the University of Guelph
and then as a Sessional Instructor in computer science at Simon Fraser University
.
Her election victory in 1993 came over the incumbent, Ian Waddell
of the New Democratic Party
, and challenger Celso Boscariol, B.C. president of the Liberal Party of Canada
. As one of 52 Reform MPs, she served as Chair of the party's Family Caucus and critic on Human Rights and Status of Women. She was assistant critic for Health (1995-'96) and Human Resources (1997), and a member of the Standing Committees on Health (1994-'97), Citizenship and Immigration (1994-'96) and Human Rights (1996-'97), and of the sub-Committee on HIV/AIDS (1994-'96). While in office, Hayes joined many of her Reform colleagues in donating 10% of their salary to charity and opting out of the MP pension plan.
Hayes was best known as a socially conservative advocate for family issues. She crafted the RPC's response to parliamentary initiatives on family and the definition of family, age of consent, Child Care Tax Credit, corporal punishment and the Unified Family Court. She was an advocate for the rights of the disabled, and prompted a change to the compassionate airfare policy for Air Canada
. Hayes also sponsored a rally in 1994 in Coquitlam of an estimated 2,000 persons to press for changes to the Young Offenders Act.
She was a member of the Canadian Delegation to the Fourth UN Conference for Women in Beijing in 1995, but left early to protest what she called (in an essay published in the Globe and Mail on Sept. 15, 1995) the conference's pre-ordained, anti-family agenda. She had also stirred controversy for issuing a press release on her House of Commons letterhead calling on Liberal ministers attending the conference to reject "Chinese government policies that endorse the mandated one-child policy, the murder of inmates for body parts and the alleged consumption of human fetuses as health food." Writing on her personal blog in 2011, Hayes apologized to anyone who had been offended by the release, noting, "Thankfully, there has been no evidence of the truth of that story since that time." She explained that she had not intended for the release to be made public, and, "In no way did I intend to discredit any nationality or group of people then or since."
Hayes was also a speaker at the First World Congress of Families, organized by the Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society, in Prague in 1997. She was appointed co-chair of the RPC's Family Campaign, along with Chuck Stahl, leading up to the 1997 general election. Even though her husband, Doug, was in a coma from a massive brain hemorrhage when the election was called and she was able to campaign very little, she was reelected. However, she resigned four months later to care for her ailing husband after his condition deteriorated. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
, Opposition Leader Preston Manning
, Bloc Québécois
leader Gilles Duceppe
, and NDP spokesman Bill Blaikie
all praised her in the House following her resignation announcement.
She has two daughters and six grandchildren. A past board member at Trinity Western University
and Focus on the Family Canada
, Hayes currently sits on the board of Affordable Housing Societies.
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
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, she represented the riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam from 1993 to 1997 for the 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....
.
Hayes is a graduate of the Honours Math and Computer Science program at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
; while enrolled there, she worked as a co-op student with the Toronto Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange is the largest stock exchange in Canada, the third largest in North America and the seventh largest in the world by market capitalisation. Based in Canada's largest city, Toronto, it is owned by and operated as a subsidiary of the TMX Group for the trading of senior equities...
and IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
. After graduation, she worked as a program analyst at the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
and then as a Sessional Instructor in computer science at Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
.
Her election victory in 1993 came over the incumbent, Ian Waddell
Ian Waddell
Ian Gardiner Waddell is a Canadian politician.Waddell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and as a child immigrated to Canada. He graduated from the University of Toronto with bachelor of arts in history and an LLB, a teaching diploma Ontario College of Education and a master's in international law...
of the 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...
, and challenger Celso Boscariol, B.C. president of the Liberal Party of Canada
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...
. As one of 52 Reform MPs, she served as Chair of the party's Family Caucus and critic on Human Rights and Status of Women. She was assistant critic for Health (1995-'96) and Human Resources (1997), and a member of the Standing Committees on Health (1994-'97), Citizenship and Immigration (1994-'96) and Human Rights (1996-'97), and of the sub-Committee on HIV/AIDS (1994-'96). While in office, Hayes joined many of her Reform colleagues in donating 10% of their salary to charity and opting out of the MP pension plan.
Hayes was best known as a socially conservative advocate for family issues. She crafted the RPC's response to parliamentary initiatives on family and the definition of family, age of consent, Child Care Tax Credit, corporal punishment and the Unified Family Court. She was an advocate for the rights of the disabled, and prompted a change to the compassionate airfare policy for Air Canada
Air Canada
Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
. Hayes also sponsored a rally in 1994 in Coquitlam of an estimated 2,000 persons to press for changes to the Young Offenders Act.
She was a member of the Canadian Delegation to the Fourth UN Conference for Women in Beijing in 1995, but left early to protest what she called (in an essay published in the Globe and Mail on Sept. 15, 1995) the conference's pre-ordained, anti-family agenda. She had also stirred controversy for issuing a press release on her House of Commons letterhead calling on Liberal ministers attending the conference to reject "Chinese government policies that endorse the mandated one-child policy, the murder of inmates for body parts and the alleged consumption of human fetuses as health food." Writing on her personal blog in 2011, Hayes apologized to anyone who had been offended by the release, noting, "Thankfully, there has been no evidence of the truth of that story since that time." She explained that she had not intended for the release to be made public, and, "In no way did I intend to discredit any nationality or group of people then or since."
Hayes was also a speaker at the First World Congress of Families, organized by the Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society, in Prague in 1997. She was appointed co-chair of the RPC's Family Campaign, along with Chuck Stahl, leading up to the 1997 general election. Even though her husband, Doug, was in a coma from a massive brain hemorrhage when the election was called and she was able to campaign very little, she was reelected. However, she resigned four months later to care for her ailing husband after his condition deteriorated. Prime Minister 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....
, Opposition 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...
, Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
leader Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
, and NDP spokesman Bill Blaikie
Bill Blaikie
William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since April 2009, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader...
all praised her in the House following her resignation announcement.
She has two daughters and six grandchildren. A past board member at Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University is a private, Christian liberal arts university located in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.The school was founded in 1962 as Trinity Junior College, and now enrolls approximately 4000 students and sits on a campus....
and Focus on the Family Canada
Focus on the Family Canada
Focus on the Family Canada is a Canadian affiliate of the American evangelical Christian organization Focus on the Family. It was founded in 1983, and is based in Langley, British Columbia...
, Hayes currently sits on the board of Affordable Housing Societies.