Tim Peterson
Encyclopedia
Tim Peterson is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, representing the Greater Toronto Area
riding
of Mississauga South
. He was elected in the 2003 provincial election
as a Liberal, but sat as an independent from March 29, 2007 until June 6, 2007, and as a Progressive Conservative
from June 6, 2007 until the election.
In the 2007 provincial election
, Peterson ran as a PC candidate, but lost to Liberal challenger Charles Sousa
.
Tim Peterson is the brother of two prominent Liberal politicians: former Premier of Ontario
David Peterson
and former federal cabinet minister
Jim Peterson
. He was the last of the three brothers to enter political life.
Peterson has a Bachelor of Arts
degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario
. He is a director of Northern Crown Capital, Inc. (a merchant banking firm) and has sat on the Board of Directors of Process Capital, Nordex Explosives and Oxegen and Prescott Paper Products, as well as the Mississauga Hospital Foundation. Peterson was convicted of breaking the Federal Elections Act after being caught on video destroying Reform Party
election signs during the 1997 federal election.
Despite his family's political background and increased Liberal strength leading up to the 2003 provincial election
, Peterson won the election by the narrowest of margins, only 234 votes to defeat incumbent Progressive Conservative
Margaret Marland
, a longtime MPP for the riding.
On October 23, 2003, Peterson was named parliamentary assistant to Jim Bradley, the Ontario Minister of Tourism and Recreation, and in 2005 he was elevated to parliamentary assistant to George Smitherman
, the Ontario Health and Long-Term Care
.
Peterson said that his decision to leave the Liberal Party was due to Dalton McGuinty
's failure to address his constituents. Unnamed Liberal government sources claim that he was disgruntled over being passed over for a cabinet post. Peterson said of his decision, "I knew that our government and I were not in agreement and my first instinct was to not run in October."
Peterson mentioned his disagreement with the government's energy policy and his view that his region was not getting its share. "Fortunately, I have known John Tory
for several years and it was easy to establish a dialogue about these issues."
In April 2010, Peterson became a member of an advisory board
for Sarissa Resources Inc.
for the PCs, Brad Butt, the Canadian Alliance candidate in the 2000 federal election, and Zoran Churchin, who later ran as the PC candidate for Mississauga East-Cooksville. Peterson's official nomination meeting was chaotic, with Peterson being barred from speaking, and high-profile Conservative supporters, including Margaret Marland and former Mississauga mayor Ron Searle criticizing the process. Despite predictions that Mississauga South would be an extremely tight race, given the close nature of Peterson's victory in 2003, and the historical dominance of the PCs in the riding, Charles Sousa defeated Peterson by 12.4% and 5,081 votes. While the election was overall a poor night for the Tories, Peterson's floor crossing and the nature of his installation as PC candidate played a role in his defeat.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in 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....
, Canada
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...
. He was a member of 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...
, representing the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
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 Mississauga South
Mississauga South (provincial electoral district)
Mississauga South is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1975....
. He was elected in the 2003 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
as a Liberal, but sat as an independent from March 29, 2007 until June 6, 2007, and as a Progressive Conservative
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...
from June 6, 2007 until the election.
In the 2007 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, Peterson ran as a PC candidate, but lost to Liberal challenger Charles Sousa
Charles Sousa
Charles Sousa is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is the Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Mississauga South, and is the province's Minister of Labour in the Cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty...
.
Tim Peterson is the brother of two prominent Liberal politicians: former Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
and former federal cabinet minister
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
Jim Peterson
Jim Peterson
James Scott "Jim" Peterson, PC is a retired Canadian politician and former Minister of International Trade.Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he has a DCL from McGill University, a Master of Laws from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario...
. He was the last of the three brothers to enter political life.
Peterson has 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 in economics from the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
. He is a director of Northern Crown Capital, Inc. (a merchant banking firm) and has sat on the Board of Directors of Process Capital, Nordex Explosives and Oxegen and Prescott Paper Products, as well as the Mississauga Hospital Foundation. Peterson was convicted of breaking the Federal Elections Act after being caught on video destroying Reform Party
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....
election signs during the 1997 federal election.
Despite his family's political background and increased Liberal strength leading up to the 2003 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, Peterson won the election by the narrowest of margins, only 234 votes to defeat incumbent Progressive Conservative
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...
Margaret Marland
Margaret Marland
Margaret Marland is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris.Marland worked as a bank accountant and dental assistant in private life...
, a longtime MPP for the riding.
On October 23, 2003, Peterson was named parliamentary assistant to Jim Bradley, the Ontario Minister of Tourism and Recreation, and in 2005 he was elevated to parliamentary assistant to George Smitherman
George Smitherman
George Smitherman is a Canadian politician and broadcaster. He represented the provincial riding of Toronto Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2010, when he resigned to contest the mayoralty of Toronto in the 2010 municipal election...
, the Ontario Health and Long-Term Care
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario)
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the health care system and providing services to the province of Ontario...
.
Peterson said that his decision to leave the Liberal Party was due to Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
's failure to address his constituents. Unnamed Liberal government sources claim that he was disgruntled over being passed over for a cabinet post. Peterson said of his decision, "I knew that our government and I were not in agreement and my first instinct was to not run in October."
Peterson mentioned his disagreement with the government's energy policy and his view that his region was not getting its share. "Fortunately, I have known John Tory
John Tory
John Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster...
for several years and it was easy to establish a dialogue about these issues."
In April 2010, Peterson became a member of an advisory board
Advisory board
An advisory board is a body that advises the board of directors and management of a corporation but does not have authority to vote on corporate matters, nor a legal fiduciary responsibility...
for Sarissa Resources Inc.
Controversy and defeat
Peterson's appointment as the PC candidate was not without controversy, particularly as the local riding association did have a ongoing nomination race. Peterson was installed over Effie Triantafilopoulos, who was the frontrunner for the nomination, and had been discussed as a possible star candidateStar candidate
A star candidate refers to a high profile individual who has been recruited as a candidate by a political party. Star candidates have usually excelled in fields outside of politics such as academia, business, the media, journalism and/or sports...
for the PCs, Brad Butt, the Canadian Alliance candidate in the 2000 federal election, and Zoran Churchin, who later ran as the PC candidate for Mississauga East-Cooksville. Peterson's official nomination meeting was chaotic, with Peterson being barred from speaking, and high-profile Conservative supporters, including Margaret Marland and former Mississauga mayor Ron Searle criticizing the process. Despite predictions that Mississauga South would be an extremely tight race, given the close nature of Peterson's victory in 2003, and the historical dominance of the PCs in the riding, Charles Sousa defeated Peterson by 12.4% and 5,081 votes. While the election was overall a poor night for the Tories, Peterson's floor crossing and the nature of his installation as PC candidate played a role in his defeat.