Bill Murdoch

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Bill Murdoch (born January 10, 1945 in Meaford, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, and represents the riding of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound for the Progressive Conservative Party.

Murdoch was educated at the Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and worked as a farmer, electrical draftsman, film stripper and salesman. He is also a freemason and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion. He served as chair of the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority for five years.

[edit] Political career

Murdoch began his political career at the municipal level, serving in for four years as a councillor in Sydenham Township, and as reeve for a further eight. He was elected warden of Grey County in 1987. Murdoch served as vice-president of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario for two years, and was a member of the board of directors for five years.

Murdoch's first bid to enter the Ontario legislature was unsuccessful. He ran as a Progressive Conservative for the riding of Grey in the 1987 Ontario election, in which the Liberals under David Peterson won a landslide majority. Murdoch lost to Liberal Ron Lipsett by about 2000 votes. The Liberals saw their support base decline during the 1990 election, however, and Murdoch was able to win the seat on his second attempt, defeating New Democrat Peggy Hutchinson by about 2500 votes (Lipsett finished third).

Murdoch was easily re-elected in the provincial elections of 1995 and 1999, both of which were won by the Progressive Conservatives under Mike Harris. He developed a reputation as a party maverick, and was never seriously considered for a cabinet appointment.

Murdoch's political philosophy is somewhat eccentric, and defies easy summarization. Although a rural populist and former supporter of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance, Murdoch is also an admirer of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and Louis Riel. He has never been afraid to criticize his own party, whether in government or opposition. He opposed the Harris government's decision to cancel the province's spring bear hunt, and claims that he was fired from a parliamentary assistant position after calling for more free votes in the house. He is also known as one of the most socially conservative members of the Ontario assembly, and once threatened to block unanimous consent for a same-sex benefits bill brought forward by the Harris government.

Murdoch's riding includes the town of Walkerton, which suffered from a deadly outbreak of e-coli in 2000 as a result of polluted water. Some criticized Murdoch for rejecting the possibility that his government's cutbacks could have been partly responsible for the outbreak.

The Progressive Conservatives lost the 2003 election, though Murdoch was re-elected in his own riding. After the election, he considered sitting as a member of the New Democratic Party — not for ideological reasons, but in order to give the NDP official party status in the legislature after it fell one short of the required eight seats. Though Murdoch's beliefs are far removed from NDP policy, he claimed he was willing to cross the floor because the party deserved a voice in the legislature. The plan was seriously considered by NDP leader Howard Hampton, but came to nothing. The NDP subsequently won a by-election, and regained party status on their own.

Murdoch supported Frank Klees's bid to lead the Ontario PC Party in 2004.