David Collenette
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David Michael Collenette, PC, MA, BA (born June 24, 1946 in London) was a Canadian politician representing the Liberal Party of Canada from 1974 to 2004. Graduate from York University's Glendon College in 1969 (he subsequently received his MA from the same university in 2004, Collenette was first elected in the York East riding of Toronto to the House of Commons on July 8, 1974 under the Pierre Elliott Trudeau government.
He was defeated twice in his career, once in the Tories' upset victory under Joe Clark in 1979 and again in Brian Mulroney's first election in 1984. He returned to politics nine years later and entered the Jean Chrétien cabinet. He served as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Minister of National Defence. He was at the centre of the controversy over the Somalia Affair. He was especially challenged on the government's decision to curtail the inquiry into the affair.
An access to information request revealed Collenette broke ethical guidelines by intervening with a judge in 1995. Collenette cited this violation as his official reason for resigning from cabinet in October 2006 but his resignation also served to remove Collenette from the ongoing Somalia Affair controversy [1]
After a few months on the back benches, he was re-admitted to Cabinet as Minister of Transport. In this portfolio his most important decisions were those that led to the merging of Canadian Airlines and Air Canada. He also successfully argued in the late 1990s for the first substantial increase in funding for VIA Rail since cuts, mainly imposed by Liberal governments, in 1981, 1990 and 1994.
On September 11, 2001, the FAA closed down U.S. airspace after a series of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. After the FAA closed down U.S. airspace, Collenette acted swiftly and shut down Canadian airspace in order to take in diverted U.S.-bound international flights, launching Transport Canada's Operation Yellow Ribbon. Ultimately, 255 flights carrying 44,519 passengers were diverted to 15 Canadian airports. In the time that has followed, Collenette has applauded the way Canadians responded to the crisis. He, Chrétien, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci, and other provincial and local officials presided over Canada's memorial service to mark the first anniversary of 9/11 at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador. There, he helped Chrétien unveil a plaque, commemorating the acts of kindness seen for the diverted passengers not just in Gander, but across the country.
Collenette was one of Jean Chrétien's staunchest cabinet loyalists. He was not expected to have a future in politics under new Liberal leader Paul Martin and was included in Martin's cabinet announced in December 2003. On January 29, 2004, Collenette announced his retirement from politics and went on to work for the private sector.
| 26th Ministry - Government of Jean Chrétien | ||
| Cabinet Posts (3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| David Anderson | Minister of Transport (1997–2003) |
Tony Valeri |
| Tom Siddon | Minister of National Defence (1993–1996) |
Doug Young |
| Peter McCreath | Minister of Veterans Affairs (1993–1996) styled as Minister of National Defence |
Doug Young |
| 23rd Ministry - Government of John Turner | ||
| Cabinet Post | ||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| cont'd from 22nd Min. | Minister of State (Multiculturalism) (1984) |
|
| 22nd Ministry - Second Government of Pierre Trudeau | ||
| Cabinet Post | ||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Minister of State (Multiculturalism) (1983–1984) |
cont'd into 23rd Min. | |
