Hedy Fry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Incumbent | |
|---|---|
| Riding | Vancouver Centre |
| In office since | 1993 election |
| Preceded by | Kim Campbell |
| Born | August 6, 1941 San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Residence | Vancouver |
| Political party | |
| Profession(s) | Physician |
Hedy Fry, PC, MP, MD (born August 6, 1941) is a Canadian politician and physician.
Fry was born into poverty in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, declining an English Literature scholarship to Oxford, Fry instead earned her equivalent of a BA in Science in one year and went on to then receive her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. She migrated to Canada and established a practice in Vancouver. She served as president of the British Columbia Federation of Medical Women in 1977. She was president of the Vancouver Medical Association in 1988-89, the BC Medical Association in 1990-91, and chaired the Canadian Medical Association's Multiculturalism Committee in 1992-9. Fry was also a host on the nationally televised CBC's Doctor Doctor. Dr. Fry has three adult sons; Peter, Jeremy and Douglas.
Fry sought and won the Liberal Party nomination for Vancouver Centre for the 1993 federal election over lawyer David Varty and college lecturer John Lang in March 1993. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons, defeating Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Kim Campbell. Fry was only the fourth person to unseat a sitting prime minister, and the first to do so on his or her first try for office. Fry has been re-elected in every subsequent election (1997, 2000, 2004, and 2006). In 2006, she beat high profile NDP Activist and former MP Svend Robinson, who parachuted into her riding.
She served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Health and Welfare from 1993 until 1996 when she was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women.
She became a favourite target of conservatives for her perceived political correctness, anti-Americanism, feminism and support for gay rights.
Fry has a reputation for making controversial statements. She ignited a political backlash when, on March 21, 2001, in reply to a question in the House of Commons, she claimed that crosses were being burned on lawns in Prince George, British Columbia "as we speak". No evidence of this had ever been given and, when asked to justify her claim, she stated that the mayor of Prince George had informed her of this. When asked, the mayor denied having said such a thing. It was later suggested Fry had confused Prince George with Merritt, British Columbia, where a Ku Klux Klan grand wizard was arrested following reported racist activity. [1]. It has also been suggested that reports of cross-burning in Prince George, Alabama may have been the cause of her confusion.
Her credibility damaged, Fry was dropped from the Cabinet when it was shuffled in 2002.
When Paul Martin became Prime Minister of Canada at the end of 2003, he made her Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration with special emphasis on Foreign Credentials. After the 2004 election, she was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development with special emphasis on the Internationally Trained Workers Initiative.
The Liberals lost power in 2006, and Fry was named as Critic for Sport Canada in the Liberal shadow cabinet.
On May 4, 2006, Fry became the 11th person, 3rd woman, and the only Westerner to officially enter the Liberal party leadership race. According to the Globe and Mail, "[t]he leadership race represents an opportunity for her to shed an image she now has among many in the Liberal ranks as a bit of a fruitcake often snickered at in private." [2] Fry launched her leadership campaign saying that Canada's diversity is its greatest competitive advantage - "our weapon of mass inclusion" - and called for a "non-ideological" approach to problem solving. She withdrew from the contest on September 25 and announced her support for Bob Rae.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- How'd They Vote?: Hedy Fry's voting history and quotes
- Federal Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
| 26th Ministry - Government of Jean Chrétien | ||
| Sub-Cabinet Post | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Title | Successor |
| Sheila Finestone | Secretary of State (Multiculturalism) (Status of Women) (1996–2002) |
Jean Augustine |
| Preceded by: Kim Campbell |
Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre 1993-present |
Succeeded by: incumbent |
Categories: 1941 births | Current Members of the Canadian House of Commons | Living people | Members of the Canadian House of Commons from British Columbia | Liberal Party of Canada MPs | Roman Catholic politicians | Canadian physicians | Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | Trinidadian Canadians
