Bud Wildman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Jackson "Bud" Wildman (born June 3, 1946 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1975 to 1999, representing the riding of Algoma, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
He was educated at Carleton University, the McArthur College of Education, Queen's University and Algoma University. He lived in Echo Bay, Ontario after graduating, and worked as a high school history teacher.
Wildman was first elected to the legislature in the provincial election of 1975, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative Bernt Gilbertson by 398 votes. Wildman's victory was regarded by many as an upset; he received support from NDP bastions such as Wawa, but also from more traditionally Conservative areas on the north shore of Lake Huron.
He was re-elected by an increased margin over PC candidate Dave Liddle in the 1977 election, and retained his seat by significant margins in the elections of 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1990.
Wildman supported Jim Foulds's bid to lead the provincial NDP in 1982, and made little secret of his opposition to Bob Rae's leadership in the years that followed. He was actively preparing a leadership campaign of his own in early 1990, as Rae appeared ready to leave provincial politics and run for the leadership of the federal NDP. By all accounts, he was extremely disappointed when Rae eventually decided to remain as provincial leader.
The NDP unexpectedly won the 1990 provincial election, and Wildman was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for Native Affairs on October 1, 1990. He was promoted to Minister of the Environment on February 3, 1993, while retaining the Native Affairs portfolio. He claimed that he gained a greater appreciation of Rae's leadership abilities during this period.
As Natural Resources minister, Wildman was a prominent defender of continued public ownership for Hydro Ontario. As Environment minister, he initiated the first public audit of Ontario’s forest resources and promoted an ecosystem management approach for sustainability. Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights was also approved during his tenure.
As Minster responsible for Native Affairs during the entire tenure of the Rae government, Wildman instituted a regime of dealing with First Nations on a government to government basis and conluded a number of land claims settlements. He also established the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy, which sought to address health problems among native peoples in a culturally sensitive manner.
The NDP were defeated in the 1995 general election and reduced to third-party status, although Wildman retained the Algoma riding by a reduced margin. Rae resigned as leader the next year and Wildman served as interim leader in the legislature from February 10, 1996 until June 24, 1996 when Howard Hampton took over the position after his victory in that year's Ontario NDP leadership convention.
The Algoma riding was radically redistributed in 1996, merging with the neighbouring riding of Algoma—Manitoulin and incorporating other territory from surrounding ridings as well. Wildman decided not to run in the 1999 election, and retired from provincial politics after almost a quarter century at Queen's Park.
Wildman attempted to win a seat in the federal House of Commons in the 2000 federal election, running in Sault Ste. Marie for the New Democratic Party. The NDP actively targeted this seat as winnable, and party leader Alexa McDonough visited the riding very late in the campaign. Wildman was however unsuccessful, finishing a surprisingly poor second with less than 25% of the vote against Liberal incumbent Carmen Provenzano.
During his time in office, Wildman was known as an intense parliamentary debater and a vociferous defender of northern Ontario's interests. After being appointed Environment Minister, he recommended shipping garbage from Toronto to Kirkland Lake as a means of stimulating industry in the north; he was overruled by others in cabinet. Wildman was also an active defender of native interests and improved cultural understanding.
Since leaving politics Wildman has worked as a consultant. He is also the chair of the Board of Governors of Algoma University. His son Jody Wildman was a federal NDP candidate in 1997.
