John Reynolds (Canadian politician)

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Hon. John Douglas Reynolds

In office
1972 election – Resigned, May 9, 1977
Riding	West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast (1997-2006); Burnaby-Richmond-Delta (1972-1977)
Preceded by	Tom Goode
Succeeded by	Tom Siddon
Born	January 19, 1942 Toronto, Ontario
Political party	Conservative
Profession(s)	Businessman, manager, sales and marketing consultant
In office
1997 election – 2006 election
Preceded by	Herb Grubel
Succeeded by	Blair Wilson

Image in table:John Reynolds arrives for the swearing in of the new Conservative government in 2006

John Douglas Reynolds, PC (born January 19, 1942) was the Member of Parliament for the riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2006. He had also been an MP in the 1970s as well as a provincial politician in British Columbia in the 1980s and 1990s.

He was first elected as an MP representing the Progressive Conservatives in 1972 and was re-elected in 1974. He resigned in 1977 after disagreeing with Joe Clark's Red Tory policies.

Beginning in 1983 he was active in the Social Credit Party of British Columbia and served as Speaker of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly and as a cabinet minister. In 1986 he was a candidate at the Social Credit leadership convention coming in fifth. He remained in provincial politics until 1991 when he was defeated in his bid for re-election.

Reynolds returned to parliament in 1997 as a Reform MP and served as Chief Opposition Whip. He remained in this role when the Reform Party was folded into the Canadian Alliance. When Stockwell Day faced a revolt in his caucus in 2001 and Chuck Strahl resigned as House Leader, Reynolds was named in his place. When Day resigned as Alliance leader, Reynolds was chosen as inteirm party leader and Leader of the Opposition and served until Stephen Harper was elected the new party leader. He remained in this position when the Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives merged to form the Conservative Party of Canada.

Reynolds resigned as House leader on January 24, 2005, but continued as MP for his riding until his retirement at the 2006 federal election. He was the coordinator of the Conservative campaign in British Columbia. On the day after the election, which resulted in a Conservative minority government, Harper asked Reynolds to approach Liberal minister David Emerson about crossing the floor and serving as a minister in Harper's government. Emerson eventually accepted the offer, which triggered a firestorm of criticism. However, Reynolds, who had strongly criticized Belinda Stronach's switch from the Conservatives to the Liberals, told a suburban Vancouver newspaper that he was "very happy" that Emerson was a Conservative and claimed that the people of Emerson's left-leaning Vancouver riding got the better end of the bargain. "Instead of having someone in opposition," he said, "they have someone who is a cabinet minister of a new government." [1]

[edit] See also

• Stephen Harper Leadership Team

[edit] External links

• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament

Preceded by None	MLA for Burnaby-Richmond-Delta 1972–1977	Succeeded by Tom Siddon, PC
Preceded by Louis Williams, Social Credit	MLA for West Vancouver-Howe Sound 1983–1991	Succeeded by Abolished
Preceded by None	MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country 1997–2006	Succeeded by Blair Wilson, Liberal
Preceded by Stockwell Day	Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons 2001–2002 (interim)	Succeeded by Stephen Harper
Preceded by Stockwell Day	Leader of the Canadian Alliance 2001–2002 (interim)	Succeeded by Stephen Harper