Darrel Reid

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For the Manitoba NDP MLA, see Daryl Reid.

Darrel R. Reid (born June 3, 1957 in Grande Prairie, Alberta) B.A. (U. of Regina, 1981); M.A. (U. of Toronto, 1984); M.L.S. (U. of Toronto, 1985); Ph.D. (Queen’s, 1994) Canadian policy advisor, political manager, and federal candidate in two federal elections (Reform Party, 1997, Lanark-Carleton; and Conservative Party, 2007, Richmond).

Between 1988 and 1994 Reid served as Information Officer and Manager, Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, Queen’s and Publishing and Information Systems at the School of Policy Studies, producing publications on politics and federal-provincial relations. He completed his Ph.D. on Victorian society, and then served as Director of Policy and Research for the Reform Party of Canada. In May 1996 He became Chief of Staff to Preston Manning, Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition [note]. In 1997 he ran unsuccessfully as a Reform candidate for the riding of Lanark-Carleton.

From 1998 to 2004 he was the president of the evangelical Christian organization Focus on the Family Canada. He promoted conservative Christian family values while actively campaigning against issues such as divorce, abortion and same-sex relationships. ^[1] He left Focus Canada to become Vice-President of Current Corporation, a high-tech firm specializing in night vision systems for the marine industry. In May 2006 he won the Conservative nomination for Richmond and ran in the subsequent federal election.

After his election loss, Reid took on the position of Vice President Project Development for the Work Research Foundation, an organization with the stated mission to “influence people to a Christian view of work and public life.” Bowing out of the Richmond Conservative Party riding association’s nomination battle in September 2006, he then announced he was taking over the chief of staff position for Environment Minister Rona Ambrose in Ottawa.

1 2006 Campaign to Become a Richmond M.P.
2 Opposition to Darrel Reid
3 Election Results
4 Robbie Robertson Controversy
5 Liberal Leader Apologizes
6 References

[edit] 2006 Campaign to Become a Richmond M.P.

Darrel Reid became well known outside conservative Christian circles when he ran for M.P. (Member of Parliament) inside the riding for Richmond, British Columbia. He ran under the campaign slogan "What's Right For Richmond," ^[2] a title later used against him by his opponents. During his campaign, he focused heavily on increasing penalties for drug dealers and reckless drivers, and he wrote numerous articles in local newspapers about his views. He also advocated giving tax breaks to land developers to promote construction of affordable housing. ^[3]

His campaign strategy was to reach out to conservative Chinese and Sikh families in Richmond, who he believed shared his views. He did this by promising to support an apology and compensation to the Chinese community which once had to pay a discriminatory head tax (Canada). He also praised the entrepreneurial spirit of local Chinese families who have worked hard to create small businesses.

[edit] Opposition to Darrel Reid

Darrel Reid was heavily criticized by his opponents for being pro-life, even though he promised not to change Canada's abortion laws at the current time if he was elected. He also said he opposed same sex marriage, but that he did support "registered domestic partnerships" for same sex couples.^[4] His critics likened him to fundamentalist politicians in the United States. Reid's social views, while attracting support from both religious Canadians and some conservative ethnic minorities, caused great concern for those who support same-sex marriage, and even for some left leaning Christians.

Darrel Reid's statements sparked several registered third party campaigns, notably the "What's Wrong for Richmond" campaign by a former NDP candidate and avowed secular Humanist, Dale Jackaman (Canadian politician). Reid was attacked for his stated positions on embryonic stem cell research and treatment, gay marriage, abortion rights, and attempted to draw him out on the evolution versus intelligent design debate. These campaigns, and his refusal to publicly address these issues until late in the campaign, and then only in a limited manner, created a climate of suspicion and distrust that he could not overcome.

On January 17, 2005, he declined to be interviewed by Global TV's Vancouver station, sparking a series of media concerns about his lack of accessibility and prompting Liberal press releases accusing him of being "muzzled" by Conservative party leader (and 22nd Prime Minister of Canada) Stephen Harper.

[edit] Election Results

On January 23, 2006, Reid received 38.54 % of the total vote, and was thus defeated by Raymond Chan who received 42.85 % of the total vote. ^[5]. The NDP's Neil Smith received 14.07% of the total vote. Raymond Chan has gone on to serve his fourth term in the new Liberal-led official opposition.

ELECTION RESULTS:

Raymond Chan (Liberal Party of Canada) 18,107

Darrel Reid (Conservative Party of Canada) 16,286

Neil Smith (New Democratic Party) 5,944

Richard Mathias (Green Party of Canada) 1,916

[edit] Robbie Robertson Controversy

Following the defeat Robbie Robertson, former campaign manager, but not then affiliated with the Reid campaign, blamed the loss on Jewish owned media outlets. He said “The CanWest Global media empire is controlled by a Jewish family (the Aspers) and they had been the most aggressive family to attack Christians, especially Conservative Christians.” ^[6] Reid promptly and unequivocally condemned these comments, stating that Mr. Robertson did not represent his views or the views of the party. A Canadian Jewish Congress official expressed support for Reid’s view: [During the campaign] …“we met with Mr. Reid to articulate our concerns about hate crime and how to combat hate crime. Everything we heard from Mr. Reid was very supportive.”

[edit] Liberal Leader Apologizes

On October 3, 2007 Liberal Opposition Leader Bill Graham attacked Reid in Question Period for his religious views, and cited a letter supposedly written by Reid stating anti-Muslim views. However, Reid did not write the article, although no proof of that will be provided here, as this section is a partisan defense of Darrel Reid. The Government’s response: “We expect an apology from Bill Graham for this unacceptable smear. He got his facts wrong and he should face up to it.” ^[7] The next day the Leader of the Opposition made the following statement in the House of Commons: “Mr. Speaker, I am advised that yesterday I incorrectly attributed anti-Muslim statements to the chief of staff of the Minister of the Environment. I apologize and totally withdraw those remarks.” ^[8]

The parliamentary attacks on Reid prompted a leading editorial by David Asper, National Post Chairman, condemning the Liberals for “ideological tribalism”: “This trend should be frightening to all Canadians, regardless of their political stripes. Social conservatives have as much right to express their views on the issues of the day as any other Canadians. They should be able to speak their minds, and participate in public life, without federal politicians targeting them with demagogic hit jobs.” ^[9]