D. James Henderson (born August 7, 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1995.[1]
Henderson was educated at the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, Johns Hopkins University, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He worked as a physician, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst before entering political life, and served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1985, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent Morley Kells by about 2,000 votes in the Toronto constituency of Humber. The Liberal Party formed a minority government after this election. Henderson states that his decision to enter politics was as simple as stepping off the street car and saying "I want to be a candidate" at the Liberal constituency office for the riding.
Initially Henderson was named as the parliamentary assistant (PA) for the Ministry of Community and Social Services. As one of the largest and politically sensitive Ministries of the Ontario government, this would be considered a fairly senior appointment for a newly elected MPP. In 1986, Henderson took a highly public stance against the Liberal government in its attempt to ban extra-billing by doctors, a practice by which physicians bill patients directly an amount in addition to what is provided by the provincial health plan, and was generally supportive of doctors in their illegal strike that followed. Consequently, he fell into disfavour with the premier David Peterson, and was generally regarded as being on the political right of the Liberal Party.
He was later appointed as PA for the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. In the 1987 provincial election he was re-elected by an increased margin in the redistributed riding of Etobicoke—Humber. He again served as a PA to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, before being appointed as PA for a Minister without Portfolio responsible for the province's Anti-Drug Strategy.
The Liberals were upset by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election, although Henderson managed to defeat his NDP opponent by about 3,500 votes. He served as his party's critic for Culture and Communications in the parliament which followed.
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 provincial election, and Henderson was defeated by PC challenger Doug Ford (the father of Toronto city councillor Rob Ford). He has not sought re-election since this time, having returned to private practice as a psychotherapist.
While a private member of the legislature, Henderson brought forward a private member's bill which would have ensured joint custody rights for parents in the event of a divorce. He also proposed a private members bill to give members greater freedom to take positions consistent with their constituent's views and individual perspective. In 1997, he wrote favourably in the Globe and Mail of a meeting he had had with Fidel Castro several years earlier.