Philip Andrew Gillies (born May 7, 1954 in Hertfordshire, England) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987 as a Progressive Conservative,[1] and was a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller.
Gillies was educated at Queenborough in Kent, England. After moving to Ontario, he completed his education at the University of Western Ontario and worked as an advertising executive.
He first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1977 provincial election, but lost to New Democratic Party candidate Mac Makarchuk in the constituency of Brantford. In 1977 and 1978, Gillies worked as research assistant to Ontario Premier William Davis. He ran again in the 1981 election, and defeated Makarchuk by over 3,000 votes.
Gillies served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis's government, and endorsed Larry Grossman for the party leadership in January 1985. When Frank Miller became the Premier of Ontario on February 8, 1985, he named Gillies as a Minister without portfolio.
The Progressive Conservative Party was reduced to a tenuous minority government following the 1985 provincial election. Gillies himself was narrowly re-elected in Brantford, defeating NDP candidate Jack Tubman by 1,141 votes. He was promoted to Minister of Skills Development on May 17, 1985, and worked to establish a foundation for the new ministry in the limited time before the Miller government was defeated in the house. He formally resigned his portfolio on June 26.
In opposition, Gillies served as his party's critic for Skills Development, Labour and the Environment. Gillies took an interest in labour and human rights issues, and was one of the first P.C. MPPs to work for gay rights in Ontario. He was defeated in the 1987 provincial election, finishing third against Liberal candidate Dave Neumann.
Gillies ran communications and advertising for the Ontario Progressive Conservatives in the 1990 provincial election in support of new party leader Mike Harris.
After leaving politics, Gillies became a Vice President of Hill & Knowlton Public Relations. He later worked as a consultant for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, the Royal Bank of Canada and other corporations and non-profits. He has served as a director of Orchestra London, The Brant Social Development Council, The Brantford Symphony Orchestra, and the Enos Foundation. Phil Gillies currently works on endangered species issues for the WildAid Conservation Society.
In 2011, Phil Gillies helped spearhead a national campaign to have shark fin banned in Canada. He led his hometown of Brantford, Ontario to become the first municipality in North America to ban the trade and possession of sharkfin through a by-law passed on May 24, 2011. This led to the introduction of similar legislation in Toronto, Oakville, Mississauga and other Canadian cities.
| 1987 Ontario provincial election : Brantford edit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- | Expenditures | |
| Liberal | Dave Neumann | 14,919 | 41.29 | $35,227 | ||
| New Democratic Party | Jack Tubman | 12,112 | 33.52 | $33,914 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | (x)Phil Gillies | 9,104 | 25.19 | $42,033 | ||
| Total valid votes/Expenditure limit | 36,135 | 100.00 | $46,944 | |||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 219 | |||||
| Turnout | 36,354 | 68.88 | ||||
| Electors on the lists | 52,776 | |||||
| 1985 Ontario provincial election : Brantford edit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- | Expenditures | |
| Progressive Conservative | (x)Phil Gillies | 13,444 | 41.65 | $40,482 | ||
| New Democratic Party | Jack Tubman | 12,303 | 38.11 | $23,157 | ||
| Liberal | Herb German | 6,533 | 20.24 | $14,378 | ||
| Total valid votes | 32,280 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 162 | |||||
| Turnout | 32,442 | 64.87 | ||||
| Electors on the lists | 50,013 | |||||
| 1981 Ontario provincial election : Brantford edit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- | Expenditures | |
| Progressive Conservative | Phil Gillies | 12,847 | 45.35 | |||
| New Democratic Party | (x)Mac Makarchuk | 9,588 | 33.84 | |||
| Liberal | Herb German | 5,896 | 20.81 | |||
| Total valid votes | 28,331 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 129 | |||||
| Turnout | 28,460 | 59.43 | ||||
| Electors on the lists | 47,887 | |||||
| 1977 Ontario provincial election : Brantford edit | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- | Expenditures | |
| New Democratic Party | (x)Mac Makarchuk | 13,376 | 46.79 | $17,720 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Phil Gillies | 9,081 | 31.77 | $26,618 | ||
| Liberal | Arne Zabell | 6,130 | 21.44 | $8,868 | ||
| Total valid votes | 28,587 | 100.00 | ||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 156 | |||||
| Turnout | 28,743 | 64.87 | ||||
| Electors on the lists | 44,311 | |||||