Mike Geoghegan

Michael Geoghegan (born November 1965) is a Canadian government and media relations consultant.^[1]

Mike Geoghegan was a ministerial assistant to the New Democratic Party's Bill Barlee from 1991 to 1996.^[2] After resigning from his job when political ally and long-time friend Bill Barlee was defeated, Geoghegan set up a government relations firm with Bill Barlee known as "Barlee, Geoghegan and Associates", which was succeeded by "Michael Geoghegan Consulting Ltd".^[3] The firm released a series of polling studies in 1999 and 2000 authored by Bernard von Schulmann and former Green Party leader Stuart Parker that predicted the BC NDP would win only zero to four seats in the next British Columbia provincial election. In May 2001, the BC NDP were reduced to only two MLAs.

After Glen Clark became premier Mike Geoghegan became increasingly disillusioned with the leftward drift of the NDP, and by 1997 Mike had joined the BC Liberals.

In 2003 he was hired as the president and CEO of the BC Construction Association.^[1] Thanks to his frequent appearances in the media, the BCCA enjoyed an extremely high profile. That ended when in November 2003 Geoghegan made some controversial remarks about NDP MLA Jenny Kwan.^[4] Geoghegan apologized for his on air comments, resigned and returned to consulting, primarily for a variety of associations and unions involved in the construction sector as well as several First Nations.

Mike Geoghegan continues to work as a freelance government and media relations consultant . He still makes appearances from time to time on various radio, television and print media. From 1996 to 1998, he was a monthly political guest on Tyabji a weekday current events show on Victoria television station CHEK 6 hosted by Judi Tyabji. After that show's cancellation he became a weekly political guest on Vancouver radio station CKNW and Victoria radio station CFAX until November 2003. From 2005 until 2009 he wrote a monthly column for the Thompson Okanagan Business Examiner and in 2007 he returned to being a regular guest and political commentator on CFAX radio . In 2009 he became a frequent guest on CTV's national news channel .

In 2009 and 2010 Mike Geoghegan played a key role in assisting with the successful lobbying of Ottawa that ensured British Columbia received its fair share of $40 billion Navy and Coastguard construction. He also worked with Victoria area doctors to convince the B.C. Ministry of Health to double MRI operational funding throughout British Columbia and to establish two more MRI facilities on Vancouver Island.

In addition to his on-going lobbying consultant work, in August 2013 Mike Geoghegan was appointed Vice-President Government and Aboriginal Relations of AOE Accumulated Ocean Energy,^[5] a technology company that captures and stores ocean swell and wave energy in buoys for use in mechanical applications.

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