Jack Riddell

Jack Riddell
Ontario MPP
In office
1973–1990
Preceded by Charles MacNaughton
Succeeded by Paul Klopp
Constituency Huron—Middlesex and Huron-Bruce
Personal details
Born December 10, 1931
London, Ontario
Political party Liberal
Alma mater Ontario Agricultural College
Occupation high-school teacher and a livestock sales owner and operator-auctioneeer

John Keith Riddell (born December 10, 1931) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1973 to 1990, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.

Background

Riddell was educated at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, Ontario, and worked as a high-school teacher and a livestock sales owner and operator-auctioneer. He is a prominent member of the Agricultural Institute of Canada.

Politics

He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in a by-election on March 16, 1973, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Don Southcott by 2,968 votes in the constituency of Huron.[1] He was re-elected by somewhat narrower margins in the elections of 1975,[2] 1977,[3] and 1981, in the redistributed constituency of Huron—Middlesex.[4]

Riddell was on the traditionalist right-wing of the Liberal Party, and represented agricultural interests in the legislature. He brought forward a private "right-to-farm" bill in the 1980s, attempting to protect farmers against urban incursion and related matters.

The Liberal party formed a minority government following the 1985 provincial election, after having been out of power for 42 years. Riddell, re-elected without difficulty,[5] was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Food on June 26, 1985.[6] Easily re-elected again in the 1987 provincial election,[7] Riddell remained Agriculture Minister until August 2, 1989.[8] He did not run for re-election in 1990.

Cabinet positions

Provincial Government of David Peterson
Cabinet Post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Ross Stevenson Minister of Agriculture and Food
1985–1989
David Ramsay

Later life

Riddell was president of the Ontario Agricultural Hall of Fame Association in 2003-04, and has served as president of the Ontario Institute of Agrologists. He is also a prominent member of Heartland Community Credit Union Ltd.

References

  1. Webster, Norman (March 16, 1973). "30-year reigns end: Liberals thump PCs in St. George, Huron". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  2. "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  3. "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
  4. Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Election results for Metro Toronto ridings". The Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario). p. 22. Retrieved 2014-03-06.
  5. "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
  6. "Liberals pledge reform as they take over in Ontario". The Gazette (Montreal, Que). June 27, 1985. p. B1.
  7. "Results from individual ridings". The Windsor Star. September 11, 1987. p. F2.
  8. Allen, Gene (August 3, 1989). "Veterans bear load as 8 ministers cut in Peterson shuffle". The Globe and Mail. p. A1.

External links