John Cannis

John Cannis
Member of Parliament
for Scarborough Centre
In office
1993–2011
Preceded by Pauline Browes
Succeeded by Roxanne James
Personal details
Born November 4, 1951
Kalymnos, Greece
Political party Liberal
Spouse(s) Mary Cannis
Children 3
Residence Toronto
Profession Human Resources Consultant

John Cannis (Greek: Γιάννης Κάννης; born November 4, 1951) is a former member of the House of Commons in Canada.

Background

Born in Kalymnos, Greece, Cannis was raised and educated in Toronto, Ontario. A successful entrepreneur for 18 years, Cannis owned a Toronto-based international executive search firm and was a member in good standing of Association of Professional Placement Agencies and Consultants. He also served as a computer and human resource consultant.

Cannis and his wife of more than 30 years, Mary, have three children; Irene (Tony), Paul (Christina), Daniel and four grandchildren.

Politics

Cannis ran as the Liberal candidate in the 1993 election in the riding of Scarborough Centre and was elected as a Member of Parliament. He continued to serve for 18 years before his defeat by Conservative Roxanne James in 2011.

From 1999 to 2001, Cannis served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry. As Parliamentary Secretary, he successfully guided four pieces of legislation through the House of Commons and committee stages; specifically, the Privacy Act, the Space Agency Act, the Canadian Tourism Commission Act and the Patent Act.

Notable committee appointments included Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence, Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs, Chair of the Subcommittee on International Trade, Trade Disputes and Investment (SINT) of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (FAAE) and as Vice-Chair on the Standing Committee on Transport.[1]

In 2004, when the Khadr family returned to Canada, they were met by a loud wave of public sentiment in favour of revoking their citizenship and deporting them. Cannis, as the Member of Parliament for their region, called for the entire family to be charged under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act for "aiding a terrorist organization with which Canada is at war".[2] Prime Minister Paul Martin responded by saying that the Khadrs "have a right to their own opinions".[3]

Electoral record

Note: This section is incomplete.

Canadian federal election, 1993: Scarborough Centre
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalJohn Cannis 21,084 52.50 – $48,715
  Reform John Pope 8,415 20.95 $16,324
  Progressive Conservative Pauline Browes 8,154 20.30 $43,354
  New Democratic Party Guy Hunter 1,599 3.98 $24,751
  National Jean Schilling 320 0.80 $1,152
  Natural Law David Gordon 190 0.47 $0
  Independent Steven Lam 184 0.46 $7,341
  Libertarian George Dance 153 0.38 $0
Marxist–LeninistFrance Tremblay 38 0.09 $105
  Abolitionist Denis A. Mazerolle 21 0.05 $0
Total valid votes 40,158 100.00
Rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 359
Turnout 40,517 68.17
Electors on the lists 59,431
Source: Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Financial figures taken from official contributions and expenses provided by Elections Canada.

References

  1. ↑ John Cannis – Parliament of Canada biography
  2. ↑ CTV, MP wants Khadrs charged under anti-terror laws, April 17, 2004
  3. ↑ CBC, Liberal MP calls for charges against Khadrs, April 16, 2004

External links