Mark Adler (politician)

Mark Adler
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for York Centre
In office
2011–2015
Preceded by Ken Dryden
Succeeded by Michael Levitt
Personal details
Born (1962-03-17) March 17, 1962
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Alison
Children 2
Residence Toronto
Alma mater University of Toronto
Profession Businessman
Religion Judaism

Mark Adler (born March 17, 1963) is a former Canadian politician. He was a Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2011 to 2015. He represented the Toronto riding of York Centre.

Background

Adler attended William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, graduating in 1981. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1984 and Carleton University Graduate School of Public Administration in Ottawa. He worked for Canadian Institute of International Affairs and was a trade representative in the Government of Ontario's office in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2003 he founded and chaired the Economic Club of Toronto.[1]

Politics

Adler was elected to the Canadian Parliament in the 2011 federal election, when he defeated the Liberal incumbent Ken Dryden.[2]

In 2011, he was sued by a former business partner in the Economic Club of Toronto who claimed Adler owed him $140,000. A year later he settled the lawsuit.

In January 2014, he travelled with Harper on a trip to Israel. During a visit to the wailing wall, he urged an aide to the prime minister to allow him to get a photograph with Harper. He said, "It's the re-election! This is the million-dollar shot." The aide refused his request.[3]

Adler was criticized during the 2015 federal election campaign for putting "son of a Holocaust survivor" on an election poster.[4] Adler has also claimed in biographical and campaign materials to be the first child of Holocaust survivors elected to the House of Commons, a claim that was challenged by former Liberal MP Raymonde Folco, who sat in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2011 and is also a child of survivors.[4] Adler's campaign page was changed on August 17 to omit references in his biography to being the first child of Holocaust survivors to be elected as an MP. Adler's campaign manager Georgeanne Burke told the National Post the claim was "an honest mistake," since Folco "never spoke publicly about her background."[5] Asked about Adler's behaviour, Folco told the Canadian Jewish News that she found it “disgusting” for Adler “to use the Holocaust in this way, for personal ends.”[5]

In the 2015 election, Adler was defeated by Liberal candidate Michael Levitt.[6]

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalMichael Levitt 20,109 46.9 +13.7
ConservativeMark Adler 18,893 44.0 -4.5
New DemocraticHal Berman 3,148 7.3 -8.6
GreenConstantine Kritsonis 794 1.8 -0.5
Total valid votes/Expense limit 42,944100.0   $198,299.74
Total rejected ballots 319
Turnout 43,263
Eligible voters 64,297
Source: Elections Canada[7][8]
Canadian federal election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeMark Adler 20,356 48.5 +10.5 $79,794.56
LiberalKen Dryden 13,979 33.3 -10.2 $73,675.98
New DemocraticNick Brownlee 6,656 15.9 +3.8 $409.63
GreenRosemary Frei 979 2.3 -4.1 $342.41
Total valid votes/Expense limit 41,970 100.0$83,892.08
Total rejected ballots 350 0.1
Turnout 42,320 60.3 +7.6
Eligible voters 70,216

References

  1. Hannon, Gerald (July 14, 2008). "A policy wonk living in geek heaven". The Globe and Mail.
  2. "York Centre: Adler takes formerly safe Liberal seat". Archived from the original on June 3, 2011.
  3. Maher, Stephen (January 22, 2014). "Trip all about election". The Ottawa Citizen. p. A2.
  4. 1 2 Donnelly, Aileen (17 August 2015). "Conservative MP criticized for advertising that he is the ‘son of a holocaust survivor’ on campaign poster". National Post. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 Csillag, Ron (August 17, 2015). "Is Mark Adler really the first MP born of Holocaust survivors?". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  6. Maloney, Ryan (20 October 2015). "6 Controversial Tory Incumbents Who Lost (And 2 Who Didn't)". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  7. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for York Centre, 30 September 2015
  8. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External links

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