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Bill Blaikie

William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC (born June 19, 1951) is the current Deputy Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1979, representing the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona and its antecedents as a member of the New Democratic Party. He has the longest continuous record of service of any current member of the House of Commons, and in this capacity serves as the Dean of the House. He is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and has the right to be styled The Honourable for life. Blaikie is not seeking re-election in the 2008 federal election.

Early life and career

Blaikie was born to a working-class family in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His father was employed by Canadian National for over forty years, at first as a machinist and later in management. Blaikie served in The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada from 1967 to 1972, and was a labourer on and off with the Canadian National Railway from 1969 to 1974 while attending University. He was a member of the Young Progressive Conservatives in high school, and joined the NDP in 1971.

Blaikie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of Winnipeg (1973), and a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology (1977). He was ordained a minister in the United Church of Canada on June 4, 1978, and subsequently became a politician in the social gospel tradition of such figures as J.S. Woodsworth and Stanley Knowles. From 1977 to 1979, he worked for the United Church's inner-city Stella Project in north-end Winnipeg.

Parliamentarian

The New Democratic Party has never formed government in Canada, and Blaikie has served his entire parliamentary career as an opposition MP. He has held many important Critic portfolios, and is respected by members of all parties for his personal integrity and conviction.Clark, Trudeau and Turner governments

Blaikie was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1979 election, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative MP Dean Whiteway (who had previously been elected in the riding of Selkirk, which was eliminated by redistribution). The Progressive Conservatives won a minority government under the leadership of Joe Clark, but lost a parliamentary motion of non-confidence later in the year. A new election was held in early 1980, in which the Liberal Party won a majority government under the leadership of Pierre Trudeau. Blaikie was comfortably re-elected in his own riding.

Blaikie was appointed as the NDP's Social Policy Critic in 1979, and was promoted to Health Critic in 1980. He was instrumental in forcing then Minister of Health, Monique Bégin, to bring in the Canada Health Act in 1984, to deal with the crisis that extra-billing by physicians and user fees were causing for medicare. In her memoirs, Bégin wrote that Blaikie waged "guerilla warfare" against her in the Commons and forced her to act. He also served as caucus chair in 1983-84. Mulroney and Campbell governments

The Progressive Conservatives won a landslide majority government in the 1984 federal election under Brian Mulroney, defeating the Liberals under their new leader John Turner. Blaikie was again returned for his riding, and was appointed as NDP Environment Critic in the next parliament. He opposed the new government's budget cuts, and was strongly critical of its first Environment Minister, Suzanne Blais-Grenier, saying, "It is clear she does not think about the environment. She thinks about the deficit. He called for Blais-Grenier's resignation in June 1985, after she commented that national parks could be opened to mining and logging. In the same year, he brought forward a private member's bill for a three-year moratorium on the construction and export of nuclear power stations, to be followed by a national referendum on any further development.

Blaikie spoke against a bill that proposed the return of capital punishment in 1987, saying that its passage would mark "a step toward not a less violent society, but a more violent society". The bill was defeated. He was also an opponent of Sunday shopping law reform in this period, arguing that it interfered with a community's right to determine common rest times.

He was promoted to External Affairs Critic in September 1987. One of his first major policy statements in this portfolio was to call for Canada to stop allowing American cruise missile tests over its territory. He was also critical of Canada's proposed Free Trade Agreement with the United State, and released A Time To Choose Canada, the New Democrats' Trade Option with fellow MP Steven Langdon in February 1988. He also served as co-chairman of the NDP's international affairs committee in this period, and held consultation meetings on whether or not the party should reaffirm its traditional opposition to Canada's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Blaikie contemplated running for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba in 1988, following the surprise resignation of Howard Pawley. He eventually chose not to run, and did not endorse any other candidate. He was retained as the NDP's External Affairs Critic after the Progressive Conservatives won a second consecutive majority government in the 1988 federal election, and was also chosen as his party's spokesman for federal-provincial relations and the Constitution. He was an international observer during Namibia's transformation to independence in 1989, and for Lithuania's first multi-party elections in early 1990.

He was initially rumoured as a candidate in the New Democratic Party's 1989 leadership convention, but he declined to run and instead supported Simon de Jong, whom he described as having the greatest awareness of environmental issues. When de Jong was eliminated on the second ballot at a delegated convention, Blaikie moved to the camp of Audrey McLaughlin, the eventual winner.

Blaikie was appointed as NDP Taxation Critic in 1990. He opposed the Mulroney government's decision to cut social programs to pay down the deficit, calling instead for a tightening of tax loopholes. He was given further responsibilities as Transport Critic, and spoke against proposed job cuts in the Canadian National Railway.Chrétien government;In parliament

Blaikie's closest election victory came in the 1993 federal election, when the Liberal Party under Jean Chrétien defeated the Progressive Conservatives under new leader Kim Campbell to win a majority government. The New Democratic Party was experiencing reduced popularity in this period, due to unpopular decisions from the provincial NDP governments of Bob Rae in Ontario and Michael Harcourt in British Columbia. Blaikie defeated Liberal candidate Art Miki by only 219 votes, as the NDP fell from 44 to 9 seats. Between 1993 and 1997, he was the only New Democratic Party MP to represent a riding east of Saskatchewan. He was appointed as NDP Critic for Foreign Affairs and Trade after the election, and served a second term as caucus chairman from 1993 to 1996.

In early 1994, Blaikie won unanimous support in the House of Commons for his Private Member's Bill calling for the government to officially recognize Canadians who served in the Dieppe Raid in World War II. He initially proposed that a special medal to be struck, but later accepted a Liberal amendment for a "distinctive decoration". He was disappointed with the final result, a simple silver bar to be attached to a ribbon that was awarded to all service personnel in the 1939-43 period.

There were again rumours that Blaikie would run for the NDP leadership in 1995, but he declined and instead threw his support behind Lorne Nystrom. When Nystrom was eliminated at the party's convention, Blaikie shifted his support to the winner, Alexa McDonough.

The duties of MPs were shuffled after the leadership convention, and Blaikie was named as the party's House Leader while retaining responsibility for International Trade and adding the Intergovernmental Affairs portfolio. He continued to hold these parliamentary roles after the 1997 election, in which the Liberals won a second majority government and the NDP made a partial recovery to 21 seats.

Blaikie was re-elected to a seventh term in the 2000 federal election, as the Liberals won a third majority government under Chrétien. He retained his position as House Leader and Intergovernment Affairs Critic, and gained additional duties as Critic for Parliamentary Reform, Justice and the Solicitor-general. He played a key role in getting the NDP Caucus to support the Clarity Act in 2000, after securing amendments to the legislation that were important to First Nations in Quebec.;Ideological views

Blaikie emerged as a prominent critic of economic globalization during the mid-1990s. In 1996, he wrote that new rules governing the World Trade Organization would shift oversight of public policy from elected governments to unelected trade bureaucrats. He expressed similar concerns about the Multilateral Agreement on Investment two years later, arguing that it put the rights of investors ahead of workers, environments, societies, and cultures. He wrote the NDP Minority Report on the MAI, which was published in Dismantling Democracy, edited by Andrew Jackson and Matthew Sanger.

Blaikie wrote an editorial in 1994 calling for the Bank of Canada to hold a larger portion of the national debt at low interest rates, as it did until the mid-1970s, in order for Canada to reduce its deficit while maintaining its core social programs. In 1998, he led a national campaign against proposed mergers among Canada's major banks.

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the New Democratic Party was divided into two camps concerning its role on the Canadian political spectrum. Some wanted to take the party into a more centrist direction, similar to Tony Blair's "Third Way" in Britain, while others sought to move in a radical left-wing direction. Blaikie was not closely affiliated with either camp. He opposed Blair's ideological approach on the grounds that it was too close to corporate interests. He participated in anti-globalization protests in Seattle and Quebec City but also criticized the extra-parliamentary left's tactics, saying that protestors would never bring about economic change without mobilizing in the political sphere. He opposed the New Politics Initiative at the NDP's 2001 convention, calling instead for a renewal of the existing party organization.;Leadership campaign

Blaikie was the first declared candidate in the 2003 leadership election. In declaring his candidacy, he said,

I've heard it said of the NDP that we are too attached to the past, but I tell you that it is our political opponents who are the Jurassic Park of Canadian politics. They would take us back to a meaner time when money was the measure of all things. We stand for the future that was sought and won and which must now be defended and enhanced.

Blaikie called for a renewed focus on health care, natural resources and labour standards. He was seen as a representative of the party's moderate left, fitting ideologically between centrist Lorne Nystrom and the more left-wing Jack Layton. His candidacy was supported by MPs Pat Martin, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, Bev Desjarlais, Wendy Lill, Yvon Godin and Dick Proctor, Manitoba Premier Gary Doer, New Democratic Party of Ontario leader Howard Hampton, and several former MPs including Simon de Jong, Dawn Black, Ian Waddell and Howard McCurdy.

The NDP's 2003 leadership convention was the first to be determined by a partial "one member, one vote" system in which all members of the NDP were eligible to cast ballots. Blaikie placed second to Jack Layton, who subsequently appointed him the party's Deputy Leader. As Layton did not have a seat in the Commons, Blaikie served as the NDP's parliamentary leader until the 2004 election. This appointment led to his being sworn in as a member of the Privy Council. He was also named as the NDP's National Defence Critic, and was front and centre in pushing the Liberals to not participate in the Iraq War, in opposing Canadian participation in ballistic missile defence, and in asking questions about the rules of engagement and changing role of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.Martin government

Paul Martin succeeded Jean Chrétien as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada in December 2003, and called a new election for June 2004. During this election, Blaikie openly opposed Layton's proposal that the Clarity Act be repealed. The Liberals were reduced to a minority government, and the NDP increased its representation from 14 to 19 seats. Blaikie continued as Deputy Leader and Defence Critic after after the election, and was also named as Health Critic. Notwithstanding their disagreement over the Clarity Act, Blaikie has said that he enjoyed a good working relationship with Layton in parliament.

During the period of the Martin government, Blaikie spoke openly about his opposition to the prominent role given to "identity politics" in the modern Canadian left. While he holds socially liberal views on most issues, he has also argued that that the economic needs of working-class and low-income Canadians should be the party's primary concern.Harper government

The Conservative Party under Stephen Harper won a minority government in the 2006 federal election. Following the resumption of parliament in April, Blaikie was named as Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons. This position largely removes him from the debates of the House, and puts him in the role of a non-partisan overseer.Parliamentary reform

Blaikie has long been an advocate for the reform of parliamentary institutions. He served as second vice-chairman of an all-party committee on parliamentary reform in 1985, which among other things made it easier for private member's bills to come to a vote. He took part in another such committee in 1992, which issued a thirty-page report calling for more free votes, reforms to the parliamentary Question Period, and a streamlined process for passing legislation. He took part in a third such committee in 2001, although he indicated that he was disappointed with its results.Retirement

On March 15, 2007 Blaikie announced that he would not be a candidate in the next federal election. He has accepted a position as adjunct professor of Theology and Politics at the University of Winnipeg, and plans to write a book on the relationship between faith and politics.

Other information

In 1988, Blaikie and House of Commons Speaker John Fraser organized the first annual Robbie Burns supper on Parliament Hill. Blaikie delivered the ritual address to the haggis, and played a few unscheduled tunes on the bagpipes.
In February 2001, parliamentarians were polled on the most effective member of the House of Commons. Blaikie tied for third place with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.
On November 21, 2007, Blaikie was given the Maclean's award for Best Parliamentarian of the Year, as voted by his peers.
Blaikie's daughter, Rebecca Blaikie, was the New Democratic Party candidate for LaSalle—Émard in the 2004 federal election. She is now executive director of the party's Quebec wing, and was one of the architects of Thomas Mulcair's historic victory in a 2007 Outremont by-election.

External links

Selected published works

"World Trade Organization spurns workers' rights", Canadian Dimension, 13 March 1997, Vol. 31, No. 2.

Table of offices held

Electoral record

All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada. Italicized expenditures from elections after 1997 refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. Expenditures from 1997 refer to submitted totals. The +/- figures from 2004 are adjusted for redistribution.