Gordon Walker

For other people named Gordon Walker, see Gordon Walker (disambiguation).

Gordon Wayne Walker (born September 10, 1941) is a businessman and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1975, and again from 1977 to 1985.^[1] He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.

Background

Walker was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, and educated at the University of Western Ontario. He worked as a lawyer, and served as an alderman in the City of London from 1967 to 1971. He and his wife Harriet have two daughters, Melanie Jennifer and Wynsome Harriet. Married to the former Harriet Hedley, who was Runner Up to Miss Canada nationally in 1965, was a secondary school teacher specializing in French and Spanish, was Director of Public Relations for the Museum of Indian Archeology 1981 1989; Director of Public Relations for the Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario, 1989 to 1991; principal of Harriet Walker and Affiliates, Toronto, (principal organizer of the Royal Visit to Ontario of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, 1997), director and subsequently Co-Chair of the Royal Ontario Museum, 1997 to 2003, Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum 2003–present, lay member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons 2003 - 2006.

Political career

Ontario Legislature

He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, defeating New Democratic Party candidate Charles Bigelow by 5,426 votes in London North. He served as a backbencher supporter of Davis's government for the next four years, and lost to Liberal candidate Marvin Shore by 2,282 votes in the 1975 election. Ironically, Shore crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservative Party the following year.

Walker was returned to the legislature in the 1977 election for London South, defeating Liberal candidate John Ferris by 2,211 votes. He was appointed to Davis's cabinet on October 18, 1978 as Minister of Correctional Services, and was also named Provincial Secretary for Justice on August 30, 1979. He was re-elected without difficulty in the 1981 election.

Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations

He left the Correctional Services portfolio on April 10, 1981, and was instead named as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations. After a cabinet shuffle on February 13, 1982, he left both of his former portfolios and was named Minister of Industry and Trade Development. The title Minster of Trade Development was shortened to Minister of Trade. On June 6, 1983 he changed cabinet positions becoming the Provincial Secretary of Justice, a position he held until February 1985 at which time he became the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations in the Cabinet of Premier Frank Miller, who had succeeded Premier Bill Davis as leader of Progressive Conservative Party. He left cabinet entirely on May 17, 1985, following the general election of May 2, 1985, in which he was defeated. The Progressive Conservative Party under Premier Frank Miller was reduced to a minority government in that election, and defeated in the Parliament in June 1985, turning over government to the Liberals. In 1983 he published a book entitled A Conservative Canada.

Progressive Conservative Party

Walker was a prominent figure on the right-wing of the Progressive Conservative Party, and developed an organization for a future leadership bid in the early 1980s. These plans fell through, and many of his supporters later turned to Frank Miller. Many believe that Davis distrusted Walker's ambitions, and demoted him to prevent his leadership campaign from developing.Walker would retain the cabinet position of Provincial Secretary for Justice. Walker supported Miller for the party leadership in January 1985, and when Miller succeeded Davis as Premier of Ontario on February 8, he appointed Walker to cabinet as Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations.

The Progressive Conservatives lost twenty seats in the 1985 provincial election, and Walker personally lost to Liberal Joan Smith by 6,683 votes. The party was subsequently defeated in the legislature, and Miller resigned as party leader. Walker became Alan Pope's campaign manager for the November 1985 Progressive Conservative leadership convention. After Pope's elimination on the first ballot, he unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate an alliance between his candidate and Dennis Timbrell.

The Aftermath

Walker returned to his legal practice in London after his defeat. Many of his policy views were adopted by the Progressive Conservative Party under Mike Harris in the 1990s. Walker was a fundraiser for the Federal Progressive Conservataives and was Vice Chairman of P.C. Canada Fund during the Prime Minister Brian Mulroney period. Walker was a chief fundraiser for Tom Long's bid to lead the Canadian Alliance in 2000. In the period 1993 until 2003, Walker was chief fundraiser for Mike Harris, Leader of the PC Party in Ontario, and Premier from 1995 until 2003. He was Campaign Manager - Finance for both the 1995 and 1999 successful elections for Harris.

Walker's legal practise took him to Toronto where from 1985 until 1998 he was Counsel to Toronto law firms of Holden, Murdoch and Finlay (later Holden Day Wilson), and latterly Miller Thompson; as well as being Honorary Counsel to Walker and Wood, a firm he started in London, Ontario. In 1986 Walker took a financial interest in First Canadian Property Investments Limited, a firm in which he continues as a principal. It is based in Toronto.

From 1992 until 1995 Walker was Canadian Commissioner on the International Joint Commission, a treaty organization between Canada and the United States affecting issues of water quality and water quantity on the 330 lakes, rivers and streams across the common border, including the Great Lakes.

Hollinger Inc.

Walker joined the board of directors of Conrad Black's troubled Hollinger Inc. firm in January 2004. He subsequently demanded that Black resign to protect the interests of shareholders, and replaced Black as chair in November 2004. He left the firm in July 2005, shortly after describing Black's ongoing legal difficulties as a "soap opera".

References

1. ^ Legislative Assembly of Ontario biography, Accessed 14 April 2011

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Name	Walker, Gordon
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Date of birth	September 10, 1941
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