Reform Party candidates, 1997 Canadian federal election

The Reform Party of Canada fielded several candidates in the 1997 federal election, and won 60 seats out of 301 to form the Official Opposition. Many of the party's candidates have their own biography pages; information about others may be found here.

Ontario

Charles Van Tuinen (Eglinton—Lawrence)

Van Tuinen was born on August 12, 1953 in Oakville, Ontario. He has a college-level education, and was a millwright with AFG glass in Scarborough during the 1990s. [ [http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_05.15.97/news_views/kuit.html Peter Kuitenbrouwer, "No Vacancy"] , "Eye Weekly", 15 May 1997.] He was once vice-president and steward of his union. [ [http://www.newsworld.cbc.ca/election97/ridings/194.html Federal Election Riding Profiles: Eglinton—Lawrence] , Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1997.] Van Tuinen campaigned for the Reform Party in 1993 and 1997, campaigning against high taxes, and promised to create jobs through investment. ["Eglinton-Lawrence", "Toronto Star", 22 October 1993, A7.] When the Liberal Party won a majority government in the 1993 election, Van Tuinen suggested that the party would inflate the country's money supply. [John Deverell, "Huge responsibility ahead, Joe Volpe says", "Toronto Star", 26 October 1993, B5.]

Bill Serjeantson (Whitby—Ajax)

Serjeantson (born June 24, 1960) has a Bachelor of Science degree (Natural Sciences, 1982) and a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Electrical, 1986) from the University of Western Ontario. He became a senior engineer in Milltronics in 1996. Prior to the 1997 election, Serjeantson had held executive positions with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario association in Durham West, and with the Reform Party of Canada associations in Carleton—Gloucester, Whitby—Ajax and Ontario. He claimed that tax cuts, crime control and jobs were the three main issues of the campaign ("Toronto Star", 30 May 1997).

Serjeantson received 11,977 votes (24.25%) in the 1997 election, finishing second against Liberal candidate Judi Longfield. He later worked as Intelligent Water Systems manager for the Delcan corporation. [http://www.delcan.net/prod/index.php?id=14]

Manitoba

Edward George Agnew (Brandon—Souris)

Agnew is a dentist, Amway distributor and political activist. He postponed a vacation to Hawaii in February 1990, in order to organize a protest against the planned federal Goods and Services Tax during a visit to Manitoba by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. [Edison Stewart, "Mulroney takes sales tax defence to angry West", "Toronto Star", 15 February 1990, A14.] He later ran for the Reform Party in the 1993 and 1997 federal elections. Agnew has said that he joined the Reform Party because of its support for democratic populism. [Ed Agnew, "Are MPs elected to serve or to rule?", "Winnipeg Free Press", 22 May 1997, A10.] He joined the newly-formed Conservative Party of Canada in 2004. [Paul Samyn, "Borotsik bowing out of Parliament", "Winnipeg Free Press", 28 January 2004, A3.]

=Corky Peterson (Churchill)=

Peterson is a professional outdoorsman. He is a veteran trapper, and has frequently defended the industry against complaints from animal rights activists. Peterson has lectured to young students on ethical methods of trapping, and has argued that animals would die of starvation and disease without trapping ("Globe and Mail", 22 February 1990). He also owns and operates a lodge in northern Manitoba.

In 1994, Peterson was listed as director of the Manitoba Registered Trappers Association ("Winnipeg Free Press", 10 January 1994). He has also been a board member of the Manitoba Professional Guides Association, the Fur Institute of Canada, the Northwest Wild Rice Growers Co-op and the Grass River Corridor Tourism Association ("Winnipeg Free Press", 29 May 1997).

Peterson joined the Reform Party in 1991. During the 1997 campaign, he argued against the federal government's gun registry and in favour of native self-government "based on the laws of Canada". He also called for individual ownership of land by band members. He received 4,438 votes (19.00%), finishing third against New Democratic Party candidate Bev Desjarlais.

Peterson was still listed as leader of the Manitoba Trappers Association as of 2004 ("Winnipeg Free Press", 19 January 2004). He was listed as 69 years old in 1999. [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:_4Sy9GsVhHYJ:doughall.com/writings/northpole.asp%3Farticle%3Dtelegram13+%22Corky+Peterson%22&hl=en]

Larry Tardiff (Provencher)

Larry Tardiff is a commercial real estate agent in Ste. Agathe. He is a vocal opponent of gun control legislation in Canada, and wrote several editorials on the issue during the 1990s Among other things, Tardiff argued that gun control legislation does not lead to a reduction in violent crime. [Lydia Avery, "Industrial Parks a Little Too Quiet", "Manitoba Business", 1 December 1990, p. 16. For Tardiff's editorials, see "Guns and responsibility" [editorial] , "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 December 1993; Larry Tardiff, "Hand guns seldom used" [letter] , "Winnipeg Free Press", 16 July 1994; Larry Tardiff, letter, "Winnipeg Free Press", 7 October 1997, A13; Larry Tardiff, "No one listened to gun law alternatives" [letter] , "Winnipeg Free Press", 4 August 1999, A11.] He was secretary-treasurer of the Council for Responsible Firearms Ownership in Manitoba in 1995, and organized a protest against Justice Minister Allan Rock's proposed gun control legislation in January of that year. ["Gun-owners set up national lobby office", "Winnipeg Free Press", 22 November 1994; Alexandra Paul, "Gun enthusiasts plan protest for Rock in city", "Winnipeg Free Press", 10 January 1995.] He supported John Nunziata's decision to leave the Liberal Party of Canada in 1996, after the Liberal government broke a campaign promise to eliminate Canada's Goods and Service Tax. [Larry Tardiff, "Hats off to politician with real courage" [letter] , "Winnipeg Free Press", 25 April 1996, A9.]

Tardiff was acclaimed as the Reform Party's candidate for Provencher in the 1997 federal election, and received 12,798 votes (35.08%) for a second-place finish against Liberal incumbent David Iftody. ["Realtor wins Reform nomination", "Winnipeg Free Press", 18 January 1997, A6. He was 47 years old at the time of the election. See Darcy Henton, "The Regions", "Toronto Star", 27 May 1997, A19.] He ran a "traditional family values" campaign centered on support for the heterosexual family unit, and also reiterated his opposition to gun control. [Larry Tardiff, Editorial, "Winnipeg Free Press", 28 May 1997, A10.]

Greg Yost (Winnipeg South)

Yost (born March 3, 1948) is a Canadian lawyer. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History (1970), a Master of Arts degree in History (1972), and a Bachelor of Laws (1975), all from the University of Manitoba. Yost operated a private practice from 1976 to 1980, and began working with the Manitoba Department of Justice in 1980. He was involved in behind-the-scenes discussions involving the patriation of the Canadian Constitution, the Meech Lake Accord, and the Charlottetown Accord ("Winnipeg Free Press", 10 May 1998). Initially a supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party, he voted for the Liberals in the 1993 election, out of frustration with Brian Mulroney's failed handling of the Meech Lake Accord. He joined the Reform Party in 1996 ("Winnipeg Free Press", 10 May 1998).

At the time of the 1997 election, he was Director of Policy and Planning in the Manitoba provincial civil service, responsible for aboriginal justice, crime prevention, constitutional negotiations and other matters. [http://www.newsworld.cbc.ca/election97/ridings/222.html] Unlike others in his party, Yost argued that the Notwithstanding Clause of Canada's constitution cannot apply to Supreme Court decisions involved aboriginal matters. [http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/WINDNEWSAPRIL2000.html]

Yost won the Reform Party nomination over rival candidate Gary Hollingshead ("Winnipeg Free Press", 5 March 1997). He received 7,510 votes (19.80%) in the general election, finishing second against Liberal incumbent Reg Alcock. He continued working for the Reform Party on justice issues after the election ("Toronto Star", 6 May 1999). Yost opposes special status for Quebec, and has called for more powers to be devolved to Canada's provinces ("Winnipeg Free Press", 10 May 1998).

The 1997 election was called during a major flood in Winnipeg. Yost, who was forced to evacuate his own home, described the election timing as a "callous disregard for the people of southern Manitoba" ("Winnipeg Free Press", 23 May 1997). Alcock's victory was due in part to his decision to turn his election headquarters into a flood relief centre ("Winnipeg Free Press", 3 June 1997).

Footnotes