Jack Ramsay (politician)

:"This article refers to the Canadian politician. For the basketball coach, see Jack Ramsay."

F.J. "Jack" Ramsay Born August 23, 1937 in Biggar, Saskatchewan, is a former Reform Party of Canada member of the Canadian House of Commons. Ramsay is a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer.

Western Canada Concept

Ramsay took over the leadership of the Western Canada Concept (WCC), a party that advocated the separation of western Canada to form an independent nation, at the end of 1982. He acted as its leader until 1987, the year he joined the Reform Party. In April 1982, the party's executive drew up a Statement of Independence which committed any future WCC government to "prepare for independence in a peaceful and democratic manner". While the WCC under Ramsay's leadership had a brief period when it pursued a Triple E Senate as an alternative to outright independence, in late 1986 Ramsay declared the WCC would revert to its Western separatist goals. Only two years after making this renewed commitment to Western separatism as WCC leader.

Reform Party

Ramsay ran as a Reform candidate in the staunch conservative riding of Crowfoot in a 1987 by-election, Ramsay did surprisingly well in the riding, coming in second to Arnold Malone. Ramsey lost by 7,685 votes, which at that time had been the narrowest margin of victory by any winner in the history of the riding. It was also the best showing of any Reform Party candidate. In the 1993 federal election, Ramsay ran again for the Reform Party. He won in part because of the collapse in support for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He was re-elected in the 1997 election.

He served as the party's Justice Critic from 1996 until 1998, and as Citizenship and Immigration Critic from 1998 until 2000.

He continued to sit as a member of the Reform Party, and its successor, the Canadian Alliance, until April 5, 2000. He sat as an "Independent Canadian Alliance" member from April 6, 2000 until June 27, 2000, at which point his membership was terminated. He sat as an independent until that Parliament was dissolved.

Ramsay ran in the 2000 federal election as an independent candidate, was defeated overwhelmingly by Kevin Sorenson, a candidate of the Canadian Alliance.

External links

* [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/04/08/ramsay_son040408.html Former MP Jack Ramsay's son found dead]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2001/10/16/ramsay_011016.html Ramsay sentenced to probation, community service]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/sask/story/ramsay020527.html Ramsay sues Saskatchewan for malicious prosecution]