Peter Van Loan

Infobox CanadianMP
honorific-prefix = The Honourable
name = Peter Van Loan
honorific-suffix =
PC, MP


riding = York—Simcoe
parliament = Canadian
term_start = 2004 federal election
term_end =
predecessor = "new riding"
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age |1963|04|18
birth_place = Niagara Falls, Ontario
death_date =
death_place =
party = Conservative
cabinet = Minister responsible for Democratic Reform
Government House Leader
profession = Lawyer
residence = Sutton, Ontario
footnotes =

Peter Van Loan, PC, MP (born April 18, 1963) (sometimes referred to as PVL) is a Canadian politician. He is the member of Parliament for the electoral district of York—Simcoe, Minister responsible for Democratic Reform and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

Born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Van Loan is of Estonian heritage. His mother and grandparents fled Estonia during World War II and began a new life in Canada.

Van Loan was educated at the University of Toronto and York University and holds a bachelor’s degree, a Masters in International Relations and an additional Masters degree in geography. Van Loan graduated from York University's Osgoode Hall Law School and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1989.

Prior to his election to public office, Van Loan was a partner and Chair of the Planning and Development Law Group at the law firm of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP in Toronto, Ontario. Van Loan was also an Adjunct Professor of Planning at the University of Toronto. He eventually served as president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario during Mike Harris' term of office and then the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada for a brief period. He resigned from the latter post in 2000 after a series of disagreements with its leader, Joe Clark.

Van Loan was a key figure in the unsuccessful attempt to convince Premier of New Brunswick Bernard Lord to run for the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservatives in late 2002. He was a key organizer in the "Yes" Campaign, led by Tory Leader Peter MacKay, to ratify the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance into the Conservative Party of Canada. Van Loan then again attempted to recruit Lord to run for the leadership of the new party, and again was unsuccessful.

In an article from January 24, 2008, Van Loan was classified as one of "Harper's 12", the twelve most influential people in Ottawa, by "Maclean's Magazine". Other cabinet ministers included were Jim Prentice, John Baird, and Jim Flaherty.

External links

* [http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=aa58e8f5-4a46-4c79-8e97-b9ebe28c9d9a&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience Parliament Webpage]

*Position Changed to Secretary of State for Sport

Persondata
NAME = Van Loan, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = politician
DATE OF BIRTH = April 18, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH = Niagara Falls, Ontario
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =