- Bud Wildman
Charles Jackson "Bud" Wildman (born
June 3 ,1946 in Ottawa,Ontario ) is a Canadian politician. He served in theLegislative Assembly of Ontario as a New Democratic PartyMember of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from1975 to1999 , representing the riding ofAlgoma , and was acabinet minister in the government ofBob Rae .He was educated at
Carleton University , theMcArthur College of Education , Queen's University and Algoma University. He lived inEcho Bay, Ontario after graduating, and worked as a high school history teacher.Wildman was first elected to the legislature in the provincial election of 1975, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative
Bernt Gilbertson by 398 votes. Wildman's victory was regarded by many as an upset; he received support from NDP bastions such as Wawa, but also from more traditionally Conservative areas on the north shore ofLake Huron .He was re-elected by an increased margin over PC candidate
Dave Liddle in the 1977 election, and retained his seat by significant margins in the elections of 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1990.Wildman supported
Jim Foulds 's bid to lead the provincial NDP in1982 , and made little secret of his opposition toBob Rae 's leadership in the years that followed. He was actively preparing a leadership campaign of his own in early1990 , as Rae appeared ready to leave provincial politics and run for the leadership of the federal NDP. By all accounts, he was extremely disappointed when Rae eventually decided to remain as provincial leader.The NDP unexpectedly won the 1990 provincial election, and Wildman was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Natural Resources and Minister responsible for Native Affairs on
October 1 ,1990 . He was promoted toMinister of the Environment and Energy (Ontario) onFebruary 3 ,1993 , while retaining the Native Affairs portfolio. He claimed that he gained a greater appreciation of Rae's leadership abilities during this period.As Natural Resources minister, Wildman initiated the first public audit of Ontario’s
forest resources. Wildman promoted anecosystem management approach for sustainability. Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights was also approved during his tenure as Minister of Environment and Energy.He was a prominent defender of public ownership of Ontario Hydro and sceptic on nuclear power.As Minster responsible for Native Affairs during the entire tenure of the Rae government, Wildman instituted a regime of dealing with
First Nations on a government to government basis, signing a "Statement of Political Relationship" with Ontario First Nation Chiefs, and conluded a number of land claims settlements. He also established the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy, which sought to address health problems among native peoples in a culturally sensitive manner.The NDP were defeated in the 1995 general election and reduced to third-party status, although Wildman retained the Algoma riding by a reduced margin. Rae resigned as leader the next year and Wildman served as
interim leader in the legislature fromFebruary 10 ,1996 untilJune 24 ,1996 whenHoward Hampton took over the position after his victory in that year'sOntario NDP leadership convention .The Algoma riding was radically redistributed in
1996 , merging with the neighbouring riding ofAlgoma—Manitoulin and incorporating other territory from surrounding ridings as well. Wildman decided not to run in the 1999 election, and retired from provincial politics after almost a quarter century at Queen's Park.Wildman attempted to win a seat in the federal House of Commons in the 2000 federal election, running in Sault Ste. Marie for the
New Democratic Party . The NDP actively targeted this seat as winnable, and party leaderAlexa McDonough visited the riding very late in the campaign. Wildman was however unsuccessful, finishing a surprisingly poor second with less than 25% of the vote against Liberal incumbentCarmen Provenzano .During his time in office, Wildman was known as an intense parliamentary debater and a vociferous defender of northern Ontario's interests. Wildman was also an active defender of native interests and improved cultural understanding.
Since leaving politics Wildman has worked as a consultant. He is also the chair of the Board of Governors of Algoma University. His son
Jody Wildman was a federal NDP candidate in1997 .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.