Randy Hillier (politician)

Infobox_Politician


imagesize = 150px
name = Randy Hillier
small| caption =
birth_date = 1958
birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario
residence =
office = MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington
term_start = October 30, 2007
term_end =
predecessor = new district
successor =
party = Progressive Conservative
religion =
occupation = electrician, property rights activist

Randy Hillier (born 1958 in Ottawa) is a rural activist and politician in Ontario, Canada. He was elected MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington during the 2007 Ontario general election. Hillier currently serves as the Progressive Conservative Party's critic for rural affairs in the provincial legislature.

Hillier founded the Lanark Landowners Association in 2003. In 2006, he was co-founder and first president of the 15,000-member Ontario Landowners Association, an umbrella group for local landowner groups patterned on the Lanark model that had sprung up in various regions of the province. The OLA was formed "...to preserve and protect the rights of property owners and to enshrine property rights within the Constitution of Canada and the laws of the Province of Ontario." [ [http://ruralrevolution.com/website/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=6&Itemid=45 About Rural Revolution: Ontario Landowners' Association (OLA) Founding Declaration] ] Since 2006, Hillier has also been co-publisher and co-editor of the OLA's official organ, "The Landowner" magazine, which publishes bi-monthly.

Under Hillier's leadership, the Landowners groups engaged in acts of civil disobedience, including blocking highways, barricading government offices, staging illegal deer hunts, and publicly breaking laws that the Landowners regarded as unjust. This was primarily done as a tactic to draw media attention to perceived injustices, and thereby to pressure the provincial government to amend the laws or at least enforce them in a manner less injurious to the interests of rural landowners.

For example, Hillier justifies an illegal deer hunt held in 2003 in the following words:

As well, the Landowners conducted demonstrations at Queen's Park and Parliament Hill. On one occasion in 2006, Hillier was arrested and detained (but not charged) for trespassing during a protest at a water quality meeting in Cornwall.

In January 2007, Hillier resigned as president of the OLA to seek the Progressive Conservative nomination in Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington the upcoming provincial election. On May 5, he won a three-way nomination against Jay Brennan and Brent Cameron, and was elected MPP for the riding on October 10, 2007, capturing just under 41% of the vote and defeating Liberal candidate Ian Wilson by 924 votes.

Hillier's ability to attract media notice through the use of attention-grabbing rhetoric and tactics prompted one television commentator to describe him as "Don Cherry in plaid and rubber boots" [Gena Gibson, "Hillier triumphs, "Perth Courier", Oct. 17, 2007, p. 1.] --a reference to the colourful hockey personality. His use of civil disobedience was frequently criticized in the mainstream media, but it won him some admirers as well. Similarly, his willingness to take contrarian positions (for example, announcing his skepticism about climate change at a mid-election meeting of the editorial board of the "Ottawa Citizen") has earned him approval as well as opposition. [ [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/ontariovotes2007/story.html?id=71f3e23a-f116-47bb-a876-2fb8532e433a&k=20655 Greenhouse gases 'not evil:' PC candidate ] ] A week before the 2007 Ontario election, an "Ottawa Citizen" editorial advised voters to "Take a chance on Randy Hillier", stating that " [T] he landowners'-rights activist is doing the right thing by running for the legislature and trying to change the system he's been battling for so very long." [ "Take a chance on Randy Hillier", "Ottawa Citizen", Oct. 4, 2007, p. C4.]

In March 2008 an article in the "Ottawa Citizen" reported that Hillier was considering leaving the Progressive Conservative caucus and joining the small Reform Party of Ontario. Hillier responded by issuing a press release stating that the article was "void of fact" and that "I will continue to work as a dedicated member of the PC caucus and rural affairs critic for my party." [Krista Johnston, "Hillier reaffirms allegiance to Tories", in "Smiths Falls This Week", Mar. 28, 2008, p. 1.]

Hillier is a licensed construction electrician with a diploma in electrical engineering technology from Algonquin College and former employee of the Canadian federal government. He lives near Perth, Ontario.

References

External links

* [http://randyhillier.com/website/ Official Website]
* [http://www.tdc.ca/ruralrevolution.htm Rural Revolution]