- Fred Wilson (politician)
Fred Wilson is a former
politician inOntario ,Canada . He served as a New Democratic Party member of theLegislative Assembly of Ontario from1990 to1995 , and was acabinet minister in the government ofBob Rae .Wilson was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1990, defeating incumbent Liberal
Larry South by 1,400 votes in the rural, eastern-Ontario riding ofFrontenac—Addington . He was the first, and is to date the only candidate of asocial-democratic party to win a provincial election in the riding.Wilson initially served as a
parliamentary assistant following the election, but was promoted to Minister of Government Services onApril 22 ,1991 . OnFebruary 3 ,1993 , he was named aminister without portfolio and Chief Government Whip.Wilson's
social conservatism made him unpopular with many NDP supporters. During the1990 election, he responded to a questionnaire from theLesbian and Gay Association of Kingston by writing "I personally could not advocate the gay/lesbian lifestyle as an alternative to accepted norms". He also indicated that he had no intention of meeting organized gay-issues groups in his riding, nor combat discrimination in provincial law. The "Eye Weekly " periodical wrote a critical piece on Wilson's beliefs in early1992 . [http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_02.06.92/news/prk0206.htm] Later, "Inside Sedition", a periodical written by NDP staff at Queen's Park, criticized Wilson for his conservative views.Perhaps not surprisingly, Wilson was one of twelve NDP MPPs who voted against the Rae government's planned extension of spousal benefits for same-sex couples in
1994 . He was nonetheless retained as party whip after this.The NDP were defeated in the provincial election of 1995, and Wilson was defeated in his own riding, finishing third against Progressive Conservative
Bill Vankoughnet and a Liberal candidate. He has not sought a return to politics since then.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.