John Reynolds (Canadian politician)

John Douglas Reynolds PC (born January 19, 1942) is a former Canadian politician. He was the member of Parliament for the riding of West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2006 and a former Federal Opposition Leader. He had also been an MP in the 1970s as well as a provincial politician in British Columbia in the 1980s and 1990s.

The Honourable John Reynolds PC
Reynolds in 2006
Leader of the Opposition
In office December 12, 2001 – May 20, 2002
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien
Preceded by	Stockwell Day
Succeeded by	Stephen Harper
Interim Leader of the Canadian Alliance
In office December 11, 2001 – March 20, 2002
Preceded by	Stockwell Day
Succeeded by	Stephen Harper
28th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
In office March 9, 1987 – November 1, 1989
Premier	Bill Vander Zalm
Lieutenant Governor	Robert Gordon Rogers
Preceded by	Kenneth Walter Davidson
Succeeded by	Stephen Rogers
Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast
In office June 2, 1997 – January 23, 2006
Preceded by	Herb Grubel
Succeeded by	Blair Wilson
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for West Vancouver-Howe Sound
In office May 5, 1983 – October 17, 1991
Preceded by	Allan Williams
Succeeded by	Jeremy Dalton
Member of Parliament for Burnaby—Richmond—Delta
In office October 30, 1972 – May 9, 1977
Preceded by	Tom Goode
Succeeded by	Tom Siddon (1978)
Personal details
Born	John Douglas Reynolds (1942-01-19) January 19, 1942 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Conservative (2003-present) Canadian Alliance (2000-2003) Reform (1997-2000) Progressive Conservative (1972-1977)
Other political affiliations	BC Social Credit
Profession	Businessman, manager, sales and marketing consultant

Life and career

He was first elected to Parliament as a candidate of the Progressive Conservatives in 1972 and was re-elected in 1974. He resigned in 1977 after a series of disagreements with Joe Clark.

Beginning in 1983, he was active in the Social Credit Party of British Columbia and served as speaker of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly and as a cabinet minister (Minister of Environment). In 1986, he was a candidate at the Social Credit leadership convention coming in fifth. He remained in provincial politics until 1991 when he was defeated in his bid for re-election.

Reynolds returned to parliament in 1997 as a Reform MP and served as Chief Opposition Whip. He remained in this role when the Reform Party was folded into the Canadian Alliance. When Stockwell Day faced a revolt in his caucus in 2001 and Chuck Strahl resigned as House leader, Reynolds was named in his place. When Day resigned as Alliance leader, Reynolds was chosen as interim party leader and leader of the opposition and served until Stephen Harper was elected the new party leader.

Reynolds resigned as House leader on January 24, 2005, but continued as MP for his riding until his retirement at the 2006 federal election. He was the coordinator of the Conservative campaign in British Columbia. On the day after the election, which resulted in a Conservative minority government, Harper asked Reynolds to approach Liberal minister David Emerson about crossing the floor and serving as a minister in Harper's government. Emerson eventually accepted the offer, which triggered a firestorm of criticism. However, Reynolds, who had strongly criticized Belinda Stronach's switch from the Conservatives to the Liberals, told a suburban Vancouver newspaper that he was "very happy" that Emerson was a Conservative and claimed that the people of Emerson's left-leaning Vancouver riding got the better end of the bargain. "Instead of having someone in opposition," he said, "they have someone who is a cabinet minister of a new government."

Reynolds supports the death penalty.

External links

• John Reynolds – Parliament of Canada biography