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  Tory, John
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationProgressive Conservative  
<-  2020-04-01  
 
NameJohn Tory
Address
Toronto, Ontario , Canada
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born May 28, 1954 (69 years)
ContributorMonsieur
Last ModifedIndyGeorgia
Oct 24, 2022 08:46pm
Tags
InfoJohn Howard Tory

John Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist and leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party.

Tory is the son of John A. Tory, president of Thomson Investments Limited and a director of Rogers Communications. He has been married to Barbara Hackett since 1978. The couple have four children.

Tory holds socially liberal views on a number of issues, including same-sex marriage. He is considered by some to be a Red Tory. His economic policies are less defined. While the Progressive Conservatives supported tax cuts and spending reductions in the Mike Harris years, Tory's reaction to the 2005 Ontario budget called for a tax cut, increased spending in agriculture, health care, infrastructure, education and post-secondary education and an increased emphasis on deficit reduction simultaneously, to be paid for by "efficiencies".

Before enrolling in university, he attended the University of Toronto Schools, a private high school affiliated with the University of Toronto.

From 1972 to 1979, Tory was hired by family friend Ted Rogers as a journalist for Rogers Broadcasting's Toronto radio stations CFTR and CHFI.

Tory received his BA degree from the University of Trinity College, University of Toronto in 1975. He continued the family tradition of studying law at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978. He was called to the bar in Ontario in 1980.

From 1980 to 1981 and 1986 to 1995, Tory held various positions at his grandfather's Toronto law firm Tory, Tory, DesLauriers & Binnington, including partner, managing partner, and member of the Executive Committee. From 1981 to 1985, Tory served in the Office of the Premier of Ontario, Bill Davis as Principal Secretary to the Premier. In 1985, Davis retired as Premier. Tory joined the Office of the Canadian Special Envoy on Acid Rain, as Special Advisor to the Special Envoy.

Tory later served as Tour Director and Campaign Chairman to then Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, and managed the 1993 federal election campaign of Mulroney's successor, Kim Campbell. Tory was criticized for approving a 1993 election ad that mocked Liberal Party leader Jean Chrétien's facial deformity (although the Conservatives denied that was the ad's intention). The Conservatives suffered the most lopsided defeat for a governing party at the federal level, losing half their vote from 1988 and all but two of their 151 seats.

From 1995 to 1999, he returned to Rogers Media Inc., but this time as president and CEO of what had become one of Canada's largest broadcasting companies. Rogers Media has interests in radio and television stations, specialty television channels, consumer magazines, trade magazines and, at the time, the Toronto Sun and the Sun newspaper chain. In 1999, he became president and CEO of Rogers subsidiary Rogers Cable, Canada's largest cable television company and a leading video rental chain and cable Internet provider. Tory stepped down after Ted Rogers announced that he would stay on as head of Rogers Communications.

Tory also served as commissioner of the Canadian Football League from 1996 to 2000.

Tory ran in the November 2003 election for Mayor of Toronto. He finished second, behind city councillor David Miller and ahead of former mayor Barbara Hall and former councillor and MP John Nunziata. Tory and Miller both entered the race with limited name recognition and support, but each soon claimed a core base -- Miller among progressives and Tory among conservatives. Tory's campaign came under fire when it was accused by Nunziata of attempting to bribe him into pulling out of the race. Tory denied the accusations and pledged to drop out of the race if a police investigation found out that any member of his team was charged with wrongdoing. He suffered minimal damage from the incident and actually received a boost in personal popularity due to his honesty. When Tory was cleared of wrongdoing, Nunziata sank further in polls. Some questioned Tory's decision to accept an endorsement from the Toronto Police Association, which has been accused of intimidating its opponents on council.

Tory held the suburban vote that had helped to elect Mel Lastman in the 1997 mayoral election, but lost the overall vote to Miller in a close race. After the election, he helped Miller and Hall raise funds to repay their campaign debts.

In March 2004, Tory hinted that he would be seeking the leadership of the provincial Ontario PC Party. The provincial leadership election was announced for September 18, 2004, and Tory made his candidacy official on May 6, 2004.

Tory's opponents for the leadership post were former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Oak Ridges MPP Frank Klees, both from the right wing of the party. Tory positioned himself as a centrist and defeated Flaherty 54% to 46% on the second ballot. When Flaherty later left provincial politics to seek a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, Tory endorsed him; Flaherty was elected and was appointed Finance Minister.

Tory told the media in November 2004 that he would seek election to the legislature. On January 31, 2005, after much public speculation, Ernie Eves resigned his seat and cleared the way for Tory to run in Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey, one of the safest Conservative seats in the province. As a "parachute candidate", Tory faced some criticism about his commitment to the riding. Nevertheless, he easily won the March 17, 2005 by-election with 56% of the vote.

A May 15, 2006 Sun Media-Leger Marketing poll showed that Ontarians would rather have drinks and dinner with Premier Dalton McGuinty than either John Tory or Howard Hampton. The poll shows that 36% of voters would prefer to relax with McGuinty, 21% with Tory and 12% with NDP leader Howard Hampton. The difference was even higher for women who preferred McGuinty 39% to just 18% for Tory.

Tory plans to run in the Don Valley West constituency in Toronto, one of the wealthiest ridings in the province, currently held (as of January 2007) by Liberal Kathleen Wynne. The PCs currently hold no seats in the city. Liberal cabinet minister George Smitherman challenged Tory to oppose him in the neighbouring downtown Toronto riding of Toronto Centre—Rosedale, where Tory lives. Tory has declined to run there.


JOB APPROVAL POLLS

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor
Mar 07, 2009 08:00am Announcement 'I did my best,' Tory says in stepping down as Ontario PC leader  Article Monsieur 
Mar 06, 2009 12:00pm Editorial [John Tory's] political career was the stuff of tragicomedy  Article Monsieur 
Mar 06, 2009 07:25am News John Tory to quit in defeat  Article Monsieur 
Jan 08, 2009 10:00am Announcement MPP to give up seat for PC Leader John Tory  Article Monsieur 
Dec 22, 2008 04:00pm General [John] Tory's seat search narrows with Senate appointments  Article Monsieur 
Dec 13, 2007 12:00pm News Ontario PC Leader John Tory vows to stay on  Article Monsieur 

DISCUSSION
Importance? 6.33330 Average

FAMILY

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
  10/24/2022 Toronto Mayor Won 62.00% (+44.15%)
  10/22/2018 Toronto Mayor Won 63.49% (+39.90%)
  10/27/2014 Toronto Mayor Won 40.28% (+6.54%)
  03/05/2009 ON Legislative Assembly - Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock - By-election Lost 41.20% (-2.67%)
  10/10/2007 ON Premier Lost 24.30% (-42.06%)
  10/10/2007 ON Legislative Assembly - Don Valley West Lost 39.68% (-10.76%)
  03/17/2005 ON Legislative Assembly - Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey - By-Election Won 56.26% (+39.59%)
  09/18/2004 ON PC Party Leader Won 53.62% (+7.23%)
  11/10/2003 Toronto Mayor Lost 38.03% (-5.23%)
SPECULATIVE, DID NOT RUN
  03/07/2020 ON Liberal Party Leader Lost 0.00% (-58.79%)
  03/10/2018 ON PC Party Leader Lost 0.00% (-50.62%)
ENDORSEMENTS
Toronto Mayor - By-election - Jun 26, 2023 LIB Ana Bailão
Toronto City Council - Ward 18 - Willowdale - Oct 24, 2022 N Markus O'Brien Fehr
Toronto Deputy Speaker - Apr 24, 2018 N Glenn De Baeremaeker
Toronto City Council - Ward 28 - Toronto Centre - Appointment - Nov 02, 2017 N Michael Creek
Toronto City Council - Ward 44 - Scarborough East - Appointment - Jun 28, 2017 N Jim Hart
Toronto City Council - Ward 26 - Don Valley West - Oct 25, 2010 LIB Jon Burnside
Toronto City Council - Ward 32 - Beaches–East York - Oct 25, 2010 LIB Mary-Margaret McMahon
Toronto City Council - Ward 29 - Toronto–Danforth - Oct 25, 2010 PC Jane Pitfield
Toronto City Council - Ward 4 - Etobicoke Centre - Oct 25, 2010 PC Gloria Lindsay Luby
Toronto City Council - Ward 7 - York West - Oct 25, 2010 PC Giorgio Mammoliti
Toronto City Council - Ward 15 - Eglinton–Lawrence - Oct 25, 2010 PC Rob Davis
Toronto City Council - Ward 18 - Davenport - Oct 25, 2010 LIB Ana Bailão
Toronto City Council - Ward 22 - St. Paul's - Oct 25, 2010 N Chris Sellors
Toronto City Council - Ward 25 - Don Valley West - Oct 25, 2010 PC Cliff Jenkins
Toronto City Council - Ward 27 - Toronto Centre - Oct 25, 2010 N Ken Chan
Toronto City Council - Ward 30 - Toronto–Danforth - Oct 25, 2010 N Liz West
Toronto City Council - Ward 36 - Scarborough Southwest - Oct 25, 2010 PC Gary Crawford
Toronto City Council - Ward 44 - Scarborough East - Oct 25, 2010 PC Diana Hall
Toronto City Council - Ward 19 - Trinity–Spadina - Oct 25, 2010 N Sean McCormick