Dennis Joseph Mills (b. July 19, 1946 in Toronto) is a Canadian businessman and former politician. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Toronto-Danforth in the east-end of downtown Toronto. He now sits on the board of directors of Magna International. July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Image:Toronto, Ontario Location. ... The Liberal Party of Canada (French: ), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned at the centre of the political spectrum, combining a progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Toronto—Danforth is a Canadian federal and provincial electoral district, or riding. ... Magna International Inc. ...

Mills has long conducted business in Toronto. He founded the event support company Chair-man Mills, and was also an executive with auto-parts maker Magna International. In the 1988, 1993, 1997 and 2000 general elections, he won re-election to the House of Commons in the diverse Danforth area of Toronto. Magna International Inc. ... Map of the Popular Vote with bar graphs showing seat totals in the provinces and territories The Canadian Parliament after the 1988 election The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... Popular vote map with bar graphs showing seat totals in the provinces and territories. ... 36th Parliament The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of Canada. ... The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ...

Biography

The early years

Mills served on the personal staff of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau from 1980 to 1984, when Trudeau was succeeded as Liberal leader and prime minister by John Turner. Mills ran as the Liberal candidate in Broadview-Greenwood in the 1988 election in which the Progressive Conservative government of Brian Mulroney was re-elected. The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the head of the Government of Canada. ... Trudeau redirects here. ... The Right Honourable John Napier Turner ,CC,PC (born June 7, 1929) was the seventeenth Prime Minister of Canada from June 30, 1984 to September 17, 1984. ... The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) (In French: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a Canadian centre-right conservative political party that existed from 1867 to 2003. ... Martin Brian Mulroney, PC, CC, GOQ, LLD (born March 20, 1939), was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. ...

With the Liberal Party in opposition, Mills served as parliamentary critic for entrepreneurship and small business. When the Liberal Party, under the leadership of Jean Chrétien, formed the government following the 1993 election, he served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry from 1993 to 1996. He then served as Chair of the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Sports and Vice-Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien, usually known as Jean Chrétien, PC, QC, BA, LLL, LLD (born January 11, 1934), served as the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003. ...

In 1996, he briefly left the Liberal caucus to sit as a "Independent Liberal", protesting the government's failure to abolish the Goods and Service Tax as it had promised in the 1993 campaign. Following Chrétien's resignation as Liberal leader, Mills publicly considered running to succeed Chrétien at the 2003 leadership convention and agitated against a "coronation" for frontrunner Paul Martin, but he did not end up standing for the leadership. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Canadian Goods and Services Tax (GST) (Taxe sur les produits et services, TPS) is a multi-level value-added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and finance minister Michael Wilson. ... The 2003 Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention ended on November 14, 2003, electing Paul Martin as the partys new leader. ... For other uses, see Paul Martin (disambiguation). ...

He is best known for helping to organize large events in Toronto. These include World Youth Day in 2002 that brought Pope John Paul II to Toronto, and the post-SARS Rolling Stones concert in 2003. In 1989, Mills organized the Summit on the Environment in Toronto, which attracted approximately 50,000 people and performers such as John Denver and Gordon Lightfoot. In 2001, with the Assembly of First Nations, Mills organized and co-chaired the Bala Summit on Water, attended by leading experts from Canada and the United States. World Youth Day 2000 in Rome World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering of Catholic young people, initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1984 to consolidate the ordinary youth ministry by offering new encouragement for commitment, objectives which foster ever greater involvement and participation (Letter from Pope John Paul... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), (Italian: Giovanni Paolo II), born   [](May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland – April 2, 2005, Vatican City) reigned as Pope of the Catholic... Sars may refer to any of the following: Severe acute respiratory syndrome, commonly abbreviated as SARS Michael Sars, a Norwegian biologist, father of Georg Sars Georg Sars, a Norwegian biologist, son of Michael Sars Special Administrative Regions, commonly abbreviated as SARs Sars, Perm Krai, an urban settlement in Perm Krai... This article is about the rock band. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Denver (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. ... Lightfoot in 1975, on the cover of Gords Gold Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. ... The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a body of Aboriginal leaders in Canada. ...

Starting in 1999, Mills initiated and continues to organize events for the Family Farm Tribute to recognize the contributions of Canadian family farms.

Mills has been known to conduct business with a heavy hand, spending time in bars and being overheard having controversial conversations with those who do not support him.

Waterfront Dreams and Failures

He has long been involved in the rebuilding plans for the Toronto waterfront. He was responsible for the creation of the Toronto Port Authority and is still one of its greatest proponents, though he opposes the proposed bridge to the island airport designed by the Port Authority. In 2004, Mills unveiled his plan for the Toronto Waterfront, which includes a campus of the United Nations University for Peace, as well as an aquarium, plenty of greenspace, affordable housing, and new sporting facilities. Funding for the University campus was promised on May 20, 2004 by the federal government, but only $3 million, which will not be sufficient. This was part of $125 million re-announced by Paul Martin in funding for the other recommendations in the project. This is smaller than the $325 million promised in the 1997 election and the $300 million promised in the 2000 election, of which of less than $10 million was ever actually delivered. Toronto Waterfront as seen from the CN Tower (looking south east) Toronto Waterfront at Humber Bay The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the Municipality of Toronto, Canada. ... Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is a Port Authority responsible for all activities in the Port of Toronto, including the Toronto City Centre Airport. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Paul Martin (disambiguation). ... 36th Parliament The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of Canada. ...

He was considered by many to be an opponent of Toronto mayor David Miller. He was at first a supporter of John Nunziata in the 2003 mayoral election, but then switched his support to John Tory, who had become one of the leading candidates. This is a list of mayors of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... David Raymond Miller (born December 26, 1958) is a Canadian politician. ... John Nunziata (born January 4, 1955) is a Canadian politician. ... The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003. ... John Tory John H. Tory, LL.B, BA, MPP (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian businessman and leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. ...

In 2003, he promised in writing to resign in thirty days if an abandoned property known as the Gatekeeper Squat was not turned into community housing. This was, in Mills words, "to avoid a riot" between the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and the police. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) is a group of anti-poverty activists in Ontario, Canada, that uses direct action to fight for the rights of the poor and homeless. ...

Shortly before the month's end, a compromise deal to convert the property into interim housing was reached. Many protested that the house was not converted into public housing by the end of the 30 days, but supporters of Mills claim that it would have been impossible to do so much in so little time, and that the weather at the time, which went as low as -30 degrees Celsius, made conversion of a building impossible. The building is still set to be converted into social housing. A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ...

Mills was regularly labelled by opponents one of the most socially conservative members of the Liberal caucus. He was opposed to same-sex marriage, a position unpopular in the strongly left-wing riding of Toronto–Danforth. His defeat was a high priority of gay rights groups in the 2004 election. That said, he did favour civil unions, and stated he would respect any decision derived from a free vote on the issue in the House of Commons. He is personally opposed to abortion rights, but does not and has never opposed or raised debate regarding the issue or abortion laws. These social views are commonly associated with his Roman Catholic faith. Social conservatism is a belief in traditional or natural law-based morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society, often through civil law or regulation. ... Same-sex marriage is a term for a marriage in which two people of the same sex live together as a family. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... The Canadian federal election, 2004 (more formally, the 38th general election), was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... A civil union is a legally recognized union similar to marriage. ... A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are each expected to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Mills is noted for having advocated what opponents call a flat tax, which he calls a "single tax", about which he wrote two books, A Life Less Taxingand The Single Tax. His other published book is Developing an Agenda for the 21st Century. A flat tax, also called a proportional tax, is a system that taxes all entities in a class (typically either citizens or corporations) at the same rate (as a proportion on income), as opposed to a graduated, or progressive, scheme. ...

In 2001, he was criticized for spending $330,884 on travel and office expenses, more than any other Liberal Member of Parliament (MP). Mills was always among the top of the MP rankings on office expenses, which he was sometimes congratulated and sometimes criticized for. In 2004, he was voted Best Constituency MP by the Ottawa Hill Times. Mills' constituency office on Danforth Avenue took thousands of constituent cases, in such matters as immigration and citizenship, and won numerous awards. A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

2004 Election Loss and Retirement from Public Life

In the 2004 election, Mills was defeated in a close race by New Democratic Party leader and former city councilor Jack Layton in Toronto-Danforth riding, placing a strong second with nearly 20,000 votes, ahead of Green Party leader Jim Harris and Conservative candidate Loftus Cuddy. One of the major issues of the campaign was the fate of the Toronto waterfront and Mills public support for the highly controversial Toronto Port Authority. The Canadian federal election, 2004 (more formally, the 38th general election), was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons. ... The New Democratic Party (NDP; Nouveau Parti démocratique in French) is a political party in Canada with a social democratic philosophy that contests elections at both the federal and provincial levels. ... John Gilbert Jack Layton, PC, MP, PhD (born July 18, 1950, in Hudson, Quebec) is a social democrat Canadian politician and current leader of Canadas New Democratic Party (since 2003). ... The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983. ... Jim Harris 2006 election campaign photo. ... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a right-leaning conservative political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... The Conservative Party of Canada ran a full slate of candidates in the 2004 federal election, and won 99 seats out of 308 to form the Official Opposition. ... Toronto Waterfront as seen from the CN Tower (looking south east) Toronto Waterfront at Humber Bay The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the Municipality of Toronto, Canada. ... Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is a Port Authority responsible for all activities in the Port of Toronto, including the Toronto City Centre Airport. ...

After the election, Mills was expected to, but did not, receive a spot on the Toronto Port Authority. Instead, he later accepted a spot on the Board of Directors of his former employer, Magna International. Toronto Port Authority (TPA) is a Port Authority responsible for all activities in the Port of Toronto, including the Toronto City Centre Airport. ... Magna International Inc. ...

Dennis Mills is currently the Vice Chairman of MI Developments Inc. , Vice Chairman of Magna Entertainment Corp., and Executive Vice President of Magna International Inc.

Mills has a wife, Vicki, and four children, Jennifer, Craig, Stephanie, and Andrea. They continue to reside in the Toronto-Danforth riding.

Toronto—Danforth in relation to the other Toronto ridings Toronto—Danforth (formerly Broadview—Greenwood) is a federal and provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Gilbert Jack Layton, PC, MP, PhD (born July 18, 1950, in Hudson, Quebec) is a social democrat Canadian politician and current leader of Canadas New Democratic Party (since 2003). ... The New Democratic Party (NDP; Nouveau Parti démocratique in French) is a political party in Canada with a social democratic philosophy that contests elections at both the federal and provincial levels. ... Lynn McDonald, PhD (born July 15, 1940) is a university professor, anti-tobacco activist and former member of the Canadian House of Commons. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

External links

• Mills' Parliamentary Biography