Hon. Brigadier-General Gordon James O'Connor

Minister of National Defence
Incumbent
Riding	Carleton—Mississippi Mills
In office since	2004 Federal Election
Preceded by	New district
Born	May 18, 1939 (1939-05-18) (age 68) Toronto, Ontario
Residence	Kanata, Ontario
Political party	Conservative The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable ( or formerly The Honble) is a title of quality attached to the names of certain classes of persons. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 428 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (641 × 897 pixel, file size: 157 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Gordon OConnor... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ontario. ... Carleton—Mississippi Mills is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. ... 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. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Image:Toronto, Ontario Location. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area [1] Ranked... Looking north along Kanatas March Road Kanata is a suburban area in the western part of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman - Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 106 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area [1] Ranked... The Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a conservative political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ...
Profession(s)	Soldier, defence consultant

Gordon James O'Connor, PC, OMM, CD, BA, B.Sc., MP (born May 18, 1939) is a retired Brigadier-General, current Canadian Member of Parliament and the Minister of National Defence. He is one of a few Defence Ministers to have served in the military, the last being Gilles Lamontagne. This article is about a military rank. ... A consultant (from the Latin consultare meaning to discuss from which we also derive words such as consul and counsel) is a professional who provides expert advice in a particular area of expertise such as accountancy, the environment, technology, the law, human resources, marketing, medicine, finance, public affairs, communication, engineering... The Privy Council Office as it appeared in the 1880s The Queens Privy Council for Canada (French: Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada) is the council of advisers to the Queen of Canada, whose members are appointed by the Governor General of Canada for life on the... The Order of Military Merit is an Order (decoration) issued by Canada to members of the Canadian Forces who have demonstrated dedication and devotion beyond the call of duty. ... The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award given to officers and members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... May 18 is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Brigadier General (sometimes known as a one-star general from the United States insignia) is the lowest rank of general officer in some countries, usually ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... 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. ... The Minister of National Defence (French: Ministre de la Défense nationale) is the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces. ... Joseph-Georges-Gilles-Claude Lamontagne (born April 17, 1919) is a former Canadian politician and lieutenant-governor of Quebec. ...

Born in Toronto, Ontario, he has a B.Sc Mathematics and Physics from Concordia University and BA in Philosophy from York University. Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Image:Toronto, Ontario Location. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Concordia University is a large urban university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, one of Montreals two universities that teach primarily in the English language (the other being McGill University). ... A B.A. issused as a certificate Bachelor of Arts (B.A., BA or A.B.), from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus is an undergraduate bachelors degree awarded for either a course or a program in the liberal arts or the sciences, or both. ... York University (French: Université York), located in Toronto, Ontario, is Canadas third-largest university and has produced several of the countrys top leaders in the fields of law, politics, business, space sciences, and fine arts. ...

He served over 30 years in the Canadian Army, starting as a Second Lieutenant in the Armour Branch, retiring with the rank of Brigadier General. The Canadian Forces (French: Forces canadiennes), abbreviated as CF (French: FC), are the unified armed forces of Canada. ...

He then entered the private sector as Vice-President of Business Development for a large facility management firm, and Vice-President Operations for a vehicle testing centre.

He was a Senior Associate with Hill & Knowlton Canada, a world-wide public relations, public affairs and strategic communications company. O'Connor has also been an official lobbyist for several defense industry companies. These companies include: BAE Systems (1996 to 2004), General Dynamics (1996 to 2001), Atlas Elektronik GmbH (1999 to 2004), and Airbus Military (2001 to 2004) ^[5]. // Hill & Knowlton Who are they? One of the world’s five largest public relations firms, was founded in 1927 by former journalist John Hill. ... Lobbying is the practice of private advocacy with the goal of influencing a governing body, in order to ensure that an individuals or organizations point of view is represented in the government. ... The defense industry refers primarily to: Defense contractors: business organizations or individuals that provide products or services to a defense department of a government. ... BAE Systems plc is the worlds fourth largest defence contractor,[3] the largest in Europe and a commercial aerospace manufacturer. ... General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2005 it is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world[1]. The company has changed markedly in the post-Cold War era of defense consolidation. ... Atlas Elektronik GmbH is a naval/marine electronics and systems business based in Bremen, Germany. ... Airbus Military SL (Sociedad Limitada) is a subsidiary of Airbus S.A.S. created for the management of the A400M project, taking over from Euroflag. ...

He was elected in the 2004 elections as a Conservative candidate in the Ottawa riding of Carleton—Mississippi Mills with slightly more than 50% of the vote. After winning he became Defence Critic for the Official Opposition. His vote share increased in the 2006 election. He is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada student #S157. 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 Conservative Party of Canada (French: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a conservative political party in Canada, formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in December 2003. ... Motto: Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Location of the City of Ottawa in the Province of Ontario Coordinates: , Country Canada Province Ontario Established 1850 as Town of Bytown Incorporated 1855 as City of Ottawa Amalgamated January 1, 2001 Government  - Mayor Larry OBrien  - City Council Ottawa City Council  - MPs List... Carleton—Mississippi Mills is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada. ... Rendition of party representation in the 39th Canadian parliament decided by this election. ... The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), is the military academy of the Canadian Forces and is a full degree-granting university. ...

Gordon is married and has two children, both of them are adults. He now lives in Kanata, where he has lived for over 20 years.

Cabinet selection

Though somewhat muted by the higher profile issues in the naming of David Emerson and Michael Fortier to the cabinet, the posting of O'Connor to the position of Minister of National Defence by Prime Minister Harper was met with controversy. Harkening back to ethics and accountability issues including a promised crackdown on lobbying and reforms to lobbying legislation [6] that Harper raised during the 2006 federal election, O'Connor's employment as a lobbyist for several major defence industry companies including some of the world's largest military contractors, such as General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Airbus as recently as 2004 was seen by many as peculiar. Some feared that with the posting the minister would often be dealing with the very companies for whom he advised for and assisted in soliciting defence contracts; seemingly putting him in constant peril of conflict-of-interest issues[7]. However, the aim of the Accountability Act is to prevent people from moving from government to lobbying, and not the opposite as was the case with O'Connor (at least not this time, although in the past he went from General of the Canadian Forces to lobbyist) David Lee Emerson, PC, Ph. ... Michael M. Fortier, PC (born January 10, 1962) is the Canadian Minister of Public Works and Government Services and a Conservative senator from Quebec. ... The Minister of National Defence (French: Ministre de la Défense nationale) is the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the Minister of the Crown who is head of the Government of Canada. ... Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. ... Rendition of party representation in the 39th Canadian parliament decided by this election. ... General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2005 it is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world[1]. The company has changed markedly in the post-Cold War era of defense consolidation. ... BAE Systems plc is the worlds fourth largest defence contractor,[3] the largest in Europe and a commercial aerospace manufacturer. ... Airbus S.A.S. is the aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS N.V., a pan-European aerospace concern. ...

There were potential conflict-of-interest issues early in his term as one of the first major issues the Conservatives pledged they would sort out is the replacement of the Forces 'tactical airlift' fleet. One of the most prominent companies bidding for the contract to replace the present fleet of C-130 Hercules Turboprops is Airbus S.A.S. for whom O'Connor worked as a lobbyist until February 2004, lobbying the former Liberal government to purchase the airplane that would become the Airbus A400M for its tactical airlift fleet[8]. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. ... Airbus S.A.S. is a commercial aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse, France. ... The Airbus A400M is a four-engine turboprop aircraft, designed by Airbus Military to meet the demand of European nations for military airlift. ...

Tenure as Minister

As soon as Gordon O'Connor became Minister of National Defence, the Canadian Government decided to purchase 4 C-17 Globemaster IIIs, manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems for 3.4 billion dollars, 16 CH-47 Chinook medium lift helicopters, also from Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, for 4.7 billion dollars^[1], 17 C-130Js from Lockheed-Martin for 4.9 billion dollars^[2], 2300 Medium-Sized Logistics Trucks for 1.1 billion dollars^[3], and 2.9 billion dollars for 3 Joint Support Ships^[4], for a total of 17 billion dollars. The Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) C-17 Globemaster III is an American strategic airlifter manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and operated by the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. ... Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (Boeing IDS), based in St. ... The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ... Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (Boeing IDS), based in St. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ... Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ...

O'Connor announced on May 30th 2006 that the Canadian Forces would be suspending usage of the Mercedes G-Wagon combat vehicle to on-base operations only, after a number of Canadian soldiers were killed while travelling in the lightly-armoured vehicle. However, three months later it was revealed that no such order was ever given, and the controversial vehicles were still being used in combat operations.[9] The Canadian Forces (French: Forces canadiennes), abbreviated as CF (French: FC), are the unified armed forces of Canada. ... Mercedes-Benz G-Class (G 500 V8) Commonly referred to as the G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen (or Cross-Country Vehicle), Mercedes-Benz secured military contracts for the vehicle in the late 1970s and offered a civilian version to the public in 1979. ...

Controversy

Afghanistan

Main article: Canadian Afghan detainee abuse scandal

In May 2005, as Canada's policy of detaining people in Afghanistan and transferring them to units of the Afghan police known for torture, O'Connor told Parliament that the International Committee of the Red Cross: "The Red Cross or the Red Crescent is responsible to supervise their treatment once the prisoners are in the hands of the Afghan authorities. If there is something wrong with their treatment, the Red Cross or Red Crescent would inform us and we would take action." The Canadian Afghan detainee abuse scandal is a series of claims regarding detainees captured in Afghanistan by the Canadian Forces and given into the custody of the Afghan National Army (ANA) or the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS). ... The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. ...

This statement was later denied by the ICRC, which stated that it was "informed of the agreement, but ... not a party to it and ... not monitoring the implementation of it." The ICRC also advised that, in accordance with its normal operating procedure, it would not notify any foreign government (Canada included) of abuse found in Afghan prisons. ^[5]

On March 13, O'Connor travelled to Kandahar to meet with Abdul Noorzai of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, "look the man in the eyes", and gain assurances that detainees were being supervised. ^[6] This article is about the city in Afghanistan. ... The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) (Dari: کمیسیون مستقل حقوق بشر افغانستان, Pashto: د افغانستان د بشري حقونو خپلواک کميسيون ) is an Afghan organisation dedicated the preservation of human rights and the investigation of human rights abuses. ...

O'Connor subsequently acknowledged in a official release that his statement in Parliament was not true, and that the ICRC was not monitoring detainees and not informing Canada as he claimed. ^[7]

Additional controversy was generated in the week of April 23 when The Globe and Mail reported that 30 Afghan men formerly under Canadian custody alleged they had been tortured by their Afghan captors ^[8]. Two days later, another Globe story ran on a government report from which "negative references to acts such as torture, abuse, and extra judicial killings were blacked out without an explanation." ^[9] The difficulties faced by O'Connor were exacerbated after various government ministers and Stephen Harper himself gave aparently conflicting testimony on the existence and nature of the agreement with Afghan forces to supervise detainees. ^[9]

Following these revelations, the opposition parties unanimously demanded O'Connor's resignation; a demand echoed by some press commentators such as Andrew Coyne. Stephen Harper has resisted all calls for O'Connor's dismissal. ^[10] Andrew Coyne, MA , BA is a Canadian journalist and columnist. ...

An anonymous Conservative source was quoted as saying that despite losing Harper's confidence, O'Connor would not be dismissed lest his removal send the wrong message: "If it's interpreted as us wavering, or any weakening of resolve that somehow we're on the wrong course, those questions would get asked... The Taliban would see it as a positive thing." ^[11]

O'Connor also faced criticism for remarks that Canada was in Afghanistan as an act of retribution for 9/11. [10] The date that commonly refers to the attacks on United States citizens on September 11, 2001 (see the September 11, 2001 Attacks). ...

Letter to Donald Rumsfeld

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ [2]
3. ^ [3]
4. ^ [4]
5. ^ Koring, Paul. "Red Cross contradicts Ottawa on detainees", Globe and Mail, 8 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
6. ^ Friesen, Joe. "O'Connor fails to meet Afghan watchdog", The Globe and Mail, 13 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
7. ^ "O'Connor sorry for misinforming House on Afghan detainees", CBC News, 19 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
8. ^ Smith, Graeme. "From Canadian custody into cruel hands", The Globe and Mail, 23 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Koring, Paul. "What Ottawa doesn't want you to know", The Globe and Mail, 25 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
10. ^ Leblanc, Daniel. "Harper stands by O'Connor as furor grows", The Globe and Mail, 25 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 
11. ^ Laghi, Brian. "PM stands by O'Connor -- but for the wrong reasons", The Globe and Mail, 26 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27. 

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ...

External links

• Official site
• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
• How'd They Vote?: Gordon O'Connor's voting history and quotes

v • d • e Members of the current Canadian Cabinet
Prime Minister	Harper
Ministers	Ambrose · Baird · Bernier · Blackburn · Cannon · Clement · Day · Emerson · Finley · Flaherty · Fortier · Hearn · LeBreton · Lunn · MacKay · Nicholson · O'Connor · Oda · Prentice · Skelton · Solberg · Strahl · Thompson · Toews · Van Loan · Verner
Secretaries of State	Guergis · Hill · Kenney · Paradis · Ritz