Michael M. Fortier, PC (born January 10, 1962) is the Canadian Minister of Public Works and Government Services and a Conservative senator from Quebec. As a member of the Canadian Cabinet, he is a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and thus has the right to the style The Honourable and the post-nominal designation P.C. for life. Financier (IPA: /ˌfi nãn ˈsjei/) is an elegant term for a person who handles large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. ... English barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... 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... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... In the Cabinet of Canada, The Minister of Public Works and Government Services is responsible for overseeing the federal governments common service organization (Public Works and Government Services Canada), an expansive department responsible for the internal servicing and administration of the federal government. ... 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 Senate of Canada (French: Le Sénat du Canada) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the House of Commons. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Cabinet of Canada plays an important role in the Canadian government in accordance with the Westminster System. ... 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 prefix The Honourable or The Honorable ( or formerly The Honble) is a title of quality attached to the names of certain classes of persons. ...

Fortier was appointed to Cabinet on 6 February 2006, the day Stephen Harper's minority government took office. A financier and lawyer from Montreal, he had not been elected as a member of the House of Commons at the time he was appointed, nor was he a member of the Senate. Harper announced that Fortier would be appointed to the Senate, but would be expected to step down and run for a seat in the House of Commons at the next election. ^[1] On February 27, 2006, Fortier was formally summoned to the Senate. This practice is unusual in modern Canada, but there is precedent for such a practice: in 1979, former Prime Minister Joe Clark appointed Quebec Senator Jacques Flynn Minister of Justice because of his lack of representation in that province. 19th century Prime Ministers John Abbott and Mackenzie Bowell served their entire terms in government as Senators. February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. ... A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when no political party has won a majority of seats in the parliament, typically by the party that does have a plurality. ... Nickname: City of Mary Motto: Concordia Salus Coordinates: Country Canada Province Québec Founded 1642 Established 1832  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1] [2]    - City 185. ... 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. ... Conservative leader and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Charles Joseph Joe Clark, PC, CC, AOE, MA, LLD (born June 5, 1939) was the sixteenth prime minister of Canada, from June 4, 1979, to March 3, 1980. ... Jacques Flynn (August 22, 1915 - September 21, 2000) was a Canadian politician and Senator. ... The Minister of Justice (French: Ministre de la Justice) of Canada is the minister in the Cabinet of Canada who is responsible for the Department of Justice and is also Attorney General of Canada. ... The Hon. ... Sir Mackenzie Bowell, PC , KCMG (December 27, 1823 – December 10, 1917) was the fifth Prime Minister of Canada from December 21, 1894 to April 27, 1896. ...

Harper said that Fortier will represent Montreal in Cabinet. No Montreal-area riding has elected a Conservative or any member of the party's predecessors--the Progressive Conservatives, the Canadian Alliance and the Reform Party--since 1988. Right-of-centre candidates rarely compete, let alone win, in Montreal except in landslides. In the British Isles since Anglo-Saxon times, a riding is traditionally a sub-division (especially in three) of a county, in Australia analogous. ... 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. ... The Canadian Alliance, formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. ... The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party founded in 1987. ... 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. ...

Before entering the Cabinet, Fortier was a partner at Ogilvy Renault, a leading Montreal law firm. One of his colleagues was Brian Mulroney. He specialized in securities, mergers and acquisitions. From 1992 to 1996, he managed Ogilvy Renault’s office in London, England. In 1999, he became the Managing Director and Senior Advisor (Eastern Canada) at Crédit Suisse First Boston. In 2004, Fortier became Corporate Financing Director (Quebec) for TD Securities. Two days after his appointment to Cabinet Montreal Gazette columnist Ian McDonald claimed that Fortier “was easily making $1 million a year running the Montreal office of TD Securities.” Ogilvy Renault LLP is one of Canadas leading law firms with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, and London (UK). ... 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. ... Securities are tradeable interests representing financial value. ... Merger redirects here. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... The Gazette is a major English-language daily newspaper produced out of Montreal, Quebec. ...

He was President of the Progressive Conservatives for a time in the 1990s. He ran for the leadership of the party in 1998 but came in last with 4% of the vote. Fortier was a Progressive Conservative candidate in the Montreal-area riding of Laval West during the 2000 federal election placing fourth. In 2003, he was co-chair of Harper's campaign to lead the new Conservative Party. See Stephen Harper Leadership Team. The first Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leadership convention was held in 1927, when the party was called the Conservative Party. ... Laval—Les Îles is the name of a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada. ... The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of Canada. ... On January 12, 2004, Stephen Harper announced his resignation as Leader of the Opposition, in order to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. ...

Fortier and veteran MP John Reynolds were the co-chairs of the 2006 Conservative campaign. John Douglas Reynolds (born January 19, 1942) is a Conservative Member of Parliament for West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country in the Canadian House of Commons. ...

Controversy over appointment

Fortier's appointment to Cabinet has drawn considerable controversy, though not quite as intense as that unleashed when Liberal cabinet minister David Emerson crossed the floor and joined Mr. Harper's cabinet. The main charge is that Fortier's appointment is a significant departure from past Conservative policy. The Conservatives, and before them Reform and the Alliance, had strongly opposed Senate appointments and unelected Cabinet ministers while in opposition. Opponents of Fortier's appointment also note that in doing so, Harper broke a promise made on Radio-Canada television during the election campaign. 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. ... David Lee Emerson, PC, Ph. ... In politics, crossing the floor is to vote against party lines, especially where this is considered unusual or controversial. ... Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (French: LOpposition Loyale de Sa Majesté) in Canada is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Canadian House of Commons that is not in government either on its own or as part of a governing coalition. ... Télévision de Radio-Canada, often simply Radio-Canada, is the main French language television service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ...

As a Senator, Fortier will not attend questioning to respond to questions from the opposition parties in the House, even though his department spends several billion dollars a year. However, his parliamentary secretary, James Moore, will answer questions on behalf of him. Fortier will be subject to questioning in the Senate, but the Bloc Québécois and New Democratic Party are not represented in that body (one senator associates herself informally with the NDP, but is not a member of the NDP caucus because the NDP opposes the existence of the Senate). The Department of Public Works was at the centre of the sponsorship scandal, and the Conservatives singled the department out for criticism as an example of what they saw as a lack of accountability. Question Period or Oral Questions is a Canadian parliamentary practice similar to the British Prime Ministers Questions in which Members of Parliament submit questions to the government ministers including the Prime Minister for answer. ... In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to appoint parliamentary secretaries (in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, parliamentary assistants) from their caucus to assist cabinet ministers with their work. ... James Moore James Moore (b. ... The Bloc Québécois is a centre-left federal political party in Canada that is devoted to the promotion of sovereignty for Quebec. ... 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. ... The sponsorship scandal, AdScam, or Sponsorgate, is an ongoing scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government sponsorship program in the province of Quebec and involving the Liberal Party of Canada (mostly its Quebec branch), which was in power since 1993 up to 2005. ...

Fortier himself claimed he didn't run for a seat because "I didn't want to run in the election. I had a great career, five young kids, and so it wasn't the right situation for me to run when the election came around. That's just the simple truth." [1]

In his blog, Andrew Coyne commented that "it is a fine thing for a Prime Minister elected on a platform of democratic accountability, who promised he would not appoint anyone who was not elected, either to cabinet or to the Senate, to then turn around and do both at one go." [2] Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe and Mail wrote that "with breathtaking insouciance, Prime Minister Stephen Harper jettisoned, or at least delayed, his promise to only elect senators". [3] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Andrew Coyne, MA , BA is a Canadian journalist and columnist. ... Jeffrey Simpson, The Globe and Mails national affairs columnist, has won all three of Canadas leading literary prizes -- the Governor Generals Award for non-fiction book writing, the National Magazine Award for political writing, and the National Newspaper Award for column writing. ... The Globe and Mail is a large Canadian English language national newspaper based in Toronto. ...

However, the Toronto Star's Chantal Hebert defended the appontments of Fortier and Emerson to Cabinet, arguing that that the problem is with the first past the post system which allows entire parts of the country (such as large cities) to be unrepresented in government. For example, the Conservatives did not win any seats in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in the last election, while the Liberals have only won four seats in Edmonton since 1968 and have only elected three MPs from Calgary since Alberta joined Confederation in 1905. The Toronto Star is Canadas highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within Ontario. ... Chantal Hébert is a Canadian columnist and political commentator. ... An example of a plurality ballot. ... For other uses, see Vancouver (disambiguation). ... Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, a Canadian province. ... In the Canadian federal election of June 25, 1968, the Liberal Party won a majority government under its new leader, Pierre Trudeau. ... Calgary is the largest city in the province of Alberta, Canada. ... Motto: Fortis et liber (Latin: Strong and free) Official languages English (see below) Flower   Wild rose Tree Lodgepole Pine Bird Great Horned Owl Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong Premier Ed Stelmach (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 28 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Michael Fortier was loudly booed at the opening ceremonies of the Outgames, the gay community's version of the Olympics games. The Conservative senator's speech was interrupted as he attempted to welcome the estimated crowd of 40,000 at the Olympic Stadium that evening. Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay, who was greeted with sustained applause, intervened (which did not help at all) to urge the crowd to listen "with respect" to the representative of the Canadian government. The World Outgames are a sporting and cultural event hosted by the gay community. ...

Election

On November 21 2006, Michael Fortier announced that he would seek election to the House of Commons in the riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges in the next federal election. The opposition parties pressured him to run in the by-election on November 27 in Repentigny. However, Fortier repeated his original promise to run in the next general election.[4] Vaudreuil-Soulanges is a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of Quebec. ... Conservative leader and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. ...

The federal Canadian Cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper was sworn in on February 6, 2006, exactly two weeks after the 2006 election, and nine weeks and six days after the fall of the 38th Canadian Parliament. ... Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. ... Scott A. Brison, PC, MP, BComm (born May 10, 1967, Windsor, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian politician. ... In the Cabinet of Canada, The Minister of Public Works and Government Services is responsible for overseeing the federal governments common service organization (Public Works and Government Services Canada), an expansive department responsible for the internal servicing and administration of the federal government. ...

References

1. ^ Cabinet includes defector and senator-to-be, CBC News, February 6, 2006

• Fortier discusses his appointment on Mike Duffy Live (following weather report) February 14, 2006:

[5] CBC redirects here, as this is the most common use of the abbreviation. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

• Federal minister Fortier booed at Outgames opening ceremony in Montreal [6]

External links

• Cabinet profile
• Parliamentarian Profile, Parliamentary website
• Michael Fortier Senate appointment announcement

Shirley Maheu (born October 7, 1931) is a Canadian politician. ... This is a list of members of the Canadian Senate from the Province of Quebec. ...

Members of the current Canadian Cabinet
Ambrose | Baird | Bernier | Blackburn | Cannon | Clement | Day | Emerson | Finley | Flaherty | Fortier | Harper | 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