Patrick Wayne "Pat" O'Brien, M.Ed , BA (born January 13, 1948) is a former member of the Canadian House of Commons. Elected as a Liberal, he ended his career in 2005 as the independent Member of Parliament (MP) for London—Fanshawe in London, Ontario. File links The following pages link to this file: Pat OBrien (politician) 39th Canadian federal election Categories: Canada copyright images ... The Master of Education (M.Ed or M.A.E.) is a degree conferred by American institutions for educators moving on in their field. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... 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 Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... London—Fanshawe is a federal and provincial electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons, and located in the province of Ontario. ... Nickname: The Forest City Coordinates: Country Canada Province Ontario County Middlesex County Settled 1826 (as village) Incorporated 1855 (as city) City Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best Governing Body London City Council MPs Sue Barnes (LPC) vacant seat Irene Mathyssen (NDP) Joe Preston (CPC) MPPs Chris Bentley (OLP) Deb Matthews (OLP...

O'Brien graduated with an honours Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Western Ontario in 1971, and earned his Master of Education from UWO in 1981. He has served as a high school history teacher and was a member of London City Council from 1982 to 1993. He was also a school trustee from 1980 to 1982. A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B., from the Latin Artium Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... The University of Western Ontario (Western or UWO) is a coeducational, non-denominational, research-intensive university located in London, Ontario. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate (or graduate) course of one to three years in duration. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... High school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors of a local school district. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

He was elected to Parliament as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada in the 1993 election, and was re-elected in the 1997, 2000, and 2004 elections. From 2000 to 2003, he was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade. The Liberal Party of Canada (French: Parti libéral du Canada), colloquially known as the Grits (originally Clear Grits), is a Canadian federal political party positioned around the centre to centre-left of the political spectrum, combining a generally progressive social policy with moderate economics. ... 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 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. ...

Before leaving the party, Pat O'Brien was often considered as representing the right-wing of the Liberal party. He was one of the fiercest opponents of same-sex marriage in the Liberal caucus, along with Tom Wappel. He has frequently chastised Prime Minister Paul Martin for not allowing a free vote among his Cabinet on Bill C-38, which is the act to legalize same-sex marriage in Canada. He has repeatedly called for the notwithstanding clause to be used to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which courts have repeatedly ruled requires the government to recognize same-sex marriages. He is also strongly against abortion. Same-sex marriage was legalized across Canada by the Civil Marriage Act enacted on July 20, 2005. ... Thomas William Wappel, MP (born February 9, 1950) is a Canadian Member of Parliament. ... Stephen Harper is the current Prime Minister of Canada. ... For other uses, see Paul Martin (disambiguation). ... The Civil Marriage Act (full title: An Act respecting certain aspects of legal capacity for marriage for civil purposes) was introduced as Bill C-38 in the first session of the 38th Canadian Parliament on February 1, 2005. ... Section Thirty-three of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is part of the Constitution of Canada. ... The Charter, signed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1981. ...

On June 6, 2005, O'Brien left the Liberal Party to sit as an independent, citing his opposition to same-sex marriage, and his discomfort with the revelations coming out of the Gomery Commission on the sponsorship scandal. June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Gomery Commission, formally the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities, is a federal Canadian commission headed by the retired Justice John Gomery for the purpose of investigating the sponsorship scandal, which involves allegations of corruption within the Canadian government. ... The sponsorship scandal, AdScam, or Sponsorgate, is an ongoing scandal that came as a result of a Canadian federal government sponsorship program (sometimes capitalized) in the province of Quebec, originally rationalized as an effort to raise Canadian patriotic sentiments to counter Quebec separatism. ...

On June 14, O'Brien issued an ultimatum to the government, indicating that he and an anonymous Liberal MP would vote against the government in a series of confidence votes that evening unless the same-sex marriage bill is delayed until the fall session of Parliament. June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ...

However, it was later discovered that this was a complete embellishment and the Liberals went on to survive the confidence votes and eventually got the same-sex marriage bill passed in the summer session of parliament.

In the fall of 2005, O'Brien announced that he and a former Conservative MP are founding an advocacy group to try to reverse the legalization of same-sex marriage. The Honourable Dr. Grant Hill, PC , MD (born September 20, 1943) was a Canadian Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party of Canada (2004), and a former member of the Canadian Alliance (2000-2004) and the Reform Party of Canada (1993-2000). ...

O'Brien has stated that up to 90% of his constituents were opposed to same-sex marriage, although in the 2004 election, he nearly lost to New Democrat candidate Irene Mathyssen. In the 2006 election, although he did not run, he endorsed a Conservative that opposed same-sex marriage -- this time, Mathyssen won the riding. 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. ... Irene Mathyssen (born August 16, 1951 in London, Ontario) is a Canadian politician. ... Rendition of party representation in the 39th Canadian parliament decided by this election. ...

External links

• his web page
• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament