Dan McTeague
Encyclopedia
Daniel P. "Dan" McTeague, PC
(born October 16, 1962) is a former Canadian
Member of Parliament
for the Ontario
riding
of Pickering—Scarborough East
.
family, one of three children. Fluently bilingual, he graduated from the University of Toronto
and worked as an intern in Ottawa to Paul Cosgrove
, then Minister of Public Works and Canada Mortgage and Housing and later with the Royal Bank. After graduation he worked as an assistant to Alvin Curling
, Ontario Minister of Housing. From 1989 to 1993 he worked as a Public Relations Specialist with Toyota Canada.
McTeague and his wife Daniela Rossi have five children and are currently living in Oakville, Ontario.
and was re-elected in 1997
, 2000
, 2004
, 2006
and 2008
. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
and was the Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
tasked with protecting Canadians Abroad, until the Liberals lost the 2006 election. He served as the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry and the Chair o
Dan was a key player in rescuing William Sampson from prison in Saudi Arabia by obtaining a letter of forgiveness from his eldest son. McTeague was also instrumental in achieving the release of a number of other Canadians from detention abroad, including Abdullah Al-Malki, Muyadad Nureddin and Al-Matti. He continued this work as Parliamentary Secretary from 2003-2006.
An early advocate for proper compensation of Hep-C victims and an effective critic of Canada's restrictive Drug patent laws, he was also instrumental in pushing his own Government to do more to address the African Aids pandemic by relaxing those very laws. McTeague has undertaken to help Canadians in distress abroad with an initiative to help free a condemned William Sampson from Saudi execution.
Having chaired the Liberal Government Task Force on gasoline pricing in 1998, McTeague challenged the premium prices Canadians were forced to pay for gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (Aug 2005) For 10 weeks Canadian refiners added several cents a litre to the price of gasoline even over prices in the most affected markets in the US.
On November 22, 2005, McTeague asked Immigration Minister Joe Volpe
to restrict rapper 50 Cent
from entering Canada
, citing the death of a constituent at the performers previous concert in Toronto in 2004. 50 Cent's tour went on as scheduled but McTeague's intervention succeeded in seeing at least half of the accompanying members of the rapper's troupe, the G-Unit, banned in Canada as a result of the objections.
In July 2006 he condemned Prime Minister Harper's initial failure to address the plight of Canadians in Lebanon trapped by Israeli air strikes and challenged the PM's characterization of the attack as being "a measured response".
With Canadian troops facing more casualties in Afghanistan, McTeague led the charge to force the Harper Government to abandon the practice of docking injured soldier's "operational pay" once out of theatre. Oct 6, 2006. In May 2007 he again forced a reluctant Conservative Government to increase the funeral stipend to families of fallen Canadian soldiers, a matter they originally denied.
McTeague's interventions in Question period also resulted in goading the Conservative government to back away from its plan to eliminate the Liberal energuide program for seniors and low income Canadians.
for their children's post-secondary education would earn a $5,000 tax deduction, similar to the deduction allowed for contributions to a RRSP. Under the Tax-Free Savings Account
, introduced in Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
's 2008 budget, there was no deduction for annual contributions.
Ted Menzies
, Conservative Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
, lashed out at the proposal and suggested McTeague explain how the government would pay for his proposal, while Garth Turner
strongly supported McTeague's bill and called it "the greatest financial tool in a generation." The Green Party
said the government should have ceased threats to trigger an election over the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) private member’s bill.
McTeague's bill passed through the Canadian House of Commons
on March 5, 2008, after Speaker of the House
, Liberal Peter Milliken
, ruled the Bill in order as it did not require a Royal Recommendation, given that it did not contemplate spending money, only reducing revenue. Flaherty introduced a ways and means motion which nullified McTeague's bill.
He has received support from all Parties on the Industry Committee to strike a subcommittee for the purpose of examining the role of institutional investors, hedge funds and lending institutions in purchasing large contracts in oil and natural gas on the Futures Commodity Market in driving the price of commodities beyond normal market fundamentals.
The Subcommittee of Industry Science and Technology will begin hearings August 27.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
(born October 16, 1962) is a former Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Pickering—Scarborough East
Pickering—Scarborough East
Pickering—Scarborough East is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004....
.
Background
He was born to a devoutly CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
family, one of three children. Fluently bilingual, he graduated from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and worked as an intern in Ottawa to Paul Cosgrove
Paul Cosgrove
Paul James Cosgrove, PC , is a former Canadian jurist as well as a former politician.-Political career:A lawyer by profession, Cosgrove entered municipal politics and served as Mayor of the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, Ontario from 1973 until 1978.Cosgrove entered federal politics running as the...
, then Minister of Public Works and Canada Mortgage and Housing and later with the Royal Bank. After graduation he worked as an assistant to Alvin Curling
Alvin Curling
Alvin Curling is a prominent Black Canadian. He was Canada's envoy to the Dominican Republic from 2005-2006. A former politician in Ontario, Canada, he was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until he resigned on August 19, 2005 to accept his diplomatic appointment...
, Ontario Minister of Housing. From 1989 to 1993 he worked as a Public Relations Specialist with Toyota Canada.
McTeague and his wife Daniela Rossi have five children and are currently living in Oakville, Ontario.
Political career
McTeague was first elected to Parliament in the 1993 federal electionCanadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
and was re-elected in 1997
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, 2000
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
, 2004
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
, 2006
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
and 2008
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and was the Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations section of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada....
tasked with protecting Canadians Abroad, until the Liberals lost the 2006 election. He served as the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Industry and the Chair o
Dan was a key player in rescuing William Sampson from prison in Saudi Arabia by obtaining a letter of forgiveness from his eldest son. McTeague was also instrumental in achieving the release of a number of other Canadians from detention abroad, including Abdullah Al-Malki, Muyadad Nureddin and Al-Matti. He continued this work as Parliamentary Secretary from 2003-2006.
An early advocate for proper compensation of Hep-C victims and an effective critic of Canada's restrictive Drug patent laws, he was also instrumental in pushing his own Government to do more to address the African Aids pandemic by relaxing those very laws. McTeague has undertaken to help Canadians in distress abroad with an initiative to help free a condemned William Sampson from Saudi execution.
Having chaired the Liberal Government Task Force on gasoline pricing in 1998, McTeague challenged the premium prices Canadians were forced to pay for gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina (Aug 2005) For 10 weeks Canadian refiners added several cents a litre to the price of gasoline even over prices in the most affected markets in the US.
On November 22, 2005, McTeague asked Immigration Minister Joe Volpe
Joe Volpe
Giuseppe Joseph "Joe" Volpe, PC, was a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until the 2011 federal election, being surpassed by the conservative member Joe Oliver Joe Oliver, and held two senior positions in Prime Minister Paul Martin's Cabinet...
to restrict rapper 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
from entering Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, citing the death of a constituent at the performers previous concert in Toronto in 2004. 50 Cent's tour went on as scheduled but McTeague's intervention succeeded in seeing at least half of the accompanying members of the rapper's troupe, the G-Unit, banned in Canada as a result of the objections.
In July 2006 he condemned Prime Minister Harper's initial failure to address the plight of Canadians in Lebanon trapped by Israeli air strikes and challenged the PM's characterization of the attack as being "a measured response".
With Canadian troops facing more casualties in Afghanistan, McTeague led the charge to force the Harper Government to abandon the practice of docking injured soldier's "operational pay" once out of theatre. Oct 6, 2006. In May 2007 he again forced a reluctant Conservative Government to increase the funeral stipend to families of fallen Canadian soldiers, a matter they originally denied.
McTeague's interventions in Question period also resulted in goading the Conservative government to back away from its plan to eliminate the Liberal energuide program for seniors and low income Canadians.
Registered Education Savings Plan
McTeague tabled a private member bill that proposed to give parents substantial tax breaks for saving education money; taxpayers who deposited $5,000 into a RESPRegistered Education Savings Plan
A Registered Education Savings Plan, or RESP, is an investment vehicle used by parents to save for their children's post-secondary education in Canada. The principal advantages of RESPs are the access to the Canada Education Savings Grant and a source of tax-deferred income.-Tax Benefits:An RESP...
for their children's post-secondary education would earn a $5,000 tax deduction, similar to the deduction allowed for contributions to a RRSP. Under the Tax-Free Savings Account
Tax-Free Savings Account
The Tax-Free Savings Account is an account that provides tax benefits for saving in Canada. Contributions to a TFSA are not deductible for income tax purposes. Investment income, including capital gains, earned in a TFSA is not taxed, even when withdrawn.-History:It was introduced by Jim...
, introduced in Finance Minister Jim Flaherty
Jim Flaherty
James Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
's 2008 budget, there was no deduction for annual contributions.
Ted Menzies
Ted Menzies
Ted Menzies, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He currently represents the electoral district of Macleod in the Canadian House of Commons and serves as Minister of State for Finance.- In opposition :...
, Conservative Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
, lashed out at the proposal and suggested McTeague explain how the government would pay for his proposal, while Garth Turner
Garth Turner
John Garth Turner, PC is a Canadian business journalist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, broadcaster, financial advisor and politician, twice elected as a Member of the House of Commons, former Minister of National Revenue and leadership candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada...
strongly supported McTeague's bill and called it "the greatest financial tool in a generation." The Green Party
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
said the government should have ceased threats to trigger an election over the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) private member’s bill.
McTeague's bill passed through the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
on March 5, 2008, after Speaker of the House
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
, Liberal Peter Milliken
Peter Milliken
Peter Andrew Stewart Milliken, UE is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until his retirement in 2011 and served as Speaker of the House for 10 years beginning in 2001. Milliken represented the Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands as a...
, ruled the Bill in order as it did not require a Royal Recommendation, given that it did not contemplate spending money, only reducing revenue. Flaherty introduced a ways and means motion which nullified McTeague's bill.
Rising energy costs
Renowned for his work on gasoline prices, McTeague has devoted much effort on pinpointing the causes(s) of rising fuel prices, going as far as predicting accurately on his website gas prices the day before they are posted in key markets in Quebec and Ontario.He has received support from all Parties on the Industry Committee to strike a subcommittee for the purpose of examining the role of institutional investors, hedge funds and lending institutions in purchasing large contracts in oil and natural gas on the Futures Commodity Market in driving the price of commodities beyond normal market fundamentals.
The Subcommittee of Industry Science and Technology will begin hearings August 27.