David R. Cooke
Encyclopedia
David R. Cooke is a former politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He was a Liberal
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1985 to 1990. He is not to be confused with another Dave Cooke
, who served as an New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario during the same period.
Cooke was educated at Queen's University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts
degree and a law degree. He worked as a lawyer before entering political life.
He ran for the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1979 federal election
as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada
, but lost to Progressive Conservative
John Reimer
by about 7,000 votes in the riding of Kitchener
.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election
, defeating Progressive Conservative
Don Travers by about 4,500 votes in the provincial constituency of Kitchener. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the 1987 provincial election
. During his time in the legislature, Cooke served as a backbench supporter of David Peterson
's government. He served as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship in 1989-90.
David Cooke was appointed Chair of the Select Committee on Free trade when the Peterson government came into being in the Summer of 1985. As such he became the principal source of facts for the concern which the government expressed during all the negotiations. Cooke and the committee would cite problems; the US negotiators kept an ongoing vigil as to those concerns, and the Canadian federal negotiators would eventually respond.
When the FTA was finally signed, Cooke became the first chair of the first Standing Committee on Economic Affairs in Ontario. As such he pioneered the pre-budget hearings which continue to this day.
The Liberals were unexpectedly defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election
, and Cooke lost his seat to NDP candidate William Ferguson by 6,019 votes.
Cooke was later appointed as an immigrant judge
in the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
by Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario, 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...
. He was a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 1985 to 1990. He is not to be confused with another Dave Cooke
Dave Cooke
Dave Cooke is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was an NDP member of the provincial legislature from 1977 to 1997, and was a senior cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.-Early career:...
, who served as an New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in Ontario during the same period.
Cooke was educated at Queen's University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree and a law degree. He worked as a lawyer before entering political life.
He ran for 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...
in the 1979 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
as a candidate 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...
, but lost to Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
John Reimer
John Reimer
John Henry Reimer is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1980, and again from 1984 to 1993, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party....
by about 7,000 votes in the riding of Kitchener
Kitchener (electoral district)
Kitchener was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario...
.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
, defeating Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
Don Travers by about 4,500 votes in the provincial constituency of Kitchener. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the 1987 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
. During his time in the legislature, Cooke served as a backbench supporter of David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
's government. He served as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship in 1989-90.
David Cooke was appointed Chair of the Select Committee on Free trade when the Peterson government came into being in the Summer of 1985. As such he became the principal source of facts for the concern which the government expressed during all the negotiations. Cooke and the committee would cite problems; the US negotiators kept an ongoing vigil as to those concerns, and the Canadian federal negotiators would eventually respond.
When the FTA was finally signed, Cooke became the first chair of the first Standing Committee on Economic Affairs in Ontario. As such he pioneered the pre-budget hearings which continue to this day.
The Liberals were unexpectedly defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
, and Cooke lost his seat to NDP candidate William Ferguson by 6,019 votes.
Cooke was later appointed as an immigrant judge
Citizenship judge
A citizenship judge is an official or judge of the Canadian government who reviews applications for Canadian citizenship.Citizenship judges are appointed by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration....
in the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada is an independent administrative tribunal. The IRB is responsible for applying the Canadian federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and for making decisions on immigration and refugee matters...
by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
.