Don Cousens
Encyclopedia
W. Donald Cousens is a politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He was a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller
. From 1994 to 2006, Cousens served as the Mayor
of Markham, Ontario
.
Cousens was educated at Queen's University and Knox College
at the University of Toronto
. An ordained Presbyterian
Minister (he served 1966-68 in Penetanguishene, Ontario
), an officer in the Canadian Forces
, he then served as an executive with Honeywell Ltd. before entering political life, and later became a chair of the York Technology Association
. He was a member of the York County
Board of Education from 1972 to 1979, eventually serving as chair.
Cousens was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election
, defeating Liberal
Alf Stong in the riding of York Centre
. He served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis
's government for four years. Cousens initially supported Dennis Timbrell
to succeed Davis in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but crossed over to Frank Miller on the last ballot. He was named parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Culture on February 25, 1985, shortly after Miller was sworn in as Premier of Ontario
.
Cousens was re-elected in the 1985 provincial election
, but the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to an unstable minority government
. He was appointed Minister of Correction Services on May 17, but accomplished little of consequence before the Miller government was defeated in the house in June. Along with other members of the Tory
caucus, he moved to the opposition benches as Liberal leader David Peterson
became Premier.
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to only 16 seats in the 1987 provincial election
. Cousens defeated Liberal Gail Newall by fewer than 1,000 votes in the new riding of Markham
, although he held no official critic positions in the Legislature which followed.
In the 1990 provincial elections
, Cousens scored a victory over Liberal Frank Scarpitti
, winning by more than 10,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives as a whole managed only a modest recovery, however, increased their caucus size from sixteen to twenty. Cousens served as his party's critic for Environment, Finance, and Citizenship, Race Relations and Human Rights at various times in next parliament. He also became a leading opponent of Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) John Sola
in 1991, after Sola made comments about Canadian Serbs that were generally regarded as racist. Sola was later expelled from the Liberal Party.
Cousens once brought forward a private member's bill to outlaw smoking in public places.
A Red Tory
by inclination, Cousens played little role in the party's drift to the right under Mike Harris
. He resigned his seat in the legislature on September 30, 1994 to campaign for mayor of Markham, and was the only member of the 1990 Ontario PC caucus not to seek re-election to the legislature in 1995.
Markham is considered a diverse community with a thriving economy, and grew significantly under Cousens's watch. During that time, the town was debt free and gained many jobs in the software field. Unlike Mike Harris's provincial government, Cousens was a supporter of photo radar to discourage speeding in the Greater Toronto Area
.
There is a Don Cousens Charitable Foundation within Markham. In 2003, he was award a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
.
On June 1, 2006 Cousens announced that he would not seek re-election as Mayor of Markham due to on-going health problems related to the need for a kidney transplant.
Donald Cousens Parkway
in Markham, Ontario
is named after him. There is also a public school in Markham, Ontario
, named after him.
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 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...
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 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller
Frank Miller (politician)
Frank Stuart Miller, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Ontario for four months in 1985.-Early life and political career:...
. From 1994 to 2006, Cousens served as the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
.
Cousens was educated at Queen's University and Knox College
Knox College, University of Toronto
Knox College is a postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1844 as part of a schism movement in the Church of Scotland following the Disruption...
at 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...
. An ordained Presbyterian
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
Minister (he served 1966-68 in Penetanguishene, 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....
), an officer in the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
, he then served as an executive with Honeywell Ltd. before entering political life, and later became a chair of the York Technology Association
York Technology Association
The York Technology Association was established in 1983 as an economic development community supporting the growth of technology companies in the greater Toronto Region. The Association has evolved into a cluster of economic activity, drawing together technology and key service companies...
. He was a member of the York County
York County, Ontario
York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
Board of Education from 1972 to 1979, eventually serving as chair.
Cousens was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating 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...
Alf Stong in the riding of York Centre
York Centre
York Centre is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1917 and since 1953....
. He served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
's government for four years. Cousens initially supported Dennis Timbrell
Dennis Timbrell
Dennis Roy Timbrell is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis and Frank Miller.-Early life and career:...
to succeed Davis in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but crossed over to Frank Miller on the last ballot. He was named parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Culture on February 25, 1985, shortly after Miller was sworn in as Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
.
Cousens was re-elected 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...
, but the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to an unstable minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
. He was appointed Minister of Correction Services on May 17, but accomplished little of consequence before the Miller government was defeated in the house in June. Along with other members of the Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
caucus, he moved to the opposition benches as Liberal leader 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....
became Premier.
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to only 16 seats 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...
. Cousens defeated Liberal Gail Newall by fewer than 1,000 votes in the new riding of Markham
Markham (electoral district)
Markham was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada created in 1986. Also known as Markham—Whitchurch-Stouffville, it was a federal electoral district that elected representatives to the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 2000....
, although he held no official critic positions in the Legislature which followed.
In the 1990 provincial elections
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....
, Cousens scored a victory over Liberal Frank Scarpitti
Frank Scarpitti
Frank Scarpitti is the current mayor of Markham, Ontario.Born in Ontario in 1960 and moved to Markham from Toronto in 1965. Scarpitti was appointed mayor from 1992 to 1994 following the death of Tony Roman, but was defeated by Don Cousens in the 1994 municipal election...
, winning by more than 10,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives as a whole managed only a modest recovery, however, increased their caucus size from sixteen to twenty. Cousens served as his party's critic for Environment, Finance, and Citizenship, Race Relations and Human Rights at various times in next parliament. He also became a leading opponent of Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) John Sola
John Sola
John Domagoj Sola is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995. Originally a Liberal, he was forced to leave his party over controversy arising from his criticism of Bosnian Serbs.Sola has a Bachelor of Arts degree from...
in 1991, after Sola made comments about Canadian Serbs that were generally regarded as racist. Sola was later expelled from the Liberal Party.
Cousens once brought forward a private member's bill to outlaw smoking in public places.
A Red Tory
Red Tory
A red Tory is an adherent of a particular political philosophy, tradition, and disposition in Canada somewhat similar to the High Tory tradition in the United Kingdom; it is contrasted with "blue Tory". In Canada, the phenomenon of "red toryism" has fundamentally, if not exclusively, been found in...
by inclination, Cousens played little role in the party's drift to the right under Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
. He resigned his seat in the legislature on September 30, 1994 to campaign for mayor of Markham, and was the only member of the 1990 Ontario PC caucus not to seek re-election to the legislature in 1995.
Markham is considered a diverse community with a thriving economy, and grew significantly under Cousens's watch. During that time, the town was debt free and gained many jobs in the software field. Unlike Mike Harris's provincial government, Cousens was a supporter of photo radar to discourage speeding in the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
.
There is a Don Cousens Charitable Foundation within Markham. In 2003, he was award a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
.
On June 1, 2006 Cousens announced that he would not seek re-election as Mayor of Markham due to on-going health problems related to the need for a kidney transplant.
Donald Cousens Parkway
York Regional Road 48
Donald Cousens Parkway, regionally designated as York Regional Road 48 and historically known as the Markham Bypass or Markham Bypass Extension, is a regionally maintained arterial bypass of Markham in the Canadian province of Ontario...
in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
is named after him. There is also a public school in Markham, Ontario
Markham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
, named after him.