Frank Miller (politician)
Encyclopedia
Frank Stuart Miller, (May 14, 1927 – July 21, 2000) was a Canadian
politician, who served as the 19th Premier
of Ontario
for four months in 1985.
, and received a degree in engineering from McGill University
in Montreal
. He had a successful career as a professional engineer, car dealer and resort operator before entering politics in 1967 as a member of the Bracebridge
town council, serving until 1970. In the 1971 Ontario provincial election
, he ran for election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in Muskoka
as a Progressive Conservative
, and was elected. He was re-elected in the 1975
, 1977
and 1981
and 1985
elections.
He joined the cabinet
of Premier William Davis
on February 26, 1974 as Minister of Health. He planned to close a number of small hospitals and consolidate urban services after the 1975 election, but withdrew in the face of cabinet opposition. He suffered a heart attack during this period, perhaps as a result of work-related stress.
Miller became Minister of Natural Resources following a cabinet shuffle on February 3, 1977. On August 16, 1978, he was promoted to Treasurer and Minister of Economics. He also served as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs from August 16, 1978 to August 30, 1979. As Treasurer, he opposed the Davis government's Suncor purchase in 1981 and considered resigning over the issue. After another shuffle on July 6, 1983, he was named Minister of Industry and Trade.
, Roy McMurtry
and Dennis Timbrell
for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in its January 1985 leadership convention
. His supporters included Bette Stephenson
, Philip Andrewes
, George Ashe
, Margaret Scrivener
, Claude Bennett
, Bud Gregory
, Nicholas Leluk, Alan Pope
, George McCague
and Mike Harris
.
Davis and his predecessor John Robarts
were considered Red Tories
and ran relatively progressive administrations that increased public investment and expanded the public sector. Under their watch, the Ontario Tories were often seen, however ironically, to be running left of the Liberals
. Miller, on the other hand, was more typical of the party's base of social conservatives from Ontario's rural areas. When Davis officially stepped down on February 8, 1985, Miller became Premier.
Miller's victory created some divisions in the Progressive Conservative Party, and he had difficulty keeping order among senior party staff. He was sometimes criticized for speaking in an overly candid manner to reporters, once claiming that he would prefer to eliminate the minimum wage but could not do so for pragmatic reasons. Miller's appearance also became a political issue, after he decided to wear a loud tartan
jacket to the 1983 budget ceremony. He was caricatured by some reporters as a symbol of Ontario's rural past, and seemed out of step with generational and demographic changes in the province. Senior party organizer
Hugh Segal
later acknowledged that the jacket probably alienated many new voters.
, but his campaign was considered disastrous. He elicited controversy when he refused to agree to a television debate with Liberal leader David Peterson
and New Democratic Party
leader Bob Rae
. This decision is thought to have hurt Miller's standing with the public. His situation was also made more difficult by Davis's decision to extend public funding for Catholic
Separate School
s to grade 13, a decision that had been left to Miller to implement. Although the policy was supported by all parties in the legislature, it was unpopular with some in the Tories' traditional rural Protestant base. Many PC voters were so upset that they simply stayed home on election day because of this issue.
In the election, the Liberals won a narrow plurality of the popular vote. However, at the time rural areas were still slightly overrepresented in the Legislative Assembly, enabling Miller to win reelection. However, the Tories were cut down to a minority government
, in which the Tories had only four more seats than the Liberals and were 11 seats short of a majority. The NDP, with 25 seats, held the balance of power
. After several weeks of negotiations with both parties, the NDP signed an agreement with Peterson to support a Liberal minority government.
As per this agreement, Rae introduced a Motion of No Confidence
in the Miller government, which carried. As a result of the Liberal-NDP accord, Lieutenant-Governor John Black Aird
asked Peterson to form a government. Miller formally resigned as Premier on June 26, 1985; ending 42 years of Progressive Conservative rule over Ontario—the longest such period in Canadian history.
in a November 1985 leadership convention
. Miller formally resigned as party leader and Leader of the Opposition
in early 1986. He played only a minor role in the legislature after this time, and did not seek re-election in 1987. After leaving the legislature, Miller later became chairman of the District of Muskoka.
The Tories did not return to power in Ontario until the 1995 election
, when Mike Harris
, who Miller had brought to his cabinet as Minister of Natural Resources, became premier.
Miller returned to private life, dying in 2000. His son, Norm Miller
, entered provincial politics in 2001, winning a by-election
in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka after Ernie Eves
resigned the seat.
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...
politician, who served as the 19th Premier
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...
of 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....
for four months in 1985.
Early life and political career
Miller was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and received a degree in engineering from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. He had a successful career as a professional engineer, car dealer and resort operator before entering politics in 1967 as a member of the Bracebridge
Bracebridge, Ontario
Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality of Ontario, Canada.The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls . It was first incorporated in 1875...
town council, serving until 1970. In the 1971 Ontario provincial election
Ontario general election, 1971
The Ontario general election of 1971 was held on October 21, 1971, to elect the 117 members of the 29th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, he ran for election to 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...
in Muskoka
Muskoka (provincial electoral district)
Muskoka is a historical provincial electoral division in Ontario, Canada. Established in 1886, it was succeeded by Muskoka-Ontario in 1934. The division returned to the electoral map in 1955, and was again replaced with Muskoka–Georgian Bay in 1987....
as 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...
, and was elected. He was re-elected in the 1975
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
and 1981
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....
and 1985
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...
elections.
He joined the cabinet
Executive Council of Ontario
The Executive Council of Ontario plays an important role in theGovernment of Ontario, in accordance with the Westminster system....
of Premier William 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...
on February 26, 1974 as Minister of Health. He planned to close a number of small hospitals and consolidate urban services after the 1975 election, but withdrew in the face of cabinet opposition. He suffered a heart attack during this period, perhaps as a result of work-related stress.
Miller became Minister of Natural Resources following a cabinet shuffle on February 3, 1977. On August 16, 1978, he was promoted to Treasurer and Minister of Economics. He also served as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs from August 16, 1978 to August 30, 1979. As Treasurer, he opposed the Davis government's Suncor purchase in 1981 and considered resigning over the issue. After another shuffle on July 6, 1983, he was named Minister of Industry and Trade.
Premier
When Davis retired, Miller defeated Larry GrossmanLarry Grossman
Lawrence "Larry" Sheldon Grossman was a politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early years:Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist Member of...
, Roy McMurtry
Roy McMurtry
Roland "Roy" McMurtry, OC, OOnt is a judge and former politician in Ontario, Canada and the current Chancellor of York University.-Early life:McMurtry was born in Toronto and educated at St. Andrew's College, graduating in 1950...
and 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:...
for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in its January 1985 leadership convention
Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions, 1985
In 1985, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party held two leadership elections: one in January, and one in November.-The January Convention:The January convention was held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to choose a replacement for William Davis, who had served as Ontario PC leader and Premier...
. His supporters included Bette Stephenson
Bette Stephenson
Bette Mildred Stephenson, OC, O.Ont is a Canadian medical doctor and former politician in Ontario. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.-Medical career:Born in...
, Philip Andrewes
Philip Andrewes
Philip W. Andrewes is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller...
, George Ashe
George Ashe
George Lyle Ashe is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Ashe was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.-Biography:Ashe was born in Ottawa,...
, Margaret Scrivener
Margaret Scrivener
Margaret Mary Scrivener was a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the government of William Davis. Scrivener was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Scrivener was born in Toronto, and was...
, Claude Bennett
Claude Bennett
Claude Frederick Bennett is a former 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 Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Bennett was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Bennett was born in...
, Bud Gregory
Bud Gregory
Milton Edward Charles Gregory is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1987 and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Gregory was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.Gregory was born...
, Nicholas Leluk, Alan Pope
Alan Pope
Alan William Pope is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1990, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.-Early years:Pope was raised in Northern Ontario, and...
, George McCague
George McCague
George R. McCague is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative from 1975 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Bill Davis and Frank Miller.McCague was born in Essa Township, north of Alliston,...
and 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...
.
Davis and his predecessor John Robarts
John Robarts
John Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...
were considered Red Tories
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...
and ran relatively progressive administrations that increased public investment and expanded the public sector. Under their watch, the Ontario Tories were often seen, however ironically, to be running left of the Liberals
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...
. Miller, on the other hand, was more typical of the party's base of social conservatives from Ontario's rural areas. When Davis officially stepped down on February 8, 1985, Miller became Premier.
Miller's victory created some divisions in the Progressive Conservative Party, and he had difficulty keeping order among senior party staff. He was sometimes criticized for speaking in an overly candid manner to reporters, once claiming that he would prefer to eliminate the minimum wage but could not do so for pragmatic reasons. Miller's appearance also became a political issue, after he decided to wear a loud tartan
Tartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
jacket to the 1983 budget ceremony. He was caricatured by some reporters as a symbol of Ontario's rural past, and seemed out of step with generational and demographic changes in the province. Senior party organizer
Party organizer
A party organizer or local party organizer is a position in some political parties in charge of the establishing a party organization in a certain locality.Herbert Ames wrote in his 1911 article "Organization of Political Parties in Canada" :...
Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal, CM is a Canadian senator, political strategist, author, and commentator. Segal is credited with helping Stephen Harper become Prime Minister by moderating his image.-Life and career:...
later acknowledged that the jacket probably alienated many new voters.
Minority government and defeat
Miller's Progressive Conservatives had a significant lead in the polls of around 55% (compared to the two opposition parties, in the low to mid 20s) when he called an election for May 1985Ontario 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 his campaign was considered disastrous. He elicited controversy when he refused to agree to a television debate with 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....
and New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
leader Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. This decision is thought to have hurt Miller's standing with the public. His situation was also made more difficult by Davis's decision to extend public funding for Catholic
Catholic
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"...
Separate School
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
s to grade 13, a decision that had been left to Miller to implement. Although the policy was supported by all parties in the legislature, it was unpopular with some in the Tories' traditional rural Protestant base. Many PC voters were so upset that they simply stayed home on election day because of this issue.
In the election, the Liberals won a narrow plurality of the popular vote. However, at the time rural areas were still slightly overrepresented in the Legislative Assembly, enabling Miller to win reelection. However, the Tories were cut down to a 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...
, in which the Tories had only four more seats than the Liberals and were 11 seats short of a majority. The NDP, with 25 seats, held the balance of power
Balance of power (parliament)
In parliamentary politics, the term balance of power sometimes describes the pragmatic mechanism exercised by a minor political party or other grouping whose guaranteed support may enable an otherwise minority government to obtain and hold office...
. After several weeks of negotiations with both parties, the NDP signed an agreement with Peterson to support a Liberal minority government.
As per this agreement, Rae introduced a Motion of No Confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
in the Miller government, which carried. As a result of the Liberal-NDP accord, Lieutenant-Governor John Black Aird
John Black Aird
John Black Aird, was the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Canada, from 1980 to 1985.Born in Toronto, Ontario, the grandson of Canadian financier Sir John Aird, John Black Aird was educated at Upper Canada College, Trinity College and Osgoode Hall Law School. He was a Brother at the Toronto...
asked Peterson to form a government. Miller formally resigned as Premier on June 26, 1985; ending 42 years of Progressive Conservative rule over Ontario—the longest such period in Canadian history.
Retirement
Miller resigned as Progressive Conservative leader soon afterward. He was replaced by Larry GrossmanLarry Grossman
Lawrence "Larry" Sheldon Grossman was a politician in Ontario, Canada.-Early years:Born in Toronto, Grossman was the son of Allan Grossman, who had represented a downtown Toronto riding in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for twenty years after defeating Ontario's last Communist Member of...
in a November 1985 leadership convention
Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions, 1985
In 1985, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party held two leadership elections: one in January, and one in November.-The January Convention:The January convention was held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to choose a replacement for William Davis, who had served as Ontario PC leader and Premier...
. Miller formally resigned as party leader and Leader of the Opposition
Leader of the Opposition (Ontario)
The Leader of the Opposition in Ontario is usually leader of the largest party in the Ontario legislature which is not the government. The current official opposition is formed by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, and Tim Hudak is the current Leader of the Opposition.Ontario's first...
in early 1986. He played only a minor role in the legislature after this time, and did not seek re-election in 1987. After leaving the legislature, Miller later became chairman of the District of Muskoka.
The Tories did not return to power in Ontario until the 1995 election
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, when 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...
, who Miller had brought to his cabinet as Minister of Natural Resources, became premier.
Miller returned to private life, dying in 2000. His son, Norm Miller
Norm Miller
Norm Miller is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka for the Progressive Conservatives...
, entered provincial politics in 2001, winning a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka after Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
resigned the seat.