Richard Gary Stewart is a politician

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 1995 to 2003, and briefly served as a cabinet minister 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...

.

Stewart was educated at Banting Institute, receiving a Mortician Certificate, and worked for a time at Comstock Funeral Home in Peterborough. In 1974, he became president of G. Stewart Travel Services in Peterborough, which he continued to operate throughout his political career. He also served as a director of the Peterborough Civic Hospital. Stewart became deputy reeve of the Township of Otonabee in 1985, and was a warden of Peterborough County

Peterborough County, Ontario

Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is projected to reach a population of 159,840 by 2031, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Ontario Population Projections Update...

 from 1992 to 1994.

He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1995

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...

, 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...

 Sylvia Sutherland

Sylvia Sutherland

Sylvia Sutherland is a former Canadian politician, who was mayor of Peterborough, Ontario from 1986–1991 and 1998-2006.Sutherland has a diploma in journalism from the Ryerson Institute of Technology, a BA in history from Trent University, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the...

 (also the former Mayor of Peterborough) and incumbent New Democrat Jenny Carter

Jenny Carter

Jenny Carter is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.-Background:...

 by a significant margin.

In the provincial election of 1999

Ontario general election, 1999

An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, Stewart was elected over Liberal Jeff Leal

Jeff Leal

Jeff Leal is a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He has represented Peterborough in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2003 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party.-Early life and municipal career:...

 by about 2,500 votes. He served as chief government whip

Whip (politics)

A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

 and minister without portfolio

Minister without Portfolio

A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...

 from July 31, 2001 to April 14, 2002, but was dropped from cabinet when 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:...

 replaced Mike Harris as premier

Premier

Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...

.

In 2003, Stewart recommended that provincial governments stop enforcing the federal gun registry

Canadian gun registry

The Canadian Firearms Registry is part of the Firearms Act and is managed by the Canadian Firearms Program of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . It requires the registration of all guns in Canada. It was introduced by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and implemented by...

.

In the 2003 provincial election

Ontario general election, 2003

The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, Stewart lost to Leal by over 6,000 votes in a rematch from 1999.

Electoral record