Michael Breaugh
Encyclopedia
Michael James Breaugh is a former Canadian
politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1975 to 1990, and in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1990 to 1993.
Breaugh was educated at Peterborough
Teachers' College, Queen's University and the University of Toronto
. A teacher by training, he was on the executive of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association when he was first elected in the 1975 Ontario election
. A New Democrat, he won an easy victory in the working-class riding of Oshawa
and was re-elected in the 1977 election
.
The NDP had seemed poised for an electoral breakthrough in 1977, but instead fell to from second to third-place status in the legislature. When Stephen Lewis
stepped down as Ontario NDP leader in 1978, Breaugh ran to succeed him. He received 499 votes at the 1978 NDP leadership convention, finishing a strong third in a field of three candidates. Surprisingly, most of his supporters went to Michael Cassidy
rather than presumed frontrunner Ian Deans
on the second ballot, giving Cassidy a narrow victory.
Breaugh was re-elected in the 1981 election
, though by a narrower margin than before. Under Cassidy's leadership, the party ran what was later acknowledged to have been a poor campaign.
Breaugh had a poor relationship with Bob Rae
, who replaced Cassidy as party leader in 1982. The NDP experienced a modest recovery under Rae in the 1985 provincial election
, and Breaugh was again re-elected by a significant margin in Oshawa. In the 1987 election
, he defeated Liberal
Cathy O'Flynn by the reduced margin of 2,916 votes as the Liberals won a landslide provincial majority.
Breaugh often clashed with Rae in the 1980s, criticising his leadership. In 1990, he left Queen's Park and ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
, in a by-election
called in the federal Oshawa
riding to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former New Democratic Party
leader Ed Broadbent
. Breaugh again defeated O'Flynn to win the by-election, which was held on August 13, a month before the 1990 Ontario election
that brought Rae's NDP to power.
Ironically, Rae's government was largely responsible for Breaugh's defeat at the polls in 1993. The provincial NDP had by this time lost much of its support from organized labour, through austerity legislation known as the Social Contract
. This had a detrimental effect on the federal NDP, which lost all of its Ontario seats in the 1993 federal election
. Breaugh was reduced to a fourth-place finish in Oshawa, where the local branch of the Canadian Auto Workers
had previously disaffiliated from the NDP.
Breaugh has not sought a political comeback since this time. He supported Bill Blaikie
for leader of the federal NDP in 2002-03.
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. He served in 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 1975 to 1990, and in 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...
from 1990 to 1993.
Breaugh was educated at Peterborough
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
Teachers' College, Queen's University and 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...
. A teacher by training, he was on the executive of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association when he was first elected in the 1975 Ontario election
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....
. A New Democrat, he won an easy victory in the working-class riding of Oshawa
Oshawa (electoral district)
Oshawa is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
and was re-elected in the 1977 election
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....
.
The NDP had seemed poised for an electoral breakthrough in 1977, but instead fell to from second to third-place status in the legislature. When Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis, is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of the those years as leader, his father David Lewis was simultaneously the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party...
stepped down as Ontario NDP leader in 1978, Breaugh ran to succeed him. He received 499 votes at the 1978 NDP leadership convention, finishing a strong third in a field of three candidates. Surprisingly, most of his supporters went to Michael Cassidy
Michael Cassidy
Michael Morris Cassidy is a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1984, and in the Canadian House of Commons from 1984 to 1988...
rather than presumed frontrunner Ian Deans
Ian Deans
Ian Deans is a Canadian politician.Born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, Deans moved to Canada as a youth and found work as a firefighter...
on the second ballot, giving Cassidy a narrow victory.
Breaugh was re-elected in the 1981 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....
, though by a narrower margin than before. Under Cassidy's leadership, the party ran what was later acknowledged to have been a poor campaign.
Breaugh had a poor relationship with 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....
, who replaced Cassidy as party leader in 1982. The NDP experienced a modest recovery under Rae 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...
, and Breaugh was again re-elected by a significant margin in Oshawa. In the 1987 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...
, he defeated 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...
Cathy O'Flynn by the reduced margin of 2,916 votes as the Liberals won a landslide provincial majority.
Breaugh often clashed with Rae in the 1980s, criticising his leadership. In 1990, he left Queen's Park and ran for a seat in 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 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....
called in the federal Oshawa
Oshawa (electoral district)
Oshawa is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
riding to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
leader Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
. Breaugh again defeated O'Flynn to win the by-election, which was held on August 13, a month before the 1990 Ontario 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....
that brought Rae's NDP to power.
Ironically, Rae's government was largely responsible for Breaugh's defeat at the polls in 1993. The provincial NDP had by this time lost much of its support from organized labour, through austerity legislation known as the Social Contract
Social contract
The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept...
. This had a detrimental effect on the federal NDP, which lost all of its Ontario seats in the 1993 federal election
Canadian 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...
. Breaugh was reduced to a fourth-place finish in Oshawa, where the local branch of the Canadian Auto Workers
Canadian Auto Workers
The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile social unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Brampton, Oakville, St...
had previously disaffiliated from the NDP.
Breaugh has not sought a political comeback since this time. He supported Bill Blaikie
Bill Blaikie
William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie, PC is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba since April 2009, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader...
for leader of the federal NDP in 2002-03.