Michael Gravelle
Encyclopedia
Michael Gravelle is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He is the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry, and also a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, representing the northern riding
of Thunder Bay—Superior North
for the Ontario Liberal Party
.
Gravelle was born in Port Arthur
, which is now a part of Thunder Bay
, the son of Edmund Gravelle and Jan Shepherd. He was educated at the Port Arthur Collegiate Institute
and Lakehead University
, receiving a degree from the latter institution 1968. Before entering political life himself, he was an assistant to Liberal politicians Robert Andras, Stuart Smith
and Joe Comuzzi
. He also worked as a publicist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
, and was a founder of the North of Superior Film Association.
Gravelle was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial election
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Shelley Wark-Martyn
by almost 7000 votes in the riding of Port Arthur
. The election was won by the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
, and Gravelle joined 29 other Liberals in the opposition benches. He supported Dwight Duncan
for the party leadership in 1996.
Gravelle was easily re-elected for the new riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North in the 1999 provincial election
, which his party also lost.
In the provincial election of 2003
, Gravelle was re-elected with 72.5 per cent of the popular vote, the highest percentage total in the province. He was later acclaimed as caucus chair on November 25, 2003. In the 2007 election
, he was returned by a much narrower margin, 46.8 to 38.3, against New Democrat candidate Jim Foulds.
On October 30, Gravelle was named Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines. In the summer of 2009, Gravelle's ministry was expanded, adding on the responsibility of forestry.
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|13,372
|align="right"|46.79
|align="right"|-25.66
|-
|Jim Foulds
|align="right"|10,936
|align="right"|38.27
|align="right"|23.25
|-
|Scott Hobbs
|align="right"|2,688
|align="right"|9.41
|align="right"|-0.21
|-
|Dawn Kannegiesser
|align="right"|1,582
|align="right"|5.54
|align="right"|2.63
|}
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|21,938
|align="right"|72.45
|align="right"|11.55
|-
|Bonnie Satten
|align="right"|4,548
|align="right"|15.02
|align="right"|-3.53
|-
|Brent Sylvester
|align="right"|2,912
|align="right"|9.62
|align="right"|-8.36
|-
|Carl Rose
|align="right"|882
|align="right"|2.91
|align="right"|1.70
|}
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|19,249
|align="right"|60.9
|-
|Nathalie Galesloot
|align="right"|5,864
|align="right"|18.55
|-
|Ed Linkewich
|align="right"|5,683
|align="right"|17.98
|-
|Robert Woito
|align="right"|431
|align="right"|1.36
|-
|Carl Rose
|align="right"|382
|align="right"|1.21
|}
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|14,281
|align="right"|
|-
|(x)Shelley Wark-Martyn
|align="right"|7,490
|align="right"|
|-
|Jim Doherty
|align="right"|6,554
|align="right"|
|-
|Anita Harris
|align="right"|683
|align="right"|
|-
|Paul Weber
|align="right"|18
|align="right"|
|}
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in 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....
, 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 is the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry, and also a 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...
, representing the northern riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Thunder Bay—Superior North
Thunder Bay—Superior North (provincial electoral district)
Thunder Bay—Superior North is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999.The district is in the northwestern part of the province of Ontario....
for the Ontario Liberal Party
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...
.
Gravelle was born in Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Ontario
Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Port Arthur was the district seat of Thunder Bay District.- History :...
, which is now a part of Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
, the son of Edmund Gravelle and Jan Shepherd. He was educated at the Port Arthur Collegiate Institute
Port Arthur Collegiate Institute
Port Arthur Collegiate Institute was a Collegiate institute operated by the Lakehead District School Board in Thunder Bay, Ontario from 1910 to 2007. The building was designated a historic building in 1984 and is located at the west end of Waverly Park. The school's teams were named "PACI Redmen"...
and Lakehead University
Lakehead University
Lakehead University is a public research university in Thunder Bay, and Orillia, Ontario, Canada.Lakehead University, shortened to 'Lakehead U', or 'LU', is non-denominational and provincially supported. It has undergraduate and graduate programs and a medical school.The school has more than 45,000...
, receiving a degree from the latter institution 1968. Before entering political life himself, he was an assistant to Liberal politicians Robert Andras, Stuart Smith
Stuart Lyon Smith
Stuart Lyon Smith is a politician, psychiatrist, academic and public servant in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1982, and led the Ontario Liberal Party for most of this period....
and Joe Comuzzi
Joe Comuzzi
Joseph Robert "Joe" Comuzzi, PC is a former Canadian politician.Comuzzi was born in Fort William, Ontario. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Windsor in 1954. In 1966, Comuzzi received the University of Windsor Alumni Award of Merit, the Alumni Association's most...
. He also worked as a publicist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, and was a founder of the North of Superior Film Association.
Gravelle was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial 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...
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Shelley Wark-Martyn
Shelley Wark-Martyn
Shelley Wark-Martyn is a former politician from 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....
by almost 7000 votes in the riding of Port Arthur
Port Arthur (electoral district)
Port Arthur was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1935 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario...
. The election was won by the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
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 Gravelle joined 29 other Liberals in the opposition benches. He supported Dwight Duncan
Dwight Duncan
Dwight Duncan, MPP is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is the Minister of Finance in the government of Dalton McGuinty...
for the party leadership in 1996.
Gravelle was easily re-elected for the new riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North in the 1999 provincial election
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....
, which his party also lost.
In the provincial election of 2003
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....
, Gravelle was re-elected with 72.5 per cent of the popular vote, the highest percentage total in the province. He was later acclaimed as caucus chair on November 25, 2003. In the 2007 election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, he was returned by a much narrower margin, 46.8 to 38.3, against New Democrat candidate Jim Foulds.
On October 30, Gravelle was named Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines. In the summer of 2009, Gravelle's ministry was expanded, adding on the responsibility of forestry.
Electoral record
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|13,372
|align="right"|46.79
|align="right"|-25.66
|-
|Jim Foulds
|align="right"|10,936
|align="right"|38.27
|align="right"|23.25
|-
|Scott Hobbs
|align="right"|2,688
|align="right"|9.41
|align="right"|-0.21
|-
|Dawn Kannegiesser
|align="right"|1,582
|align="right"|5.54
|align="right"|2.63
|}
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|21,938
|align="right"|72.45
|align="right"|11.55
|-
|Bonnie Satten
|align="right"|4,548
|align="right"|15.02
|align="right"|-3.53
|-
|Brent Sylvester
|align="right"|2,912
|align="right"|9.62
|align="right"|-8.36
|-
|Carl Rose
|align="right"|882
|align="right"|2.91
|align="right"|1.70
|}
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|19,249
|align="right"|60.9
|-
|Nathalie Galesloot
|align="right"|5,864
|align="right"|18.55
|-
|Ed Linkewich
|align="right"|5,683
|align="right"|17.98
|-
|Robert Woito
|align="right"|431
|align="right"|1.36
|-
|Carl Rose
|align="right"|382
|align="right"|1.21
|}
|-
|Michael Gravelle
|align="right"|14,281
|align="right"|
|-
|(x)Shelley Wark-Martyn
Shelley Wark-Martyn
Shelley Wark-Martyn is a former politician from 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....
|align="right"|7,490
|align="right"|
|-
|Jim Doherty
|align="right"|6,554
|align="right"|
|-
|Anita Harris
|align="right"|683
|align="right"|
|-
|Paul Weber
|align="right"|18
|align="right"|
|}