Murray Calder
Encyclopedia
Murray Calder was a Liberal
member of the Canadian House of Commons
from 1993 to 2004. He is a farmer by profession.
Calder first became a Liberal candidate in 1988, unsuccessfully contesting the Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe
electoral district. His second attempt in the 1993 election was successful, defeating Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Perrin Beatty
, making him a member of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
's government in the 35th Canadian Parliament
. He won in the 1997 and 2000 national elections in the redistributed Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
riding. He held various committee posts during his terms of office, mostly relating to agriculture. In 2003 he served as Parliamentary Secretary to International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew
and sat on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. From 2001 to 2003 he served as Chair of National Liberal Rural Caucus.
He teamed up with Progressive Conservative Senator Lowell Murray to pass a bill in 2002 to designate the Canadian Horse as Canada's national horse. Calder also worked to obtain changes in federal tax laws to benefit fire fighters, including a change allowing them to accrue pensions at a higher rate so they could retire early with a full pension. He worked with Senator Lorna Milne to campaign for public access to post 1901 Canada Census data, an issue of special interest to genealogists.
Before the 2004 election, the electoral districts were again rearranged and Calder contested the new Dufferin—Caledon
riding. He was defeated by Conservative
candidate David Tilson
.
Calder has restored a number of old military vehicles as a hobby on his chicken farm in Holstein, Ontario. Until 2006, he had a pet Bactrian camel
, Baxter, who drank beer.
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
member of 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 1993 to 2004. He is a farmer by profession.
Calder first became a Liberal candidate in 1988, unsuccessfully contesting the Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe
Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe
Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario...
electoral district. His second attempt in the 1993 election was successful, defeating Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Perrin Beatty
Perrin Beatty
Henry Perrin Beatty, PC is a corporate executive and former Canadian politician.Perrin Beatty first won election to the Canadian House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative at the age of 22 in the 1972 election....
, making him a member of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
's government in the 35th Canadian Parliament
35th Canadian Parliament
The 35th Canadian Parliament was in session from January 17, 1994 until April 27, 1997. The membership was set by the 1993 federal election on October 25, 1993, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1997 election.It was controlled by...
. He won in the 1997 and 2000 national elections in the redistributed Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2004.-Federal electoral district:...
riding. He held various committee posts during his terms of office, mostly relating to agriculture. In 2003 he served as Parliamentary Secretary to International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew
Pierre Pettigrew
Pierre Stewart Pettigrew, PC is a Canadian politician.Born in Quebec City, Pettigrew has a BA in Philosophy from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and an M.Phil in International Relations from Oxford University...
and sat on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. From 2001 to 2003 he served as Chair of National Liberal Rural Caucus.
He teamed up with Progressive Conservative Senator Lowell Murray to pass a bill in 2002 to designate the Canadian Horse as Canada's national horse. Calder also worked to obtain changes in federal tax laws to benefit fire fighters, including a change allowing them to accrue pensions at a higher rate so they could retire early with a full pension. He worked with Senator Lorna Milne to campaign for public access to post 1901 Canada Census data, an issue of special interest to genealogists.
Before the 2004 election, the electoral districts were again rearranged and Calder contested the new Dufferin—Caledon
Dufferin—Caledon
Dufferin—Caledon is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.It was created in 2003 from parts of Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey riding.-Member of Parliament:...
riding. He was defeated by Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate David Tilson
David Tilson
David Allan Tilson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2002, and was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Conservative Member of Parliament in 2004.Tilson was educated at the University of New...
.
Calder has restored a number of old military vehicles as a hobby on his chicken farm in Holstein, Ontario. Until 2006, he had a pet Bactrian camel
Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of central Asia. It is presently restricted in the wild to remote regions of the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts of Mongolia and Xinjiang. A small number of wild Bactrian camels still roam the Mangystau Province of southwest...
, Baxter, who drank beer.