Walter Harris
Encyclopedia
Walter Edward Harris, PC
, QC
(January 14, 1904 – January 10, 1999) was a Canadian
politician and lawyer.
Harris was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as the Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Ontario
riding
of Grey-Bruce in the 1940 election
defeating Agnes MacPhail
. Despite being a newly elected MP, he enlisted in the military and served for four years, seeing action in France
during World War II
.
He served as parliamentary secretary
to Louis St. Laurent
when he was Secretary of State for External Affairs
in the Mackenzie King
cabinet. He continued as parliamentary secretary to St. Laurent when he became Prime Minister of Canada
in 1948 until 1950 when St. Laurent brought Harris into the Canadian Cabinet.
Harris served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration until 1954 when he was promoted to Minister of Finance
. He was Finance Minister during a period of great economic growth. During his term of office, he introduced the regulations permitting "Registered Retirement Savings Plan
s", which have become a staple of the financial planning of millions of Canadians.
Before his 1956 budget speech, a journalist from the Montreal Gazette played a joke on a colleague from La Presse by pretending that he had received an advance copy of the budget by mistake. Harris was informed of this, and began to draft a letter of resignation until being informed that the whole story was a prank.
Harris also served as Government House Leader from 1953 until 1957, and thus had to try to manage the government's dealings on the floor of the House of Commons during the 1956 Pipeline Debate
. The government imposed closure
on debate resulting in an outraged parliamentary opposition that complained of "tyranny", and public complaints that the government was acting in an arrogant manner. Harris became a casualty of this, and lost his seat in the 1957 election
that brought John George Diefenbaker to power.
In 1958, he attempted a move to provincial politics and ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party
. He led on the first ballot of the Ontario Liberal leadership convention but was defeated by fewer than fifty votes by John Wintermeyer
on the third ballot. Following his defeat, Harris retired from politics and returned to his law practice. Today, there is also a school named after him, located in Oshawa, Ontario. This school is part of the Durham District school board and is French Immersion.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(January 14, 1904 – January 10, 1999) was a Canadian
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 and lawyer.
Harris was first elected to 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...
as the Liberal
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 Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the 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....
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 Grey-Bruce in the 1940 election
Canadian federal election, 1940
The Canadian federal election of 1940 was the 19th general election in Canadian history. It was held March 26, 1940 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 19th Parliament of Canada...
defeating Agnes MacPhail
Agnes Macphail
Agnes Campbell Macphail was the first woman to be elected to the Canadian House of Commons, and one of the first two women elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario...
. Despite being a newly elected MP, he enlisted in the military and served for four years, seeing action in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He served as parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
when he was Secretary of State for External Affairs
Secretary of State for External Affairs (Canada)
Canada's Secretary of State for External Affairs was, from 1909 to 1993, the member of the Cabinet of Canada responsible for overseeing the federal government's international relations and the former Department of External Affairs...
in the Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
cabinet. He continued as parliamentary secretary to St. Laurent when he became Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
in 1948 until 1950 when St. Laurent brought Harris into the Canadian Cabinet.
Harris served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration until 1954 when he was promoted to Minister of Finance
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
. He was Finance Minister during a period of great economic growth. During his term of office, he introduced the regulations permitting "Registered Retirement Savings Plan
Registered Retirement Savings Plan
A Registered Retirement Savings Plan or RRSP is a type of Canadian account for holding savings and investment assets. Introduced in 1957, the RRSP's purpose is to promote savings for retirement by employees. It must comply with a variety of restrictions stipulated in the Canadian Income Tax Act...
s", which have become a staple of the financial planning of millions of Canadians.
Before his 1956 budget speech, a journalist from the Montreal Gazette played a joke on a colleague from La Presse by pretending that he had received an advance copy of the budget by mistake. Harris was informed of this, and began to draft a letter of resignation until being informed that the whole story was a prank.
Harris also served as Government House Leader from 1953 until 1957, and thus had to try to manage the government's dealings on the floor of the House of Commons during the 1956 Pipeline Debate
Pipeline Debate
The Pipeline Debate was a political event in the history of the Parliament of Canada.The debate surrounded the finances of the TransCanada pipeline, proper parliamentary procedure, and American economic influence on Canada. The controversy eventually contributed to the defeat of Louis St...
. The government imposed closure
Cloture
In parliamentary procedure, cloture is a motion or process aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. It is also called closure or, informally, a guillotine. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. Clôture is French for "ending" or "conclusion"...
on debate resulting in an outraged parliamentary opposition that complained of "tyranny", and public complaints that the government was acting in an arrogant manner. Harris became a casualty of this, and lost his seat in the 1957 election
Canadian federal election, 1957
The Canadian federal election of 1957 was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada. In one of the great upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party , led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the...
that brought John George Diefenbaker to power.
In 1958, he attempted a move to provincial politics and ran for the leadership of 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...
. He led on the first ballot of the Ontario Liberal leadership convention but was defeated by fewer than fifty votes by John Wintermeyer
John Wintermeyer
John Joseph Wintermeyer was a politician in Ontario, Canada. Wintermeyer was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1955 provincial election, and was chosen leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1958....
on the third ballot. Following his defeat, Harris retired from politics and returned to his law practice. Today, there is also a school named after him, located in Oshawa, Ontario. This school is part of the Durham District school board and is French Immersion.