Bert Lawrence
Bert Lawrence | |
---|---|
Ontario MPP | |
In office 1967–1974 | |
Preceded by | New riding |
Succeeded by | Paul Frederick Taylor |
Constituency | Carleton East |
In office 1963–1967 | |
Preceded by | Gordon Lavergne |
Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
Constituency | Russell |
Personal details | |
Born | Liberation of the Netherlands | March 31, 1923
Albert Benjamin Rutter "Bert" Lawrence MC (March 31, 1923 – March 28, 2007) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1974 who represented the ridings of Russell and Carleton East. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts and Bill Davis.
Background
Lawrence was born in
When he returned home he acquired a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School. He graduated in 1948 and went to work for an Ottawa firm called Honeywell, Baker, Gibson, and Wotherspoon. He married Lois Davidson in October 1949 [3] and they raised four children. He died in Gatineau, Quebec in 2007.[2]
Politics
In the 1950s he was elected to
In the 1963 provincial election, Lawrence ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Russell. He narrowly defeated Liberal candidate Fred Barrett by only 413 votes.[4] In 1967 he ran in the redistributed riding of Carleton East. He defeated Liberal Eugene Bellemare by a comfortable margin of 4,221 votes. He was re-elected in 1971.[5][6]
In 1969,
During his time as Minister, he began to promote the idea of no-fault insurance, the first time it was discussed in the province. Lawrence felt that the current system was unfair to consumers as judgments were applied unevenly. While he felt this would benefit consumers he did not push hard on the issue due to his mindfulness of Ontario Insurance companies.[1]
He ran in the 1971
Lawrence was dropped from cabinet altogether in February 1974.[12] He decided to retire from the legislature later on in September. He returned to his law practice.[13]
He attempted a move to federal politics by running as the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidate for Ottawa—Carleton in the 1980 federal election but was defeated by Liberal Jean-Luc Pépin.[14]
Cabinet positions
References
- ^ a b c d e Bourdon, Buzz (April 17, 2007). "Bert Lawrence, lawyer and politician: 1923-2007". The Globe and Mail. p. S10.
- ^ a b "Obituary". National Post. March 28, 2007.
- ^ "Lois Nan Davidson Weds Albert B.R. Lawrence". The Ottawa Journal October 10, 1949 pg. 12
- ^ Canadian Press (September 26, 1963). "78 in Tory Blue Wave -- 23 Is All Grits Saved". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 25. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
- ^ Canadian Press (October 18, 1967). "Tories win, but..." The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. B2. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
- ^ "Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election". The Globe and Mail. October 23, 1971. p. 10.
- ^ Russell, Frances (August 14, 1969). "Dymond quits; new health chief Wells has 'worked for doctors for 15 years'". The Globe and Mail. p. 3.
- ^ "Bert Lawrence replaces Rowntree: Ontario fears crime will invade lotteries". The Toronto Daily Star. February 5, 1970. p. 1.
- ^ Manthorpe, Jonathan; Slinger, John (March 2, 1971). "Changes in policies promised: Davis priorities to include environment and jobless". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
- ^ "The Cabinet for Ontario". The Globe and Mail. February 3, 1972. p. 4.
- ^ Slinger, John (March 28, 1972). "'High potential' for trade: Opposition members jeer as Lawrence defends Cuban trip". The Globe and Mail. p. 33.
- ^ Dunlop, Marilyn (February 27, 1974). "The new cabinet lines up like this". The Toronto Star. p. A3.
- ^ Mosher, Peter (September 25, 1974). "Lawrence resigns, moves out early for Ottawa mayor". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
- ^ "Election '80". The Toronto Star. February 19, 1987. p. B7.