Ian Scott (Ontario politician)

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Ian Gilmour Scott

Scott graduated from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in 1955.^[4] He was president of the student council in his last year and was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.^[5] After graduating, he earned a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1959 and began working under Andrew Brewin.^[6] The firm came to be called Cameron Brewin and Scott.^[6]

In addition to his courtroom work, Scott began teaching civil procedure at the University of Toronto Law School in 1968. One of his pupils was Bob Rae, whom he canvassed for in a 1978 by-election for the House of Commons of Canada. From 1974 to 1976, Scott worked for the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry, studying the impact of pipeline development on aboriginal Canadians in the Northwest Territories.^[7]

Early political career

Scott first ran for public office in the

Scott was, by his own admission, disillusioned with the direction of the Liberal Party in the early 1980s. He was not initially a supporter of David Peterson, who replaced Smith as Liberal leader in 1982 and whom Scott considered too far to the right. Scott had previously promised to run in the 1985 provincial election, but planned to back out of this promise in 1984. However, while driving to Peterson's cottage in Pand, he reconsidered and remained the Liberal candidate in St. David.

Attorney-General

The 1985 election was a watershed moment in Ontario politics. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a

Scott was narrowly re-elected in the 1990 election against Carolann Wright. After a recount, it was determined that Scott won by 65 votes.^[9][10]

The election defeated the Peterson government. He was challenged by former Tory cabinet minister Keith Norton, who had come out of the closet by this point, and ran as an openly gay politician. Scott was widely known to be gay, but declined to reveal it, and there were concerns in Scott's campaign that Norton would attempt to make an issue of this matter.

He was unhappy in opposition, and lost interest in the legislature after Murray Elston, his choice to replace Peterson as party leader, was narrowly defeated at the Liberal Party's 1992 leadership convention. Scott resigned his seat in the legislature in 1992.

He accepted a teaching position at York University, and remained in the public eye as a political panelist on television until a devastating stroke in 1994 made speech difficult for him. He developed aphasia following the stroke, and was forced to end his legal career.

He was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1995.^[11] In the same year, he supported Joseph Cordiano's unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Sexual orientation

Scott's sexual orientation was an open secret during his time in politics, although the media respected his privacy and did not report the fact that he was gay or in a long term same-sex relationship. He came under increasing pressure to come out of the closet, particularly from many of his constituents in St. George—St. David, which includes the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood, home to Canada's largest gay and lesbian community. Although he was asked about his sexual orientation at all candidates meetings during the 1990 provincial election, particularly as Keith Norton, the Tory candidate, was openly gay, Scott declined to comment, saying that it was a private matter.

After his retirement from politics, Scott publicly acknowledged his long-term relationship for the first time in 1993, upon the death of his partner Kim Yakabuski (son of former Progressive Conservative MPP Paul Yakabuski and the brother of current Progressive Conservative MPP John Yakabuski). Scott's obituary for Yakabuski was the first time Scott spoke in public about their relationship.^[12]

Scott opposed same-sex marriage for most of his life, on the grounds that it reflected the values of a society which for years treated homosexuals as pariahs. He later expressed regret that his government did not introduce spousal benefits for same-sex couples.

Final years

In 2001, he published his memoirs, To Make A Difference, co-written with Neil McCormick.

In the 2006 federal Liberal leadership campaign, Scott endorsed Gerard Kennedy. A Toronto Star article on Scott's endorsement also revealed that he remained influential in his last years, lunching regularly with Ontario finance minister Greg Sorbara, health minister George Smitherman and Attorney-General Michael Bryant. Scott still suffered from the effects of his 1994 stroke but "gradually regained the ability to speak" according to the article. Scott was also involved in charity work as chair of the Aphasia Institute, and was also honorary counsel for the Toronto law firm of Paliare Roland lunching with lawyers from the firm once a week.^[1] Scott died in his sleep on October 10, 2006, in Toronto.^[13][14]

Honours

The headquarters of the Attorney General of Ontario, the McMurtry-Scott Building, is named in honour of Scott and Roy McMurtry (former AG 1975–1985).

References