About Stockwell Day

Stockwell Day is a cabinet minister in the Conservative Party of Canada. He has blended in well under the controlling leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and appears to be one of the more competent ministers in Stephen Harper's government. Currently President of the Treasury Board, Stockwell Day has also held the portfolios of Public Safety and International Trade.

A former Pentecostal pastor, Stockwell Day is an economic, social and moral conservative.

Personable, articulate and energetic, Stockwell Day speaks off the cuff and has a quirky sense of humour. He likes to be the centre of attention, but he also can generate controversy and is gaffe-prone.

Stockwell Day began his political career in Alberta as a Progressive Conservative. As Alberta Treasurer in the Ralph Klein government he introduced the flat tax rate in the province. In 2000, he became the first leader of the Canadian Alliance Party, a federal party formed out of the Reform Party of Canada to unite the right in opposition to the Liberal Party of Canada.

Leader of the Canadian Alliance Party

2000-2001

Birth

August 16, 1950, in Barrie, Ontario. Raised in Montreal, Quebec.

Education

University of Victoria

Professions

• Auctioneer
• Lumberjack
• Oilfield worker
• Salesman
• Assistant Pastor and Administrator of Bentley Christian School in Bentley, Alberta

Political Affiliations

• Alberta Progressive Conservative Party (1986 to 2000)
• Canadian Alliance Party (2000 to 2004)
• Conservative Party of Canada (2004 to present)

Provincial Riding (Electoral Division)

Red Deer North, Alberta (1986-2000)

Federal Riding (Electoral District)

Okanagan--Coquihalla, British Columbia (2000-present)

Stockwell Day in Alberta Politics

Stockwell Day was first elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly in 1986 as the Progressive Conservative MLA for Red Deer North. He became Minister of Labour in 1992 and handled cuts to the public service. He later became House Leader and Social Services Minister. In 1997, Stockwell Day was appointed provincial Treasurer. In that role he was responsible for separating the provincial personal income tax from the federal, and for introducing a flat tax rate. His outspoken views against abortion and gay rights led to controversy.

Stockwell Day as Leader of Canadian Alliance Party and Leader of the Official Opposition

An early supporter of the federal Reform Party, in 2000 Stockwell Day ran for the leadership of the new Canadian Alliance Party. Stockwell Day took everyone by surprise by winning the leadership, defeating Preston Manning, the party's founder. He won a federal by-election in the British Columbia riding of Okanagan-Coquihalla. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien called a snap election just a few months later. During the election campaign, Stockwell Day made many Canadians nervous, and even though he asked voters to pay attention to his economically conservative agenda, and ignore his personal socially conservative beliefs, the Canadian Alliance won just six more seats than the former Reform Party and only two seats in Ontario. Stockwell Day became Leader of the Official Opposition.

As negative news stories about Day continued, many of his caucus members became disaffected with his leadership. Day rapidly lost control of the caucus and in 2001 resigned as Canadian Alliance leader. Although Stockwell Day ran in the 2002 Canadian Alliance leadership race, Stephen Harper won the Canadian Alliance leadership. Stockwell Day became the critic for foreign affairs.

Stockwell Day in Conservative Party of Canada

By 2004, the Conservative party of Canada was formed and Stephen Harper became its leader. Stockwell Day became foreign affairs critic. The party won the 2006 federal election. Stockwell Day was appointed Minister of Public Safety in 2006 and also became a member of the key Cabinet Committee on Priorities and Planning. In 2008, he became Minister of International Trade as well as Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. He was also appointed Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan. In 2010 he was appointed President of the Treasury Board, retaining responsibility for the Asia-Pacific Gateway.

In March 2011, Stockwell Day announced that he would not run again in the next federal election.