Kellie Leitch

The Honourable
Kellie Leitch
PC OOnt MP

Leitch in 2014
Official Opposition Critic for Health
In office
November 20, 2015 – April 7, 2016
Leader Rona Ambrose
Preceded by Murray Rankin
Succeeded by Colin Carrie
Minister of Labour
In office
July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Preceded by Lisa Raitt
Succeeded by MaryAnn Mihychuk
Minister responsible for Status of Women
In office
July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Preceded by Rona Ambrose
Succeeded by Patty Hajdu
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Simcoe—Grey
Assumed office
May 2, 2011
Preceded by Helena Guergis
Personal details
Born Khristinn Kellie Leitch
(1970-07-30) July 30, 1970
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Political party Conservative
Residence Creemore, Ontario, Canada
Profession Orthopaedic paediatric surgeon; professor
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website kellieworks.ca

Khristinn Kellie Leitch PC OOnt MP (born July 30, 1970) is a Conservative MP in the Canadian House of Commons She was first elected in 2011, succeeding Member of Parliament Helena Guergis who was dismissed from the Conservative Party caucus. Following her election, Leitch was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. On July 15, 2013, Prime Minister Harper named Leitch Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women. She served in Cabinet until the defeat of the Conservative government in the 2015 federal election. Leitch declared her candidacy for the leadership of the Conservative Party on April 6, 2016.[1]

Training and medical career

Leitch was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the daughter of Eleanor Lynne (Conway) and Kelburne "Kit" McNabb Leitch, who owned and operated a construction company.[2][3][4] She was raised a Catholic, and still practises the religion.[5] She graduated from Queen's University in 1991 with an undergraduate degree.[6] She earned her MD from the University of Toronto in 1994, MBA from Dalhousie University in 1998, and completed the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program in 2001 at the University of Toronto. She became a fellow of clinical paediatric orthopaedics at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles/University of Southern California in 2002.[7]

Leitch used to teach at the University of Western Ontario, where she served as the assistant dean of external affairs at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the chair of paediatric surgery at the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario.

She was an orthopaedic pediatric surgeon at SickKids Hospital for one year before pursuing a career in politics. Leitch is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto.[7]

Leitch was the founding chair of the Ivey Centre for Health Innovation and Leadership and led the health sector stream of the MBA programme at the Richard Ivey School of Business located at the University of Western Ontario.

Leitch founded the now-defunct Kids Health Foundation in 2009, an organization that sought to work with academia, the not-for-profit sector, government and industry to make Canada the healthiest place on earth for children to grow-up.[8]

Leitch has maintained her medical credentials while serving in politics, and has hospital privileges at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.[9]

Political involvement

Leitch is an active member of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.[10] She was a strategist in Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott's leadership bid in 2009.[11] She also served as president of the Ontario PC Campus Association, and has been actively involved in the Conservative Party since she was 14.

Leitch served as chair of the expert panel for the Children's Fitness Tax Credit in 2006, which made recommendations to Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, regarding the best ways to implement this tax credit designed to encourage health and fitness among Canadian children.[12] In 2008, Leitch authored the report entitled Reaching for the Top: A Report by the Advisor on Healthy Children & Youth. The report is a "call to action" for government and industry on key issues affecting Canadian children and youth.[7]

Leitch serves on the boards for CANFAR, the National Research Council, YMCA, and Genome Canada, among others.[7]

Federal politics

On September 17, 2010, The Globe and Mail reported that Leitch would run for the Conservative nomination in Simcoe-Grey. The seat was, at the time, held by Helena Guergis, who was expelled from the Conservative Party. The Globe described Leitch as a "star candidate" and noted that her launch event in Creemore the following day would include former Ontario premier Bill Davis and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.[13]

Leitch won the nomination over Collingwood mayor Chris Carrier and Paul Throop with 67% of all ballots cast in a large turnout. Leitch won the general election with more votes than any candidate for public office had ever received in Simcoe-Grey, with 31,784 ballots cast for her and a plurality of 20,590 votes, or 49.36% of the vote.[14] Following her election, Leitch was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women

As part of the February 2014 budget, Leitch announced a $25 million plan to address violence against aboriginal women and girls.[15]

On July 15, 2013, Prime Minister Harper named Leitch Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women. During the 2015 Canadian federal election, Leitch said that she was pro-life when asked at a local debate, citing her experience as a paediatric surgeon as her reason.[16]

On October 2, 2015, during the general election, Leitch and then-Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander announced a Royal Canadian Mounted Police "tip line" where Canadians could report "barbaric cultural practices", which, along with the niqab issue, was widely viewed as an attempt to keep cultural and immigration issues at the forefront of the election campaign.[17] Leitch later expressed regret in her involvement of the "barbaric cultural practices tip line".[18] However, in an interview, on the statement the tip line "is a good idea but wasn’t communicated as effectively as it could be to the public" she characterised it as being "absolutely correct".[19]

Conservative leadership election

Although Leitch was re-elected in the 2015 election, the Conservatives were relegated to Official Opposition status. During the election, Leitch campaigned with over 70 Conservative candidates, which prepared the groundwork for her participation in the upcoming Conservative leadership election to replace Stephen Harper.[20] She has recruited Nick Kouvalis, who had managed Toronto mayoralty campaigns for Rob Ford and John Tory, to head her leadership campaign. Andy Pringle of the Toronto Police Services Board is her chief fundraiser.[21]

Controversy

On November 9, 2016, Leitch faced harsh criticism for sending out an email in support of the U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump. Leitch proposed screening visitors, refugees and immigrants for "Canadian values" while not specifying what that would entail. As part of her leadership race campaign, Leitch sent out an email survey to subscribers making the suggestion of anti-Canadian value screening in order to gauge response from voters. In response, many Conservative Members of Parliament and strategists are criticizing Leitch for her position.[22] Michael Chong, a Conservative MP for Wellington-Halton Hills and an opponent of Leitch in the leadership race, spoke out against Leitch’s proposal, saying that it, “does not represent our Conservative Party or our Canada”.[22] Despite the censure, Leitch has stood by her proposal. In a September interview with the Canadian Press, Leitch made the following statement in response to the backlash she had been receiving: “I don’t think it’s intolerant to believe in a set of values that we expect everyone to share here and include those people who are coming to visit or immigrate to Canada”[23] Many of her former staff and supporters took to social media to denounce her views and distance themselves from the MP. Andrew McGrath, a former press secretary to Leitch when she was in cabinet, responded to her overnight pitch with disappointment on social media. "You were status of women minister,” McGrath posted to Leitch on Twitter. “Shame on you.”[24]

Leitch’s policy stances also faced similar controversy and criticism back in October 2015 during the federal election, where she and fellow Conservative MP and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander pledged support and funding to establish a tip-line for Canadians to call in regards to what they called “barbaric cultural practices".[25] Leitch has since made an effort to apologize for her role in the proposed legislation, saying that she regrets her decisions.[26] For many, including Conservative strategist Chad Rogers, Leitch’s proposed immigrant screening seemingly follows the same rhetoric, and Rogers goes as far as calling on Leitch to withdraw from the Conservative leadership race.[22]

Leitch was asked a number of hypothetical questions regarding what specific immigrant values would be screened and how officials would be able to determine the truthful answers given for any Canadian values test on the September 27, 2016, episode of Canadaland Commons. Leitch could be heard sighing throughout the questions and abruptly hung up on the program, citing a meeting with a constituent.[27] In a November 9, 2016 interview with Toronto Life magazine, Leitch would not confirm nor deny that her proposed Canadian values test would apply to Catholic immigrants who opposed Canada's acceptance of same-sex marriage.[28] Leitch also argued that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms only applied to Canadian citizens, although all rights are guaranteed to all citizens, permanent residents and immigrants to Canada.

Electoral history

Canadian federal election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeKellie Leitch 30,612 46.6 -1.8 –
LiberalMike MacEachern 25,352 38.6 +25.9 –
New DemocraticDavid Matthews 6,332 9.6 -7.8 –
GreenJoAnne Fleming 2,923 4.4 -1.1 –
Christian HeritageLen Noordegraaf 528 0.8 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 65,747100.0   $240,274.24
Total rejected ballots 225––
Turnout 65,972––
Eligible voters 97,145
Conservative hold Swing -13.85
Source: Elections Canada[29][30]
Canadian federal election, 2011: Simcoe-Grey
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeKellie Leitch 31,784 49.36 -5.68 $96,128.50
New DemocraticKaty Austin 11,185 17.38 +6.18 7,993.48
IndependentHelena Guergis 8,714 13.50 – 57,289.66
LiberalAlex Smardenka 8,207 12.75 -8.80 83,148.92
GreenJace Metheral 3,482 5.41 -4.71 8,522.13
Christian HeritagePeter Vander Zaag 757 1.18 – 4,385.89
Canadian ActionGord Cochrane 244 0.38 – 2,512.75
Total valid votes/Expense limit 64,373 100.00–$99,651.72
Total rejected ballots 269 0.42+0.08
Turnout 64,642 66.13+6.03
Eligible voters 97,755 ––
Conservative hold Swing -5.93

References

  1. ↑ "Kellie Leitch, Maxime Bernier enter Conservative leadership race". CTV News. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Edwards, John (3 April 2011). "Who is Kellie Leitch?". simcoe.com. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  3. ↑ Priest, Lisa (22 October 2009). "'She's so young to take on the leadership role'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Lumley, Elizabeth (2009-05-01). Canadian Who's Who 2009. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802040923.
  5. ↑ "How Kellie Leitch touched off a culture war - Macleans.ca". 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
  6. ↑ Queen's staff (2010-01-27). "Queen's alumni honoured with Order of Ontario". News Centre. Kingston, Ontario: Queen's University. Archived from the original on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Genome Canada-Board of Directors". Ottawa: Genome Canada. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  8. ↑ Leitch, Kellie (2010-03-03). "Kids Health Foundation founder Dr. Kellie Leitch commends the Speech from the Throne" (Press release). Toronto: Newswire. Archived from the original on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  9. ↑ "Leitch, Khristinn Kellie CPSO#: 68310". The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Benzie, Robert (2009-03-18). "Mike Harris is back as Tory kingmaker". The Toronto Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  11. ↑ Cheadle, Bruce (2012-06-12). "Dr. Kellie Leitch, Conservative MP, Moonlights As Pediatric Surgeon". The Huffington Post. Ottawa. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  12. ↑ Richer, Eric (2006-07-31). "Minister of Finance Appoints Expert Panel to Advise on Children's Fitness Tax Credit". Government of Canada. Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  13. ↑ Leblanc, Daniel (2010-09-17). "With Guergis out in the cold, Tories to unveil new star candidate". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  14. ↑ Adams, Morgan Ian (2011-05-03). "Simcoe—Grey, by the numbers". The Enterprise Bulletin. Collingwood, Ontario. Archived from the original on 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  15. ↑ Mas, Susana (15 September 2014). "Tories table plan to stop violence against aboriginal women and girls". CBC News. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  16. ↑ Lum, Zi-Ann (2 October 2015). "Kellie Leitch, Status Of Women Minister, Tells Crowd She's 'Pro-Life'". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  17. ↑ Milewski, Terry. "Conservatives crank up values clash by taking aim at 'barbaric cultural practices'". CBC. CBC. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  18. ↑ Zimonjic, Peter (21 April 2016). "Kellie Leitch tears up over role in barbaric cultural practices tip line". CBC News. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  19. ↑ Charlton, Jonathan (2 September 2016). "Kellie Leitch: Barbaric cultural practices tip line was a good idea we failed to articulate". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
  20. ↑ "Kellie Leitch campaigned with nearly 70 candidates during election". ipolitics.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  21. ↑ Proudfoot, Shannon. "Behind Kellie Leitch's 'sort-of' campaign for Conservative leader". Maclean's. Maclean's. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 Tunney, Catherine (2 September 2016). "Kellie Leitch defends 'anti-Canadian values' survey question". CBC/Radio Canada. CBC News. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  23. ↑ Smith, Joanna (6 September 2016). "Kellie Leitch says values test is about tolerance". Rogers Media. Maclean's. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "Kellie Leitch latches on to Trump victory - Macleans.ca". Macleans.ca. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2016-11-09.
  25. ↑ Maloney, Ryan (2 October 2015). "Tories Pledge Tip Line To Combat 'Barbaric Cultural Practices'". TheHuffingtonPost.com. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  26. ↑ Zimonjic, Peter (21 April 2016). "Kellie Leitch tears up over role in barbaric cultural practices tip line". CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  27. ↑ http://www.canadalandshow.com/podcast/kellie-leitch-anti-canadian-values/
  28. ↑ http://torontolife.com/city/toronto-politics/qa-kellie-leitch-potential-future-prime-minister-wants-bring-president-elect-trumps-message-canada/
  29. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Simcoe—Grey, 30 September 2015
  30. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External links

28th Ministry – Cabinet of Stephen Harper
Cabinet Post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Lisa Raitt Minister of Labour
2013–2015		 MaryAnn Mihychuk
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