Christine Elliott

Christine Elliott
Ontario MPP
In office
October 10, 2007 – August 28, 2015
Preceded by New riding
Succeeded by Lorne Coe
Constituency Whitby—Oshawa
In office
2006–2007
Preceded by Jim Flaherty
Succeeded by Riding abolished
Constituency Whitby—Ajax
Personal details
Born Christine Janice Elliott
(1955-04-13) April 13, 1955
Oshawa, Ontario
Political party Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s) Jim Flaherty (m. 1986; d. 2014)
Children 3
Residence Whitby, Ontario
Alma mater University of Western Ontario (B.A., LL.B.)
Occupation Lawyer
Portfolio Deputy Leader (2009-2015)

Christine Janice Elliott (born April 13, 1955) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2006 to 2015. She represented the ridings of Whitby—Ajax and Whitby—Oshawa, east of Toronto. Elliott was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election and came in third place behind winner Tim Hudak and runner-up Frank Klees. She was appointed as the party's deputy leader in 2009. She was a candidate for 2015 leadership election but lost to federal MP Patrick Brown. Elliott was appointed as Ontario's first Patient Ombudsman.

Background

Elliott was born in Oshawa and grew up in Whitby.[1][2] She attended the University of Western Ontario where she received her honours Bachelor of Arts degree in history.[3] She graduated from Western Law School and received her Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978.[4] She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1980. She was a founding member and partner of the Whitby law firm Flaherty Dow Elliott & McCarthy, where she practised in real estate, corporate/commercial and estate law.

Elliott received Whitby's Peter Perry Award, an annual recognition of Whitby's outstanding citizen. Prior to that she became a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow in recognition of her pro bono legal work. She is the co-founder and director of the Abilities Centre, a director and past chair of Grandview Children’s Centre and a director of the Lakeridge Health Whitby Foundation. She was board president of the Durham Mental Health Services (DMHS) and was recognized when it named one of their group homes in her honour (Elliott House). She is a director of Legacy Private Trust and has been a director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.[5]

Elliott was married to former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty until his death on April 10, 2014.[6] She lives in Whitby with her triplet sons John, Galen and Quinn.[7]

Politics

In March 2006, Elliott ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the provincial riding of Whitby—Ajax in a by-election, replacing her husband who was elected to the federal Parliament. She was re-elected in 2007 in the redistributed riding of Whitby—Oshawa.[8] She was re-elected in 2011 and 2014.[9][10]

She was the party's Deputy Leader from 2009 until her resignation.

Party leadership bids

On April 4, 2009, Elliott entered the leadership race to succeed former leader John Tory. She portrayed herself as a centrist alternative to her three right-wing opponents—Hudak, Klees and Randy Hillier.[11] During her announcement she criticised her main rival Tim Hudak. She said, "He really wants to replicate some of the campaigns and some of the solutions that worked in the 1990s. What happened in 1995 is not the solution for 2009."[12] She said that as leader, she would push for a 'sector-by-sector' innovation strategy for Ontario. She also said that she supports nuclear energy and that the Liberal's green energy plan was insufficient for Ontario's needs.[13] Elliott also supported a flat income tax system.[14] At the leadership convention on June 28, 2009 in Markham, Ontario, Elliott placed third in the results behind winner Tim Hudak and runner-up Frank Klees.[15]

On June 25, 2014, Elliott announced she would once again be seeking the leadership of the party.[16] She had the support of at least nineteen of the twenty-eight caucus members[17] but lost to Brown on May 9, 2015 in a two-person race with 38% of the vote. She resigned her seat in the legislature on August 28, 2015, one week before Brown's election to the provincial parliament.[18]

Electoral record

Ontario general election, 2014: Whitby—Oshawa
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeChristine Elliott 23,985 40.66 -7.51
LiberalAjay Krishnan 18,488 31.34 -2.06
New DemocraticRyan Kelly 13,662 23.16 +7.70
GreenStacey Leadbetter 2,534 4.30 +2.06
FreedomDouglas Thom 326 0.55 +0.24
Total valid votes 58,995100.0  
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -2.72
Source: Elections Ontario[19]
Ontario general election, 2011: Whitby—Oshawa
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeChristine Elliott 24,499 48.17 +4.16
LiberalElizabeth Roy 16,988 33.40 −2.59
New DemocraticMaret Sadem-Thompson 7,865 15.46 +4.34
GreenBradley Gibson 1,139 2.24 −5.02
Special NeedsDan King 211 0.41  
FreedomDouglas Thom 160 0.31 +0.02
Total valid votes 50,862100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 1540.30-0.22
Turnout 51,01649.69-3.84
Eligible voters 102,672
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +3.38
Ontario general election, 2007: Whitby—Oshawa
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeChristine Elliott 22,694 44.00 -3.12
LiberalLaura Hammer 18,560 35.99 -1.00
New DemocraticNigel Moses 5,734 11.12 -1.57
GreenDoug Anderson 3,745 7.26
LibertarianMarty Gobin 414 0.80
Family CoalitionDale Chilvers 275 0.53
FreedomBill Frampton 152 0.29
Total valid votes 51,572 100.00
Total rejected ballots 2700.52
Turnout 51,84253.53
Eligible voters 96,842
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -1.06

^ Change is from redistributed results.

Ontario provincial by-election, March 30, 2006: Whitby—Ajax
Resignation of Jim Flaherty
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeChristine Elliott 15,843 46.23 −2.2
LiberalJudi Longfield 14,529 42.40 +2.2
New DemocraticJulie Gladman 3,204 9.35 +0.2
GreenNick Boileau 307 0.90 −1.5
FreedomPaul McKeever 197 0.57 –
Family CoalitionVictor Carvalho 102 0.30 –
LibertarianMarty Gobin 87 0.25 –
Total valid votes 34,269100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 1070.31
Turnout 34,37632.42
Eligible voters 106,028
Progressive Conservative hold Swing

After politics

On December 10, 2015, she was appointed by Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Eric Hoskins as Ontario's first patient ombudsman. Her duties will include acting on behalf of patients who have not had their issues resolved through normal complaint resolution processes. She said, "Ensuring that patients in Ontario's health-care system will now have a strengthened voice is a responsibility I am looking forward to taking on." The position is effective as of July 1, 2016.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Pessian, Parvaneh (2009-06-12). "The many sides of Christine Elliott". This Week. p. 1.
  2. ↑ "A look at Tory leadership candidate Christine Elliott". The Canadian Press. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Christine J. Elliott". Legacy Private Trust. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Christine J. Elliott, LL.B., M.P.P.". Flaherty Dow Elliot & McCarthy Litigation Counsel. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Christine Elliott, Your MPP, Biography". Retrieved 2011-10-02.
  6. ↑ National Post staff; Postmedia News (April 10, 2014). "Jim Flaherty, 64, dies at Ottawa home one month after resigning as finance minister". National Post. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Daw: 4 tips Jim Flaherty is giving his three sons". Toronto Star (Moneyville). 2010-10-04.
  8. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 10, 2007. p. 17 (xxvi). Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  9. ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 19. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  10. ↑ "General Election by District: Whitby-Oshawa". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Flaherty's wife joins race for provincial Tory leadership". Vancouver Sun. 2009-04-04. p. B2.
  12. ↑ Greenberg, Lee (2009-04-04). "Centrist MPP enters race to lead Tories". Ottawa Citizen. p. A4.
  13. ↑ Denley, Randall (2009-05-01). "Christine Elliott's Conservative 'to-do list'". Windsor Star. p. A8.
  14. ↑ Cowan, James (2009-05-15). "Tory hopeful casts eye on grassroots for policy; Ontario party's leadership became 'arrogant,' Klees says". National Post. p. A7.
  15. ↑ Hayward, Jeff (2009-06-27). "Christine Elliott fails in bid to lead Progressive Conservatives". This Week. p. 1.
  16. ↑ Jones, Allison (June 25, 2014). "Christine Elliott, Flaherty's widow, running for Ontario PC party leadership". Toronto, Ont: The Canadian Press.
  17. ↑ Brennan, Richard (June 26, 2014). "Elliott vows to build a kinder new PC party: Fresh direction is needed to regain trust of voters, leadership hopeful says". Toronto Star. p. A6.
  18. ↑ "Tory Christine Elliott quits as MPP". Toronto Star. August 28, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
  19. ↑ "General Election Results by District, 100 Whitby—Oshawa". Elections Ontario. 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Former Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott to be Province's first patient ombudsman". This Week. Whitby, Ont. December 11, 2015. p. 1.
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