Herb Gray

The Right Honourable Herb Gray PC, CC, QC, BComm, LLB, LLD(Hon)
Gray in 2008
Leader of the Opposition
In office February 8, 1990 – December 10, 1990
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	John Turner
Succeeded by	Jean Chrétien
Member of Parliament for Essex West
In office September 27, 1962 – June 24, 1968
Preceded by	Norman Spencer
Succeeded by	riding dissolved
Member of Parliament for Windsor West
In office June 25, 1968 – January 14, 2002
Preceded by	first member
Succeeded by	Brian Masse
7th Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
In office June 11, 1997 – January 14, 2002
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien
Preceded by	Sheila Copps
Succeeded by	John Manley
Personal details
Born	Herbert Eser Gray May 25, 1931 Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Died	April 21, 2014 (aged 82) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Sharon Sholzberg
Children	Jonathan David Elizabeth Anne
Residence	Ottawa, Ontario
Alma mater	McGill University Osgoode Hall Law School
Religion	Jewish

Herbert Eser "Herb" Gray, PC CC QC (May 25, 1931 – April 21, 2014) was a Canadian Member of Parliament for four decades, and cabinet minister under three prime ministers, who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1997 to 2002. He was Canada's first Jewish federal cabinet minister,^[1] and is one of only a few Canadians ever granted the honorific The Right Honourable who was not so entitled by virtue of a position held.

Early life

Gray was born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Fannie (née Lifitz), a nurse, and Harry Gray, who had a business selling yard goods. His parents were both from Belarusian Jewish families.^[2] Gray attended Victoria School and Kennedy Collegiate Institute in Windsor^[1] before receiving a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1952 from McGill University.^[3] He then attended Osgoode Hall Law School where he received a Bachelor of Laws degree and was called to the bar becoming a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.^[4] On July 23, 1967, Gray married lawyer Sharon Sholzberg, with whom he had two children: Jonathan David and Elizabeth Anne.^[1]

Politics

He was first elected to Parliament for the riding of Essex West on June 18, 1962, as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. He was re-elected in twelve subsequent federal elections, making him the longest continuously-serving Member of Parliament in Canadian history.^[5]

Gray served in a variety of roles during his parliamentary career, including cabinet ministries and committee chairmanships during the Liberal governments of Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, and as Opposition House Leader from 1984 to 1990.

From February 6, 1990, to December 21, 1990, he was Leader of the Opposition, between the resignation of John Turner as Liberal leader and the election to Parliament of his successor, Jean Chrétien.

When the Liberals returned to power after the 1993 election, Gray was appointed Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada. On June 11, 1997, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister.

Gray also retained an interest in provincial politics in the Windsor area. In 1996, he was named as honorary co-chair of Dwight Duncan's bid to the lead the provincial Liberal Party. Duncan had previously worked in Gray's office.

Retirement and death

Bronze bust by sculptor Christopher Rees in Windsor, Ontario

Gray retired from Parliament on January 14, 2002, and was appointed Canadian Chair of the International Joint Commission, a bilateral organization which deals with Canada-United States transboundary issues on water and air rights.

On November 28, 2008, Carleton University announced that Gray had been appointed as the university's 10th chancellor.^[6] He died at a hospital in Ottawa on April 21, 2014, aged 82.^[7]

Honours

On January 15, 2002, then-Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson granted Gray the title "The Right Honourable", in honour of his distinguished and record-setting contribution to Canadian political life. In 2003, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, a designation which can be bestowed on only 165 outstanding Canadians at any given time, in recognition of being "an enduring force in Canadian politics".^[8] He was a recipient of the Canadian Centennial Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He received honorary degrees from the University of Windsor, Assumption University (Windsor), Catholic University of Lublin (Poland), McGill University, and the University of Ottawa, and Honorary Lifetime Membership as Governor #71 with Junior Chamber International Canada (JCI Canada).^[1] In 2009, he became an honorary brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi.^[9]

The upgraded Windsor-Essex Parkway has been renamed the Right Honourable Herb Gray Parkway.

Personal life

Gray was diagnosed with esophagus cancer in 1996 and recovered after radiation therapy. In 1999, he had an operation to treat a prostate condition unrelated to the cancer. In August 2001, Gray underwent valve replacement surgery to correct a heart condition he had known about for years.^[7]

Electoral record

Essex West

Canadian federal election, 1962
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	18,152	45.55	+11.25
	Progressive Conservative	Norman L. Spencer	11,018	27.65	−18.10
	New Democratic	Bill Tepperman	9,771	24.52	+5.43
	Social Credit	Ray Gagnier	649	1.63	+0.77
	Co-operative Builders	Edgar-Bernard Charron	261	0.65
Total valid votes			39,851	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1963
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	23,165	56.14	+10.59
	Progressive Conservative	Tom Brophey	10,946	26.53	−1.12
	New Democratic	Trevor Price	6,267	15.19	−9.33
	Social Credit	Ray Gagnier	884	2.14	+0.51
Total valid votes			41,262	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1965
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	21,525	56.12	−0.02
	Progressive Conservative	Austin Dixon	10,298	26.85	+0.22
	New Democratic	Hugh Peacock	5,739	14.96	−0.23
	Independent	Don Armstrong	413	1.08
	Social Credit	Jack Backer	379	0.99	−1.15
Total valid votes			38,354	100.00

Windsor West

Canadian federal election, 1968
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	16,442	54.06
	New Democratic	Stuart Ross	8,972	29.50
	Progressive Conservative	William J. Waldron	5,002	16.45
Total valid votes			30,416	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1972
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	17,966	49.20	−4.86
	New Democratic	Paul Forder	13,110	35.90	+6.40
	Progressive Conservative	John Gunning	5,441	14.90	−1.55
Total valid votes			36,517	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1974
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	19,474	55.97	+6.77
	New Democratic	Ron Seale	10,630	30.55	−5.35
	Progressive Conservative	Bill McKay	4,466	12.84	−2.06
	Marxist–Leninist	Ray Greig	222	0.64
Total valid votes			34,792	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1979
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	16,943	48.56	−7.41
	New Democratic	Maxine Jones	11,906	34.12	+3.57
	Progressive Conservative	Bob Krause	5,869	16.82	+3.98
	Communist	Gerard O'Neill	102	0.29
	Marxist–Leninist	M. Villamizar	74	0.21	−0.43
Total valid votes			34,894	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1980
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	19,755	58.50	+9.94
	New Democratic	Maxine Jones	9,785	28.98	−4.14
	Progressive Conservative	Ned Griffith	4,107	12.16	−4.66
	Communist	Gerard O'Neill	72	0.21
	Marxist–Leninist	Margaret Villamizar	49	0.15	−0.06
Total valid votes			33,768	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1984
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	13,624	40.55	−17.95
	New Democratic	Paul Forder	11,503	34.23	+5.25
	Progressive Conservative	Marty Goldberg	8,158	24.28	+12.12
	Rhinoceros	Martin X. Deck	232	0.69
	Communist	Mike Longmoore	84	0.25	+0.04
Total valid votes			33,601	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1988
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	23,796	56.24	+15.69
	New Democratic	Paul Forder	12,143	27.80	−6.43
	Progressive Conservative	Bert Silcox	6,131	14.49	−9.79
	Independent	Robert Cruise	127	0.30
	Communist	Maggie Bizzell	112	0.26
Total valid votes			42,309	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1993
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	27,008	73.00	+16.76
	Reform	Brett Skinner	4,179	11.30
	New Democratic	Emily Carasco	3,359	9.08	−18.72
	Progressive Conservative	Dan Friesen	1,663	4.49	−10.00
	Green	Sarah Atkinson	395	1.07
	Natural Law	Larry Decter	138	0.37
	Independent	Bill Steptoe	128	0.35
	Marxist–Leninist	Robert Cruise	93	0.25	−0.05
	Abolitionist	Rose Pope	35	0.09
Total valid votes			36,998	100.00

Canadian federal election, 1997
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	21,877	55.20	−17.80
	New Democratic	Tom Milne	9,411	23.74	+14.66
	Reform	Jeff Watson	5,295	13.36	+2.06
	Progressive Conservative	Dan Friesen	2,452	6.19	+1.70
	Green	Richard Warman	398	1.00	−0.07
	Marxist–Leninist	Robert Cruise	199	0.50	+0.25
Total valid votes			39,632	100.00

Canadian federal election, 2000
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Herb Gray	20,729	54.21	−0.99
	Alliance	Jeff Watson	8,777	22.95	+9.59
	New Democratic	John McGinlay	6,080	15.90	−7.84
	Progressive Conservative	Ian West	2,116	5.53	−0.66
	Independent	Christopher Soda	304	0.80
	Marxist–Leninist	Enver Villamizar	229	0.60	+0.10
Total valid votes			38,235	100.00

Note: Canadian Alliance vote is compared to the Reform vote in 1997 election.

References

1. "Commissioners' Biography". International Joint Commission.
2. Plaut, Jonathan V. (2007). The Jews of Windsor, 1790-1990: A Historical Chronicle. Toronto: Dundurn. p. 215. ISBN 978-1-55002-706-8. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
3. "McGill News - Spring '98".
4. "Member Contact Information". Law Society of Upper Canada.
5. Members of the House of Commons—1867 to Date—Continuous Years of Service. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.
6. Carleton University Newsroom - The Right Honourable Herb Gray, P.C., C.C., Q.C. Named Carleton University Chancellor. Retrieved on December 5, 2008.
7. "Herb Gray, former deputy prime minister, dies at 82". The Globe and Mail. April 21, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
8. Order of Canada citation
9. "Gray goes Greek". The Charlatan: Carleton's Independent Weekly. March 27, 2009. Retrieved January 23, 2014.

External links

• Herb Gray – Parliament of Canada biography