| Brigadier-General the Honourable Gordon James O'Connor | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2004 Federal Election |
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| Preceded by | Scott Reid |
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| Born | May 18, 1939 Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | CPC |
| Spouse | Kathy O'Connor |
| Residence | Kanata, Ontario |
| Profession | Soldier, defence consultant |
| Cabinet | Minister of National Revenue |
Gordon James O'Connor, PC, OMM, CD, MP (born May 18, 1939) is a retired Brigadier-General, current Canadian Member of Parliament and the Minister of National Revenue. The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable (abbreviated to " The Hon For the provincial electoral district see Carleton—Mississippi Mills (provincial electoral district. The Canadian federal election 2004 (more formally the 38th General Election) was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Scott Jeffrey Reid (born January 25, 1964 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian politician Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Kanata is a large Suburban area in the western part of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, it has a population of 90000 and is growing rapidly Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. A consultant (from the Latin consultare means "to discuss" from which we also derive words such as consul and counsel) is a Professional The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (QPC (Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada (CPR sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or the Privy Council The Order of Military Merit is an Order issued by Canada to members of the Canadian Forces, both Regular and Reserves who have demonstrated dedication The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian Award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and The Minister of National Revenue (Ministre du Revenu national is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Canada Revenue He was previously the Minister of National Defence and was one of a few defence ministers to have served in the military, the last being Gilles Lamontagne. The Minister of National Defence (Ministre de la Défense nationale is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian Politician within the Cabinet of Canada Joseph-Georges-Gilles-Claude Lamontagne, PC, OC, CQ, CD (born April 17 1919) is a former Canadian politician
Born in Toronto, Ontario, he has a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from Concordia University and a BA in Philosophy from York University. Toronto (təˈrɒntoʊ colloquially pronounced or) is the largest city in Canada and is the provincial capital of Ontario A Bachelor of Science ( BS, BSc or BSc in the UK; less commonly S Concordia University is a comprehensive Public university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. York University (Université York is a public Research university located in Toronto, Ontario.
He served over 30 years in the Canadian Army, starting as a Second Lieutenant in the Armour Branch and retiring with the rank of Brigadier-General. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence
O'Connor then entered the private sector as Vice-President of Business Development for a large facility management firm, and Vice-President Operations for a vehicle testing centre. He was a Senior Associate with Hill & Knowlton Canada, a world-wide public relations, public affairs and strategic communications company. Hill & Knowlton is a global Public relations company It is owned by the WPP Group. O'Connor has also been an official lobbyist for several defence industry companies. Lobbying includes all attempts to influence Legislators and officials whether by other legislators constituents or organized groups The defense industry, also called the military industry, is comprised of Government and commercial Industry involved in research development These companies include: BAE Systems (1996 to 2004), General Dynamics (1996 to 2001), Atlas Elektronik GmbH (1999 to 2004), and Airbus Military (2001 to 2004). BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor Atlas Elektronik GmbH is a naval/marine electronics and systems business based in Bremen, Germany. Airbus Military SL (Sociedad Limitada is a subsidiary of EADS created for the management of the A400M project taking over from Euroflag. [1]
He was elected in the 2004 elections as a Conservative candidate in the Ottawa riding of Carleton—Mississippi Mills with slightly more than 50% of the vote. The Canadian federal election 2004 (more formally the 38th General Election) was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. For the provincial electoral district see Carleton—Mississippi Mills (provincial electoral district. After winning he became Defence Critic for the Official Opposition. His vote share increased in the 2006 election. The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally the 39th General Election) was held on January 23 2006 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the He is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club, S157. The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC is the Military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting University.
Gordon O'Connor is married and has two children, both of them are adults. He now lives in Kanata, Ontario where he has lived for over 20 years.
Contents |
Cabinet Selection
Though somewhat muted by the higher profile issues in the naming of David Emerson and Michael Fortier to the cabinet, the posting of O'Connor to the position of Minister of National Defence by Prime Minister Harper was met with controversy. David Lee Emerson, PC, MP (born September 17 1945, in Montreal Quebec) is a Canadian Politician, who was This article is about the Canadian politician For the Oklahoma City Bombing informant see Michael Fortier (American. The Minister of National Defence (Ministre de la Défense nationale is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian Politician within the Cabinet of Canada The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC Harkening back to ethics and accountability issues including a promised crackdown on lobbying and reforms to lobbying legislation[2] that Harper raised during the 2006 federal election, O'Connor's employment as a lobbyist for several major defence industry companies including some of the world's largest military contractors, such as General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Airbus as recently as 2004 was seen by many as peculiar. The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally the 39th General Election) was held on January 23 2006 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor BAE Systems plc (BAE is a British defence and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, England, that has global interests particularly Airbus SAS (ˈɛərbʌs in English, Airbus2ogg|/ɛʁbys/]] in French, and /ˈɛːɐbʊs/ in German) is an aircraft manufacturing Some feared that with the posting the minister would often be dealing with the very companies for whom he advised for and assisted in soliciting defence contracts; seemingly putting him in constant peril of conflict-of-interest issues. [3] However, the aim of the Accountability Act is to prevent people from moving from government to lobbying, and not the opposite as was the case with O'Connor (at least not this time, although in the past he went from Brigadier General in the Canadian Forces to lobbyist)
There were potential conflict-of-interest issues early in his term as one of the first major issues the Conservatives pledged they would sort out is the replacement of the Forces 'tactical airlift' fleet. One of the most prominent companies bidding for the contract to replace the present fleet of C-130 Hercules Turboprops is Airbus S.A.S. for whom O'Connor worked as a lobbyist until February 2004, lobbying the former Liberal government to purchase the airplane that would become the Airbus A400M for its tactical airlift fleet. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Airbus SAS (ˈɛərbʌs in English, Airbus2ogg|/ɛʁbys/]] in French, and /ˈɛːɐbʊs/ in German) is an aircraft manufacturing WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout [4]
Tenure As Minister Of Defence
As soon as Gordon O'Connor became Minister of National Defence, the Canadian Government decided to purchase 4 C-17 Globemaster IIIs, manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems for $3. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( Boeing IDS) based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for 4 billion,[5] 16 CH-47 Chinook medium lift helicopters, also from Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, for $4. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Boeing Integrated Defense Systems ( Boeing IDS) based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for 7 billion,[6] 17 C-130Js from Lockheed-Martin for $4. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Lockheed Martin ( is a large multinational Aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology Company formed in 1995 by the merger of 9 billion,[7] 2300 Medium-Sized Logistics Trucks for $1. 1 billion,[8] and $2. 9 billion for 3 Joint Support Ships,[9] for a total of $17 billion.
O'Connor announced on May 30, 2006 that the Canadian Forces would be suspending usage of the Mercedes G-Wagon combat vehicle to on-base operations only, after a number of Canadian soldiers were killed while travelling in the lightly-armoured vehicle. The Canadian Forces (CF ( French: Forces canadiennes) are the unified Armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence For G-class stars see Stellar classification. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen (or cross-country vehicle However, three months later it was revealed that no such order was ever given, and the controversial vehicles were still being used in combat operations. [10]
In a major cabinet shuffle on August 14, 2007, Prime Minster Harper demoted O'Connor to the lower profile position of Minister of National Revenue, replacing him in the defence portfolio with former Foreign Minister Peter MacKay. In the Parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of government rotates or changes the Events 1183 - Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan take the young Emperor Antoku and the three sacred treasures Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Minister of National Revenue (Ministre du Revenu national is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for the Canada Revenue The Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ministre des Affaires étrangères is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP (born September 27, 1965) serves as the Member of Parliament (MP for Central Nova [11][12]
Controversy
Afghanistan
In May 2005, as Canada's policy of detaining people in Afghanistan and transferring them to units of the Afghan police known for torture, O'Connor told Parliament that the International Committee of the Red Cross: "The Red Cross or the Red Crescent is responsible to supervise their treatment once the prisoners are in the hands of the Afghan authorities. The Canadian Afghan detainee abuse scandal is a series of claims regarding detainees captured in Afghanistan by the Canadian Forces and given into the custody of the "ICRC" redirects here For other uses see ICRC (disambiguation. If there is something wrong with their treatment, the Red Cross or Red Crescent would inform us and we would take action. "
This statement was later denied by the ICRC, which stated that it was "informed of the agreement, but . . . not a party to it and . . . not monitoring the implementation of it. " The ICRC also advised that, in accordance with its normal operating procedure, it would not notify any foreign government (Canada included) of abuse found in Afghan prisons. [13]
On March 13, O'Connor travelled to Kandahar to meet with Abdul Noorzai of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, "look the man in the eyes", and gain assurances that detainees were being supervised. For the 2001 film see Kandahar (film; for the Kandahar meteorite of 1959 see Meteorite falls; for the places in Azerbaijan see Cəndəhar and The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission ( AIHRC) ( Dari: کمیسیون مستقل حقوق بشر افغانستان Pashto: د افغانستان [14]
O'Connor subsequently acknowledged in an official release that his statement in Parliament was not true, and that the ICRC was not monitoring detainees and not informing Canada as he claimed. [15]
Additional controversy was generated in the week of April 23 when The Globe and Mail reported that 30 Afghan men formerly under Canadian custody alleged they had been tortured by their Afghan captors. [16] Two days later, another Globe story ran on a government report from which "negative references to acts such as torture, abuse, and extra judicial killings were blacked out without an explanation. "[17][18] The difficulties faced by O'Connor were exacerbated after various government ministers and Stephen Harper himself gave apparently conflicting testimony on the existence and nature of the agreement with Afghan forces to supervise detainees. [19]
Following these revelations, the opposition parties unanimously demanded O'Connor's resignation; a demand echoed by some press commentators such as Andrew Coyne. Andrew Coyne is the national editor for Maclean's, a weekly national Newsmagazine in Canada. Stephen Harper has resisted all calls for O'Connor's dismissal. [20]
An anonymous Conservative source was quoted as saying that despite losing Harper's confidence, O'Connor would not be dismissed lest his removal send the wrong message: "If it's interpreted as us wavering, or any weakening of resolve that somehow we're on the wrong course, those questions would get asked. . . The Taliban would see it as a positive thing. "[21]
O'Connor also faced criticism for remarks that Canada was in Afghanistan as an act of retribution for 9/11. [22][23]
Letter To Donald Rumsfeld
In December 2006, O'Connor wrote to the ousted Donald Rumsfeld praising his "vision", "many achievements", and "significant contribution", adding: "Here we have been privileged to benefit from your leadership" in "the campaign against terror. Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9 1932 is a United States Businessman, Politician, the 13th Secretary of Defense under President " Critics argued that these rather flattering remarks went well beyond the demands of courtesy and were too conciliatory, expressing a sympathy with Rumsfeld's performance not widely shared in Canada. [24][25]
Notes
- ^ Lobbyists Registration System. (Search: O'Connor, Gordon. ) Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists – Canada. Retrieved on 2007-08-23
- ^ Stand up for accountability – federal election platform 2006, (pdf). Conservative Party of Canada. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Adam Day, "Gordon O'Connor: Minister of National Defence", Legion Magazine, September/October 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Romeo St. Martin, "Military spending puts spotlight on O'Connor", PoliticsWatch, 27 June 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ DND/CF News Release, 29 June 2006, Retrieved on 2007-08-23
- ^ DND/CF News Release, 28 June 2006, Retrieved on 2007-08-23
- ^ DND/CF News Release, 29 June 2006, Retrieved on 2007-08-23
- ^ DND/CF News Release, 27 June 2006, Retrieved on 2007-08-23
- ^ DND/CF News Release, 26 June 2006, Retrieved on 2007-08-23
- ^ "O'Connor misspoke on G-wagons: gov't records", Canadian Press, 14 August 2006. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Alexander Panetta, "Embattled O'Connor loses defence post in cabinet shuffle to MacKay", Canadian Press, 14 August 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Richard Foot, "O'Connor demotion inevitable, but not deserved", CanWest News Service, 14 August 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Paul Koring, "Red Cross contradicts Ottawa on detainees", The Globe and Mail, 8 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Joe Friesen, "O'Connor meets with Afghan rights chief", The Globe and Mail, 15 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ "O'Connor sorry for misinforming House on Afghan detainees", CBC News, 19 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ Graeme Smith,"From Canadian custody into cruel hands", The Globe and Mail, 23 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Paul Koring, "What Ottawa doesn't want you to know", The Globe and Mail (subscription required), 25 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ "Canada to get access to Afghan detainees: O'Connor", CTV News, 26 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ "Cdns. have had access to detainees all along: Day", CTV News, 26 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Daniel LeBlanc, "Harper stands by O'Connor as furor grows", The Globe and Mail (subscription required), 25 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Brian Laghi, "PM stands by O'Connor – but for the wrong reasons", The Globe and Mail (subscription required), 26 April 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-27.
- ^ Andrea Sands, "Canadian troops in Afghanistan as 9/11 'retribution'", The Edmonton Journal, 21 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Sean Gordon and Les Whittington, "Probe Afghan role, Dion urges", The Toronto Star, 25 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
- ^ Jennifer Ditchburn, "Canada 'privileged' to benefit from Rumsfeld's leadership: O'Connor", Canadian Press, 21 June 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Mike Blanchfield, "O'Connor letter praised Rumsfeld even when U.S. official sacked", Ottawa Citizen, 21 June 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
External links
- Official site
- Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
- How'd They Vote?: Gordon O'Connor's voting history and quotes
| 28th Ministry - Government of Stephen Harper | ||
| Cabinet Posts (2) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Carol Skelton | Minister of National Revenue (from 14-Aug-2007) |
Incumbent |
| Bill Graham | Minister of Defence (2006-2007) |
Peter MacKay |
| Parliament of Canada | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by riding created in 2003; see Lanark—Carleton |
Member of Parliament from Carleton—Mississippi Mills 2004 - present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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