Michael Fortier
Michael M. Fortier PC ( born January 10, 1962) is a Canadian politician. He was Minister of Public Works and Government Services.
The Conservative was appointed senator for Quebec and Canadian Member of the Privy Council. His appointment to the Senate generated considerable controversy because it was in direct contradiction to the campaign promise of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to appoint only elected senators. Before the 2008 elections, he resigned to run for the House of Commons, but was unsuccessful.
Professional and policy
Fortier began his career as a lawyer at the law firm Ogilvy great Montreal Renault. He specialized there on securities and corporate takeovers. From 1992 to 1996 he headed Ogilvy Renault's office in London. Since 1999 he was a Managing Director and Senior Advisor ( Eastern Canada ) for Credit Suisse First Boston. In 2004 he was finally finance director for TD Securities.
In the 1990s, he was chairman of the Progressive Conservative Party, but failed in board elections in 1998 with only 4% of the vote. At the general election in 2000, he joined the Progressive Conservatives in the constituency Laval West in Montreal, but failed and only reached fourth place.
Following the unification of the Progressive Conservatives with the Canadian Alliance, he was with John Reynolds 2006 senior campaign manager of the successful conservatives, turned himself in but not for election for the lower house.
Nomination controversy
Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Fortier on 6 February 2006 to the Minister. Fortier was at this time either member of the House or the Senate. Harper announced plans to appoint Fortier as a Senator; he would face the voters at the next general election. The process to appoint a non- elected minister, has in recent Canadian history just a few examples: 1979 Joe Clark appointed Senator Jacques Flynn for Quebec Minister of Justice, in the 19th century served out the Prime Minister John Abbott and Mackenzie Bowell from the Senate.
On February 27, Fortier went to the Senate. He represented the concerns of the city of Montreal in the Canadian Cabinet. There, the Conservative Party or its predecessors ( Progressive Conservative Party, Canadian Alliance or Reform Party ) had not won a seat since 1988. Candidates from the conservative wing of the political spectrum often occur enough in Montreal no longer on, seats they win in the normal case only when conservative landslide victories in total Canada.
Therefore, the appointment drew controversy after special, since the Conservatives in opposition to both the appointment time - and not choice - from senators also heavily criticized as the appointment of ministers who could not show a direct mandate through a general election. Harper himself had promised on a television interview on Radio -Canada to appoint only senators who had previously legitimized by choice.
When Senator Fortier was allowed to answer any questions before the House Small and delegated this to his parliamentary secretary of state James Moore. In the Senate, however, he had to confront them, there the major opposition parties Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party, however, are not represented.
According to his promise votes Fortier candidate in the general election in 2008 in the constituency of Vaudreuil - Soulanges, which is why he resigned on 8 September 2008 as a senator. On election day, he was defeated, the incumbent Meili Faille from the Bloc Québécois.