TIM HUDAK WINS ONTARIO  PC PARTY LEADERSHIP,

 FACES TOUGH CHALLENGES

 BY JAVED ZAHEER, FREE EXPRESSION AWARD WINNER

 TORONTO:  After an interesting and close contest, Tim Hudak, MPP, won the leadership of Progressive PC party of Ontario.  Tim Hudak got 5606 votes while Frank Klees bagged 4644.

In the past leadership contest, Frank Klees votes helped John Tory become the party leader. This time, Randy Hillier’s votes helped Tim Hudak win the party leadership. Although Christine Elliott openly spoke in favour of Frank Klees just before the election yet her votes could not help Klees.

Frank Klees supporters and the ethnic community were very much disappointed and disturbed by the defeat of Frank Klees.

One jilted staunch supporter of the party said: “With Tim Hudak as leader, now it is very difficult for the Progressive Conservative Party to defeat the Liberal Party. This is a great blow to the party. The ethnic community is very uncomfortable and disturbed. Tim Hudak is allegedly against human rights commission and favours abortion and we cannot accept him at any cost with these agendas. It is better for us to leave the Progressive PC party and join the Liberal Party. We cannot help make Tim Hudak the premier of Ontario and allow him to harm the ethnic community and people of Ontario. This we will make sure does not happen. People from the North helped him become the leader but we cannot offer him any support or help to harm us.”

Another supporter said: “Perhaps we don’t need trusted, honest and true leadership. The trend and criteria have changed. This is why Frank Klees lost. Frank Klees is backbone of the Progressive PC of Ontario. Without him the party is useless and meaningless. Time will make people realize this. The Liberal Party is definitely going to take full advantage of this unfortunate development. Already members of the ethnic community are very much disappointed and confused. They are losing interest in the party and planning to quit the party. Now the PC will be confined to the North mostly.”

After the leadership convention 2009, the supporters of Frank Klees gathered to cheer him up and to show their trust and confidence in his true leadership. There was so much noise and cheering that it looked like he won the party leadership. Tears were rolling in eyes of most of the supporters.

Frank Klees thanked all the volunteers for their tremendous efforts and said that he considers them all as friends. He said: “Ours was the best campaign. We did our best and were very near to the party leadership. This shows our progress, success and great strength. It cannot be neglected. This is an important message to the party leadership for working together as a team.”    

So Tim Hudak faces a great challenge of gaining trust and confidence of the disappointed Progress PC party members, who fear harm from his agendas and policies. In order to make the party powerful enough to win premiership, he has to respect the wishes and sentiments of all the members and people, particularly the ethnic community.

Tim Hudak has to prove to the people his true leadership character and policies. For this he has to work very hard or else the party will suffer great shocks and cracks.

The profile of Tim Hudak is as follows:

            Tim Hudak’s career is founded in one of energy, ideas, and principles. His grandparents came to Canada from Eastern Europe in the 1930s in advance of WWII. Tim, born in Fort Erie, Ontario, to a high school teacher and principal, learned the importance of education and self-reliance from his parents and grandparents.

            After graduating from Notre Dame College School in Welland, Tim put himself through university working as a customs officer on the Peace Bridge. He earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economics at the University of Western Ontario, and was subsequently awarded a full academic scholarship to the University of Washington where he obtained his Masters of Arts in Economics.

            Before entering public life in 1995, Tim worked in the tourism and economic development business and for Walmart Canada helping the company transition into the Canadian market.

            Once elected as a Member of Provincial Parliament at the age of 27, Tim was recognized as a rising star, and was appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. He subsequently held the ministerial portfolios of Northern Development and Mining, Tourism, Culture and Recreation, and Consumer and Business Services.

            Tim’s approach to government is pragmatic and results driven. As minister, he cut Ontario mining taxes to the lowest in Canada, creating new jobs in the mining industry. At the same time, believing that government has a role in helping people in need, he successfully championed for the doubling of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.

            Tim was Minister of Tourism during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. While the world was still in shock, Tim convened meetings with leaders in the tourism industry and built a plan that provided an additional $14 million in marketing support to help the industry recover.

            Tim understands the needs of the modern age. As Minister of Consumer and Business Services, he undertook the modernization of consumer protection. Laws that were written many years before on manual typewriters were updated to reflect the needs of consumers and entrepreneurs in the Internet age.

            Tim seizes new challenges. In 2007, he won the new riding of Niagara West-Glanbrook which includes parts of the City of Hamilton. Even though it was two-thirds new territory for Tim, he built a new riding organization and won with 51 per cent support – his largest margin of victory, despite downward provincial trends.

            Tim is an avid reader of political and Canadian history. He was a volunteer sports coach, and loves basketball, soccer and football. When time permits Tim enjoys mountain biking, outdoor cooking and kayaking on the Welland River near his home.       Tim lives in Wellandport with his wife Debbie and their 18 month-old daughter, Miller.

            Details about Frank Klees are as follows:

            Frank Klees is currently MPP for Newmarket and Aurora, and the Official Opposition Critic for Transportation and Public Infrastructure Renewal.

First elected to the Ontario Legislature in June, 1995, to represent the riding of York Mackenzie, Frank was re-elected in June, 1999, for a second term as MPP for the new riding of Oak Ridges, and in October, 2003, for a third term, once again in Oak Ridges.

           Frank and his family immigrated to Canada from Germany, when he was 5 years of age, settling in the southwestern Ontario community of Leamington.Although Frank's educational background included studies in theology, he spent the 1970s, '80s and early '90s in business, starting in the financial services business in marketing and management with the Canada Life Assurance Co. in Windsor and Toronto. He later became an entrepreneur, consulting in financial services, starting his own successful sports agency representing professional athletes in the CFL and NFL.

           In 1990, Frank and two partners co-founded Municipal Gas Corporation, an energy start-up that began "on the back of a paper napkin." He served as the company's Executive Vice President and in 1997 – after building it into a major enterprise with 55,000 customers – Frank and his partners sold the business.

          Frank's commitment to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party is life-long.

         He stood as a candidate in the southwestern Ontario riding of Essex South in 1975 and again in 1977. As the Party's Third Vice President and Policy Chair from 1992-94, Frank created the formal process of Policy Advisory Councils, which empowered grassroots members and supporters by giving them direct input in developing the party platforms such as The Common Sense Revolution and Blueprint.

         He remains one of the Party's strongest advocates of that process, which he had enshrined in the Party Constitution, and continues to serve as the Caucus Liaison to the P.C. Party's Policy Advisory Committee.

         In 1995, Frank successfully contested the riding of York Mackenzie, beginning his first term as a Member of the Ontario Legislature, by defeating former Liberal cabinet minister and leadership candidate, Charles Beer.

         Throughout the first mandate of the P.C. government, Frank served as a Parliamentary Assistant and played a key role in several initiatives, including the development of several bills: focusing Conservation Authorities on environmental work, saving millions through self-management of the aggregate industry, and helping to maintain the Great Lakes commercial fishery.

        He proposed a private members bill requiring health care practitioners to try to consult parents when treating minor children 16 years or younger, and his collision repair reform bill was supported unanimously for Third Reading in the Legislature.

        In 1999, as the result of redistricting, Frank sought and won re-election in the new riding of Oak Ridges. He was appointed to Cabinet and served as Chief Government Whip and Deputy House Leader with additional responsibilities as a member of the Management Board of Cabinet and the Board of Internal Economy. His consensus-building ability within caucus facilitated the passage of a number of controversial pieces of legislation. As the member for Oak Ridges, he took a lead role in advocating for, and the drafting of, the "Oak Ridges Moraine Act".

           Frank served as the Minister of Tourism and Recreation in the Ernie Eves government from 2002-2003. From the outset in that portfolio, Frank championed the development of a long-range tourism strategy for the province and completed province-wide stakeholder consultations to accomplish that goal. He secured the support needed to realize the legitimate aspirations of Northern Ontario to create a separate tourism marketing model, headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie to support and develop Northern Ontario 's distinct tourism industry.

          In early 2003, Frank was appointed Minister of Transportation and assumed responsibility for the implementation of a multi-year, $10-billion highway infrastructure program. On his watch, MTO made major strides in regional transit expansion and funded York Region's innovative new bus rapid transit system.

         Frank was proud to honour our veterans by initiating and commissioning the "Veterans Licence Plate", now available to all Ontario qualifying veterans. He took pride in being known by MTO stakeholders and staff as "the customer service minister."

        Frank believes that our society is strengthened through the province's diverse ethnic, cultural and religious communities. He represents one of the largest, fastest-growing and culturally diverse ridings in Ontario and takes pride in the strong support he has consistently received from all sectors in his riding.

        A strong proponent of what he calls "MPP activism," Frank regularly sponsors public information sessions, including seniors' wellness and security forums, blood donor clinics, income tax clinics for low-income seniors and a multi-faith consultation with representatives of dozens of York Region congregations. He has been a tireless defender of funding for successful community groups.

        Frank believes that faith and culture are important cornerstones of society and that both must be respected and honoured.

        Frank is married to Jaine and has two adult children, Alissa and Robert. He claims a 21 handicap on the golf course, enjoys playing pick-up hockey with his legislative colleagues and skiing when time allows.

   ---Javed Zaheer, Free Expression Award Winner (NEPMCC---Canada), Chief Editor (Honorary) of `The Ambassador’, Honorary Editor of `Pakistan Abroad’, Honorary Director of NEPMCC and Veteran Active Member (VAM) of Toronto Press Club, is contributing voluntarily in the media on purely Honorary Basis in order to help the people and community with the spirit of community and humanity service. The objective is to make both the media and the community powerful, influential and effective. Contact: (416)696-0981/ javedz@hotmail.com