Gary Lunn

The Honourable
Gary Lunn
PC

Lunn in 2010
Member of Parliament
for Saanich—Gulf Islands
In office
1997–2011
Preceded by Jack Frazer
Succeeded by Elizabeth May
Minister of State (Sport)
In office
2008–2011
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Preceded by Helena Guergis
Succeeded by Bal Gosal
Minister of Natural Resources
In office
2006–2008
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Preceded by John Efford
Succeeded by Lisa Raitt
Personal details
Born Gary Vincent Lunn
(1957-05-08) May 8, 1957
Trail, British Columbia
Political party Conservative (2003-)
Other political
affiliations		 Canadian Alliance (2000-2003)
Reform (1997-2000)
Spouse(s) Alexandra Lunn
Residence Sidney, British Columbia
Profession Lawyer
Portfolio Minister of State (Sport)

Gary Vincent Lunn, PC (born May 8, 1957 in Trail, British Columbia) is a former Canadian Member of Parliament for the British Columbia riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands. His controversial political legacy has been marred by serious questions in the media about the possibility of election campaign over-spending from as far back as 2008[1] and his noted anti-environmental record when he was "trying to push nuclear power, rev up the oil sands, and make way for more pipelines and supertankers on B.C.'s coast.".[2] He served in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2011, first as a member of the Reform Party of Canada and subsequently as a member of the Canadian Alliance and the Conservative Party of Canada. He was Minister of State (Sport) in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Official Opposition Critic for Métis and Non-Status Indians, Minister of State for Northern Development, and Critic of the Secretary of State for Human Resources Development. Lunn lost his seat in the 2011 federal election in Canada in an upset to the Leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May.

Personal life

He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada as well as the Knights of Columbus. He attended the University of Victoria, where he completed a Bachelor of Law. He practised law in Victoria for two years before seeking the federal nomination for Saanich—Gulf Islands. He and his family reside in Sidney, British Columbia.[3]

Political career

He was first elected to Parliament in the federal election of 1997 as a member of the Reform Party of Canada and was re-elected in 2000 as a member of the Canadian Alliance. In April 2001, Lunn was one of the first Alliance MPs to openly criticize the leadership of Stockwell Day, and was suspended from caucus in May of the same year as a result. He briefly sat with the Democratic Representative Caucus under the leadership of Chuck Strahl, but in November 2001, he left to rejoin the Alliance after Day agreed to hold a leadership race. He was permitted to return to the party in January 2002, during the leadership of John Reynolds, following Day's resignation. In the federal election of 2006, he won re-election against Liberal Candidate Sheila Orr and NDP candidate Jennifer Burgis.

Minister of Natural Resources

Lunn was Minister of Natural Resources in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper from February 6, 2006 to October 30, 2008, when he became Minister of State (Sport) and Minister responsible for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Chalk River reactor shutdown

Lunn fired Linda Keen, the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, on January 15, 2008. Keen, who was due to appear before a parliamentary committee the next day, had ordered a shutdown of the NRU reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, which is operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, in November 2007 over the AECL's failure to perform safety upgrades.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee January 16, 2008 Lunn refused to cite one example of what Linda Keen had done wrong in her job, only that she had lost the confidence of the government. "These are the kinds of Republican tactics this town has never seen before," Liberal MP David McGuinty (Ottawa South) told the natural resources committee. "The Prime Minister and the people around the Prime Minister will stop at nothing. ... They will fabricate, in my mind, a case to dismiss a senior official, an independent regulator," McGuinty told reporters later. Lunn told the committee: "We do not believe she fulfilled her duties. There was an urgency to this situation, make no mistake ... it would have meant life and death for some patients."[4]

AECL falls under Lunn's management as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. The reactor shutdown caused problems with supply shortage of medical radioisotopes, which are used for testing to determine whether a patient has a disease. Canada produces more than half the world's supply. The Canadian House of Commons passed emergency legislation in mid-December 2007, with unanimous support, to get NRU restarted quickly. There has been no backup reactor for NRU since NRX was decommissioned in 1992, making it very difficult for upgrades and maintenance to be performed on NRU.

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 1997: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ReformGary Lunn 24,275 43.06 +5.91 $61,075
LiberalClark Roberts 17,742 31.47 +5.45 $59,743
New DemocraticChuck Beyer 8,080 14.33 −4.53 $29,672
Progressive ConservativeMarilyn Loveless 4,243 7.52 −4.00 $23,349
GreenJulia Lerner 1,546 2.74 – $745
Natural LawAndy Guest 248 0.43 −0.31 $321
Canadian ActionValerie Rampone 234 0.41 – $4,335
Total valid votes 56,368100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1810.32
Turnout 56,54974.26
Reform hold Swing +0.23
Canadian federal election, 2000: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
AllianceGary Lunn 25,392 43.15 +0.09 $61,497
LiberalKaren Knott 19,002 32.29 +0.82 $63,669
Progressive ConservativeDon Page 6,049 10.28 +2.76 $10,385
New DemocraticPat O'Neill 4,721 8.02 −6.31 $9,666
GreenWally Du Temple 3,243 5.51 +2.77 $7,217
Natural LawKathleen Lapeyrouse 217 0.36 −0.07 $100
IndependentDan Moreau 123 0.20 –
CommunistCharley Stimac 88 0.14 – $189
Total valid votes 58,835100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1650.28
Turnout 59,00070.60
Alliance hold Swing −0.36
Canadian Alliance change is based on the Reform Party.
Canadian federal election, 2004: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeGary Lunn 22,050 34.57 −18.86 $81,613
LiberalDavid Mulroney 17,082 26.78 −5.51 $61,819
New DemocraticJennifer Burgis 13,763 21.58 +13.56 $40,318
GreenAndrew Lewis 10,662 16.71 +11.20 $79,731
IndependentMary Moreau 214 0.33 – $12
Total valid votes 63,771100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1590.25
Turnout 63,93073.97
Conservative hold Swing −6.68
Conservative change is from a combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative votes.
Canadian federal election, 2006: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
ConservativeGary Lunn 24,416 37.15 +2.58 $80,272
New DemocraticJennifer Burgis 17,455 26.54 +4.96 $50,412
LiberalSheila Orr 17,144 26.08 −0.70 $79,489
GreenAndrew Lewis 6,533 9.94 −6.77 $19,061
Western BlockPatricia O'Brien 183 0.27 – $0
Total valid votes 65,721100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1340.20
Turnout 65,85573.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.19
Canadian federal election, 2008: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
ConservativeGary Lunn 27,988 43.43 +6.28
LiberalBriony Penn 25,367 39.36 +13.28
GreenAndrew Lewis 6,732 10.45 +0.51
New DemocraticJulian West 3,667 5.69 −20.85
LibertarianDale P. Leier 246 0.38 –
Western BlockPatricia O'Brien 195 0.3 +0.03
Canadian ActionJeremy Arney 139 0.2 –
Christian HeritageDan Moreau 114 0.2 –
Total valid votes 64,448100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1790.27
Turnout 64,63970.40
Conservative hold Swing −3.50
Julian West was selected as the New Democratic Party candidate for the 2008 election, but withdrew after the filing deadline following a scandal.[5] Because of the late withdrawal his name did appear on the ballot.
Canadian federal election, 2011: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
GreenElizabeth May 31,890 46.33 +35.88 $87,738
ConservativeGary Lunn 24,544 35.66 −7.77 $89,604
New DemocraticEdith Loring-Kuhanga 8,185 11.89 +6.20 $66,273
LiberalRenée Hetherington 4,208 6.11 −33.25 $50,002
Total valid votes/Expense limit 68,827100.0   $293,617
Total rejected ballots 1600.23
Turnout 68,98775.25
Eligible voters 91,673
Green gain from Conservative Swing +21.82

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Gary Lunn official government webpage
  4. ↑ Richard Brennan, Bruce Campion-Smith. "PM blasted for firing of nuclear watchdog". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  5. ↑ Colonist, Times (2008-09-24). "Departure of NDP candidate throws race wide open". Canada.com. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
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