Art Eggleton

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Art Eggleton

| honorific-suffix = PC

| image = Arthur Eggleton Defense Minister of Canada (cropped).jpg

| imagesize = 205px

| caption = Eggleton in 1999

| office1 = Canadian Senator
from Ontario

| term_start1 = March 24, 2005

| term_end1 = September 29, 2018

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

| nominator1 = Paul Martin

| appointed1 = Adrienne Clarkson

| riding2 = York Centre

| parliament2 = Canadian

| term_start2 = October 25, 1993

| term_end2 = June 28, 2004

| predecessor2 = Bob Kaplan

| successor2 = Ken Dryden

| office3 = 59th Mayor of Toronto

| term_start3 = December 1, 1980

| term_end3 = November 30, 1991

| predecessor3 = John Sewell

| successor3 = June Rowlands

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|09|29}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Independent Liberal

| otherparty = Liberal (until 2014)

| spouse = Brenda Eggleton (m. 1978, div. 1994),
Camille Bacchus

| relations =

| children = Stephanie Vass

| residence = Toronto

| alma_mater =

| cabinet = Minister of National Defence (1997–2002)
Minister for International Trade (1996–1997)
Minister responsible for Infrastructure (1993–1996)
President of the Treasury Board (1993–1996)

| occupation = Accountant

}}

Arthur C. Eggleton {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} (born September 29, 1943) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 59th and longest-serving mayor of Toronto from 1980 to 1991. He was elected to Parliament in 1993, running as a Liberal in York Centre and served as a member of Parliament (MP) until 2004 when he declined to seek re-election. Eggleton held a number of cabinet positions from 1993 to 2002 including Treasury Board president, minister of infrastructure, minister of international trade, and minister of national defence. He was appointed to the Senate in 2005, serving until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2018.

City council

Eggleton, an accountant by profession, was first elected to Toronto City Council in the 1969 municipal election as the junior alderman for Ward 4. He served as budget chief in the council elected in 1973 under David Crombie. He was the Liberal Party candidate in the October 16, 1978, federal by-election held in Toronto's west-end Parkdale electoral district{{cite news|last=Claridge|first=Thomas|title=Eggleton beaten but unbowed as Shymko cites Polish papacy|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=1978-10-16|location=Toronto|page=9}} in which he was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate Yuri Shymko. He ran for re-election to Toronto City Council in Ward 4.{{cite news|title=Metro Elections, How You Voted, City of Toronto|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=1978-11-14|author=City Staff|location=Toronto|page=A12}} finishing first in a field of 10 candidates to become Ward 4's senior alderman on council (at the time, two alderman were elected from each ward).

Mayor of Toronto

Eggleton was a member of Toronto City Council and the Metropolitan Toronto Council for 22 years. He was Mayor of Toronto from 1980 to 1991, when he retired from municipal politics as the longest-serving mayor in Toronto history.{{Cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsBio/senator_biography.aspx?senator_id=2774|title=Senate of Canada - Senator Art Eggleton, P.C.|date=11 October 2016}}

In 1980, he was elected Mayor of Toronto, defeating incumbent John Sewell. The city moved forward on implementing its new official plan, which resulted in several new significant buildings in the downtown west, or the railway lands area, including the Convention Centre, the SkyDome, and the CBC Broadcast Centre. During Eggleton's time as mayor, he prioritized social and economic development, and the City of Toronto produced a record level of social housing projects for low-income people; {{convert|50|acre|ha}} of new parks; and innovative new responses to the problems of the homeless and emotionally-troubled with projects like Street City, the Singles Housing Opportunities Program, and the Gernsteins Centre.

As Canada's economic centre moved from Montreal to Toronto in response to the then-separatist government of Quebec, Toronto saw a significant increase in economic growth during his time as Mayor, with steadily decreasing unemployment through the 1980s and into the early 1990s.{{Cite web |last=Gower |first=Dave |date=Summer 1989 |title=Canada's Unemployment Mosaic |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-001-x/1989002/article/2274-eng.pdf?st=hpqhYfWY |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Statistics Canada}}

Eggleton established the Mayor's Committee on Community and Race Relations to help bring about the successful integration of people from different cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

Eggleton supported the expansion and improvement of Toronto's parks and green spaces, including the creation of new parks and the development of existing ones. In 1984, Eggleton assisted the Minister of Environment in opening the Martin Goodman Trail, named for the president and editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star, who died three years previously.{{Cite web |title=Federal Environment Minister Charles Caccia and Toronto Mayor Art... |url=https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/federal-environment-minister-charles-caccia-and-toronto-news-photo/502837805 |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Getty Images|date=21 July 2014 }}

In the 1980s Mayor Eggleton was instrumental in the creation of "FoodShare", an organization that advocates for the right to food, in a bid to prevent dependence on food charity from becoming embedded in the city.{{Cite web |title=FoodShare |url=https://foodshare.net/timeline/foodshare-is-born-2/ |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=FoodShare}} In June 2018 Eggleton introduced a bill to the Senate to create Canada's first National Food Program,{{Cite web |title=The Conversation: How to make a national school food program happen |url=https://www.dal.ca/news/2018/08/30/the-conversation--how-to-make-a-national-school-food-program-hap.html |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Dalhousie News}} which received support from the Government of Canada in 2019.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-12 |title=The Launch of the First 'Food Policy For Canada - Everyone at the Table' |url=https://foodsecurecanada.org/first-national-food-policy-for-canada |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Food Secure Canada}}

During his tenure as mayor, Eggleton faced criticism for steps he took in addressing the concerns of Torontonians in the LGBTQ community. After Operation Soap in 1981, where there were mass arrests of men in the city's gay bathhouses, despite stating he had no foreknowledge that the raids would take place,{{Cite web |date=2016-06-21 |title=Toronto police to apologize for 1981 bathhouse raids |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2016/06/21/toronto-police-to-apologize-for-1981-bathhouse-raids.html |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=thestar.com}} Eggleton and Toronto City Council commissioned law student and journalist Arnold Bruner to conduct an inquiry into the relationship between the gay community and the police.{{Cite web |last=Hooper |first=Tom |date=April 16, 2018 |title=The gay community has long been over-policed and under-protected. The Bruce McArthur case is the final straw |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/pride-police-1.4618663 |website=CBC}} Bruner's report Out of the Closet: Study of Relations Between Homosexual Community and Police, was released in 1981. It recognized the gay community as a legitimate community and called for a permanent dialogue between the LGBTQ community and the Toronto Police.{{Cite web |last=Bruner |first=Arnold |date=September 24, 1981 |title=Study of Relations between the Homosexual Community and the Police |url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Photocopy/89100NCJRS.pdf}} The report contained 16 recommendations, although many were only implemented decades later.

In Eggleton's first term as mayor, Pride Toronto was created partly as a response to Operation Soap. During this time, Eggleton faced some criticism for choosing not to designate a recognized City of Toronto day for the Pride Parade, and not attending Pride Parades. In 1990, Toronto Pride organizers filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission after Eggleton did not officially declare the day. Eggleton later acknowledged these concerns and stated that "I did not at the time see the parade as being the usual kind of event for a mayor’s declaration", that he had "come to see it differently and in more recent times…participated in the parade. I see it as part of celebrating an inclusionary society and the contributions of the LGBTQ community in Toronto". {{Cite web |date=2016-07-15 |title=Opinion {{!}} Eggleton supported gay rights |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/07/15/eggleton-supported-gay-rights.html |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=thestar.com}}

As mayor, Eggleton appeared before a committee of the provincial legislature advocating for an amendment to the Human Rights Code to include sexual orientation in the anti-discrimination clause.{{Cite web |last=Torontoist |date=2014-06-24 |title=Proclaiming Our Pride |url=https://torontoist.com/2014/06/proclaiming-our-pride/ |access-date=2023-01-28 |website=Torontoist}} Eggleton also voted in favour of Bill C-38 also known as the Civil Marriage Act which legalized same-sex marriage in Canada.

Eggleton's only serious re-election challenge occurred at the 1985 Toronto municipal election when city councillor Anne Johnston, a fellow Liberal, ran against Eggleton for the mayoralty. Eggleton won by a significant margin, receiving 92,994 votes to Johnston's 59,817.

In recognition of his service to the city, Eggleton received Toronto's highest honour, the Civic Award of Merit in 1992.

Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister

File:Donald Rumsfeld meets with Art Eggleton.jpg

Eggleton ran in the 1993 election in the suburban Toronto riding of York Centre, again as a Liberal, and won election. He was appointed to the position of President of the Treasury Board and Minister for Infrastructure in the new cabinet.

From January 1996 to June 1997, he served as Minister for International Trade. Eggleton retained his seat in the 1997 election, and was appointed Minister of National Defence. In 1999, Eggleton supported Canada's involvement in NATO's campaign in Kosovo.{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}

He was re-elected again in the 2000 election, and continued as Minister of Defence, focusing on sweeping changes to the National Defence Act which implemented changes to the military justice system, including the set up of several oversight entities including the nation's first ever Military Ombudsman and a Military Police Complaints Commission.{{Cite web |title=Evidence - NDVA (36-1) - No. 106 - House of Commons of Canada |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/36-1/NDVA/meeting-106/evidence |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=ourcommons.ca}} These entities would provide another level of conflict resolution for military members and civilian employees. He also improved compensation and benefits for Canadian Forces personnel and their families dedicating roughly $700 million in funding to provide housing and pay under the quality of life program. In November 1999, Eggleton established a new ministerial advisory board focused on gender integration and employment equity in the Canadian Armed Forces.

During his tenure, Canada continued to contribute to international peacekeeping ventures in the Balkans, the Central African Republic, and the Persian Gulf. Eggleton led Canadian participation in the NATO intervention in Kosovo pushing Serbian troops out of the region. Eggleton at the time defended Canadian participation in the NATO air campaign stating he was convinced it was the right thing to do, citing the effects of the Serb military assault, and the mass graves containing the bodies of ethnic Albanians.{{Cite web |date=July 8, 1999 |title=Eggleton tours Kosovo |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/eggleton-tours-kosovo-1.189032 |access-date=January 26, 2023 |website=CBC}} Eggleton toured Canadian peacekeeping forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo and the Central African Republic.

The Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was also deployed to Honduras for the first time to aid Hurricane Mitch relief efforts. In addition to peacekeeping, Eggleton continued Canadian participation within the United Nations, NORAD and NATO.

Eggleton pushed for increased procurement of equipment and the continued modernization of the Canadian Armed Forces during his time as Minister for National Defence.{{Cite web |title=Evidence - FINA (37-1) - No. 49 - House of Commons of Canada |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/37-1/FINA/meeting-49/evidence |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=ourcommons.ca}}

In January 2002, Chrétien and Eggleton were accused of misleading Parliament. Both Chrétien and Eggleton when asked in Question Period if Canadian troops had handed over captured Taliban and al-Qaeda members in Afghanistan to the American forces amid concerns about the treatment of POWs at Guantanamo Bay, replied that was in Chrétien's words only a "hypothetical question" and that the Canadians had taken no POWs.{{cite web

| title = Eggleton confirms JTF2 has taken prisoners in Afghanistan

| publisher = CBC News

|date= January 30, 2002| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/eggleton-confirms-jtf2-has-taken-prisoners-in-afghanistan-1.313599

| access-date = 2018-05-29}} Critics of the government such as Joe Clark then proceeded to point out that in the previous week, the Toronto newspaper the Globe & Mail had run on its frontpage a photo of Canadian soldiers turning over POWs to American troops. Eggleton maintained that he and the rest of the Cabinet had been kept unaware that the Canadian Forces were taking POWs in Afghanistan and turning them over to the Americans, claiming that he had only learned of the policy of handing over POWs several days after the photo had appeared in the Globe & Mail.

Eggleton stepped down from cabinet in May 2002, amid allegations of a breach of cabinet minister conflict guidelines by hiring a former girlfriend for a research contract and after ethics counsellor, Howard Wilson, concluded Eggleton breached conflict guidelines for cabinet ministers.{{cite web

| title = Eggleton resigns amid allegations of conflict

| publisher = CBC News

|date= May 27, 2002| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/eggleton-resigns-amid-allegations-of-conflict-1.303432

| access-date = 2018-05-29}} Conservative Leader Joe Clark criticized Jean Chrétien's decision to move Eggleton to the backbenches, citing similar accusations towards another Liberal MP Don Boudria and their continued membership in Chrétien's cabinet. Stephen Harper also criticized Chrétien's decision stating "He's sending the message that he defends his friends, and he sticks by his own positions."{{Cite web |date=May 28, 2022 |title=Opposition renews calls for independent ethics counsellor |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/opposition-renews-calls-for-independent-ethics-counsellor-1.333967 |website=CBC}} This happened during the growing leadership turmoil between Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, who left the cabinet the following week in disputed circumstances.[http://www.cbc.ca/news2/background/martin_paul/timeline.html CBC News Indepth: Paul Martin]. Retrieved 2017-12-21 Increased scrutiny on Chrétien's government and cabinet may have contributed to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien pressuring him to resign.Martin, Lawrence Iron Man, Toronto: Viking 2003 page 361.{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/1169236|title=Jean Chrétien v Paul Martin: now it's really war|date=2002-06-06|newspaper=The Economist|issn=0013-0613|access-date=2016-10-11}}

Eggleton then became a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade. On May 13, 2004, Eggleton announced he would not be a candidate in the 2004 federal election, making way for the nomination of Ken Dryden as the Liberal candidate in York Centre.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/eggleton-will-not-seek-re-election/article20433262/|title=Eggleton will not seek re-election|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|access-date=2016-10-06}}

Senator for Ontario

He was appointed to the Senate by Paul Martin on March 24, 2005. He served as both chair and Deputy Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science, and Technology for 12 years in which his focus was on social justice and health care issues. He served on the Bureau of Liberal International, representing the Liberal Party of Canada, as a vice-president for two years and treasurer for one year. He was co-opted to the Bureau of Liberal International as a vice president at the 185th Executive Committee in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2010.{{Cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsBio/senator_biography.aspx?senator_id=2774|title=Senators – Detailed Information|website=parl.gc.ca|access-date=2016-10-06}} Art Eggleton also served on the Senate Modernization Committee, and at different times on the National Finance, Transportation and Communications committees.

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Eggleton, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-removes-senators-from-liberal-caucus-1.2515273| title = Justin Trudeau removes senators from Liberal caucus {{!}} CBC News}} The Senators will refer to themselves as the Senate Liberal Caucus even though they are no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.{{cite news|title=Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-to-boot-senators-from-liberal-caucus-in-bid-to-restore-senate-independence/article16567413/|access-date=January 29, 2014|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=January 29, 2014}}

Eggleton's recent focus has been Toronto's community housing.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/art-eggleton-to-lead-overhaul-of-toronto-community-housing-body/article22486712/|title=Art Eggleton picked to lead overhaul of Toronto community-housing body|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|access-date=2016-10-06}}{{cite news|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/2543281/ontario-government-senator-calling-for-guaranteed-annual-income-pilot-project/|title=Ontario government, Senator calling for guaranteed annual income pilot project|last=Young|first=Leslie|newspaper=Global News|access-date=2016-10-06}} On the Social Affairs Committee he has been instrumental in studies and reports on such matters as poverty, housing, and homelessness; early learning and child care; autism; the Health Accord; prescription pharmaceuticals; obesity; and dementia. In 2012, he founded the All-Party, Anti-Poverty Caucus.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2012/08/16/senator_art_eggleton_tries_a_new_tack_in_his_fight_against_poverty.html|title=Senator Art Eggleton tries a new tack in his fight against poverty {{!}} Toronto Star|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=16 August 2012|access-date=2016-10-06}}

He also started and convened the Open Caucus a non-partisan discussion open to all Senators and MPs on major issues of the day bringing together expert panelists to dialogue with parliamentarians.

In 2015–16, in addition to his Senate work, he served as the volunteer chair of the Toronto Mayor's Task force on Toronto Community Housing which recommended substantive reforms for the largest social housing provider in Canada. Many of the recommendations are now in different stages of implementation.{{cite web |last1=Nickle |first1=David |title=Art Eggleton heads up Toronto Mayor John Tory's task force on community housing |url=https://www.toronto.com/news-story/5261749-art-eggleton-heads-up-toronto-mayor-john-tory-s-task-force-on-community-housing/ |website=Toronto.com |date=16 January 2015 |publisher=Metroland Media Group |access-date=27 February 2019}}

Eggleton retired from the Senate on September 29, 2018, upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-independent-senators-group-poised-for-majority-with-latest/|title=Independent Senators Group poised for majority with latest appointments|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=24 September 2018|last1=Curry|first1=Bill}}

Notable Work

In July 2018, Eggleton wrote, with fellow Canadian Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain, calling for an update to Canadian privacy legislation, adapting it to protect people's data given the rise of new technologies.{{Cite web |last=Blendz |first=Marketing |title=Protecting your private data |url=https://www.ottawalife.com/article/protecting-your-private-data?c=1 |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Ottawa Life Magazine|date=23 July 2018 }}

Eggleton was the Chair of the World Council on City Data's advisory board.{{Cite web |title=Media Room & Blue Book – University of Toronto |url=https://media.utoronto.ca/media-releases/former-toronto-city-manager-joe-pennachetti-to-join-world-council-on-city-data-and-global-cities-institute-at-u-of-t/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=media.utoronto.ca}} The World Council on City Data is an organization that tracks standardized city data across the world to help achieve sustainable development goals.{{Cite web |title=World Council on City Data |url=https://www.data4sdgs.org/partner/world-council-city-data |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=data4sdgs.org}}

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, Eggleton wrote with Canadian political commentator Hugh Segal arguing for a basic income program in Canada, both supporting efforts in the Canadian Senate to establish such a policy.{{Cite web |title=Eggleton and Segal: COVID-19 presents lessons in how a guaranteed basic income program could work |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/eggleton-and-segal-covid-19-presents-lessons-in-how-a-guaranteed-basic-income-program-could-work |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=ottawacitizen}}

In November 2021, Eggleton, with a human rights activist Rabia Khedr, called for Canada to fast track the Canada Disability Benefit and follow through with legislation to reduce disability poverty tabled by the Canadian government.{{Cite news |date=2021-11-03 |title=Opinion {{!}} Time to fast track Canada Disability Benefit|work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://www.thespec.com/opinion/contributors/2021/11/03/time-to-fast-track-canada-disability-benefit.html |access-date=2023-01-25 |issn=1189-9417}} Eggleton also published an e-book with four other authors make the case for basic income in Canada.{{Cite web |title=Art Eggleton {{!}} The Poverty and Inequality Challenge: The Case for Basic Income e-book |url=https://senatorarteggleton.ca/ebook-case-for-basic-income/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Art Eggleton 45 of Public Service}}

Eggleton serves on the board of directors of Toronto Kiwanis Boys and Girls Club, a charity that offers social service to youth in Toronto. As a boy in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Eggleton attended and is now a member of the Kiwanis Club of Toronto.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-02 |title=100 Stories, Celebrating 100 Years {{!}} No.3 – Art Eggleton {{!}} BGC Toronto Kiwanis |url=https://www.bgctk.org/100-stories-celebrating-100-years-no-3-art-eggleton/ |access-date=2023-01-25}}

He is also a vice-president of Liberal International, an international consortium of liberal and progressive democratic political parties and citizen groups headquartered in London, England and promoting liberal democracy and liberal values as well as being president of the Canadian Group of Liberal International.{{Cite web |title=Art Eggleton |url=https://liberal-international.org/people/art-eggleton/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Liberal International}}

References

{{Archival records|title=Art Eggleton fonds|inventory_number=Fonds 1325|description_URL=http://gencat.eloquent-systems.com/torontodetail.html?key=89416|dates=|access_conditions=}}

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20110221025144/http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/Senator/egglea Liberal Senate Forum]
[https://senatorarteggleton.ca/ Official Website]
[https://senatorarteggleton.ca/biography/ Official Website Biography]
{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=7329}}

{{Canadian federal ministry navigational box header |ministry=26}}

{{ministry box cabinet posts

| post3 = Minister of National Defence

| post3years = 1997–2002

| post3note =

| post3preceded = Doug Young

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| post2 = Minister for International Trade

| post2years = 1996–1997

| post2note =

| post2preceded = Roy MacLaren

| post2followed = Sergio Marchi