Bob Dechert
{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1958)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Robert Dechert
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Dechert, Bob cropped (8242151078).jpg
| caption = Dechert in 2012
| riding = Mississauga—Erindale
| parliament = Canadian
| term_start = October 14, 2008
| term_end = August 4, 2015
| predecessor = Omar Alghabra
| successor = Riding abolished
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|5|18}}{{cite web|url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=17283|title=Profile - Dechert, Bob|publisher=Library of Parliament|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}
| birth_place = Brampton, Ontario, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| party = Conservative
| residence = Mississauga, Ontario
| profession = Lawyer
| footnotes =
}}
Robert "Bob" Dechert (born May 18, 1958) is a former Canadian politician and lawyer. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, Dechert served as the member of Parliament for the riding of Mississauga—Erindale in the House of Commons of Canada from 2008 to 2015.
Background
Dechert was born in Brampton, Ontario and graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mississauga-erindale-1.939633|title=Mississauga–Erindale|publisher=CBC News|date=September 22, 2010|accessdate=January 22, 2021}} He attended law school at the University of Toronto and was called to the bar in Ontario in 1985. He joined the law firm of Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP where he practiced corporate law and was a senior partner.{{cite press release|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2010/03/prime-minister-announces-appointment-bob-dechert-parliamentary-secretary-minister-justice.html|title=Prime Minister Announces the Appointment of Bob Dechert as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice|publisher=Government of Canada|date=March 5, 2010|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mississauga.com/community-story/3141265-new-mississauga-erindale-mp-says-he-can-deliver/|title=New Mississauga-Erindale MP says he can deliver|work=The Mississauga News|first=Julia|last=Le|date=November 10, 2008|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}
Politics
Dechert became involved in politics in his teen years, putting up signs for Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) candidate Duncan Beattie in the 1972 federal election, and assisting in the campaign of the Ontario PCs in the 1975 provincial election.
The PCs suffered a historic defeat in the 1993 federal election, winning only two seats in the House of Commons. In its aftermath, Dechert came together with a group of provincial conservatives, primarily from Ontario, to form the "Blue Committee" in 1994.{{cite web|url=https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/why-bob-dechert-kept-his-job/|title=Why Bob Dechert kept his job|work=Maclean's|date=September 26, 2011|accessdate=January 22, 2021|first=Charlie|last=Gillis}} The group desired a more conservative PC Party and wanted to work together with the Reform Party of Canada, which won 52 seats in that election. The Blue Committee was instrumental in the creation of the United Alternative movement, the Canadian Alliance and ultimately, the merger of the Alliance and the PCs to form the modern Conservative Party of Canada.
Dechert ran in the 2004 federal election in the riding of Mississauga—Erindale, losing to Carolyn Parrish.{{cite news |title=Election results...riding by riding |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=June 29, 2004 |page=A14}} He ran in the same riding in the 2006 federal election, losing to Omar Alghabra.{{cite news |title=Election results...riding by riding |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=January 24, 2006 |page=A16}} He defeated Alghabra in the 2008 federal election to become the Member of Parliament for that riding,{{cite news |title=Ontario Results |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-ontario-results/142943064/ |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=October 15, 2008 |page=U2 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/3142048-victory-at-long-last-for-dechert/|title=Victory at long last for Dechert|publisher=Mississauga News|date=October 15, 2008|accessdate=August 6, 2016}} and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice on March 5, 2010. In the 2011 federal election, Dechert once again defeated Alghabra to return to the House of Commons,{{cite news |title=Riding results from across Canada |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-riding-results-from-acr/142942922/ |newspaper=Edmonton Journal |date=May 3, 2011 |page=A6 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/05/02/dechert_defeats_a_familiar_foe_in_mississaugaerindale.html|title=Dechert defeats a familiar foe in Mississauga-Erindale|work=The Toronto Star|date=May 2, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2016}} and was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird.
On September 9, 2011, it was revealed that Dechert had been engaging in "flirtatious e-mails" with a correspondent, Shi Rong, working for the People's Republic of China news agency, Xinhua. The e-mails came to light when the correspondent's husband hacked into her e-mail account and made them public. Dechert acknowledged the "flirtatious" nature of his relationship and issued an apology, but denied any wrongdoing.{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tory-mp-apologizes-for-flirty-emails-to-chinese-journalist-1.1059589|publisher=CBC News|title=Tory MP apologizes for flirty emails to Chinese journalist|date=September 9, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2016}} Critics, including Charles Burton, a former Canadian diplomat to Beijing, raised concerns as to whether Shi Rong was a Chinese spy trying to gain access to sensitive government information. Both Burton and the opposition asserted that Dechert must have known about Xinhua's espionage activities.{{cite news|author=Andrea Janus|title=MP in email scandal fits profile of spy target: expert|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/mp-in-email-scandal-fits-profile-of-spy-target-expert-1.698173|publisher=CTV News|date=September 17, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}{{cite web|last=The Canadian Press|title=Reporter says Chinese news agency asked him to spy|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/reporter-says-chinese-news-agency-asked-him-to-spy-1.1223135|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}
Despite the controversy, Dechert stayed on as Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Minister, then returned to his previous role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Justice Minister in September 2013.
Dechert contested the newly established riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills in the 2015 federal election, losing to Liberal candidate Iqra Khalid.{{cite news |title=Cross-Canada Election Results |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-cross-canada-election-r/142943275/}} and {{cite news |title=Page GT14 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-cross-canada-election-r/142943398/}} and {{cite news |title=Page GT15 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-cross-canada-election-r/142943483/ |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=October 20, 2015 |pages=GT13–GT15 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/federal-ridings-toronto-gta/2015/10/19/iqra-khalid-wins-mississauga-erin-mills.html|title=Iqra Khalid wins Mississauga-Erin Mills|work=The Toronto Star|date=October 19, 2015|accessdate=August 6, 2016}} He then sought to represent the Ontario PCs in the riding of Mississauga—Erin Mills in the 2018 provincial election, but withdrew from the nomination process in January 2017, citing concerns over the sale of new party memberships.{{cite web|url=https://ipolitics.ca/2017/01/09/set-to-lose-ex-mp-dechert-withdraws-from-ontario-pc-nomination-race/|title=Set to lose, ex-MP Dechert withdraws from Ontario PC nomination race|publisher=iPolitics|first=Ainslie|last=Cruickshank|date=January 9, 2017|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/7072872-former-tory-mp-dechert-questions-integrity-of-candidate-nominations-in-mississauga-riding/|title=Former Tory MP Dechert questions 'integrity' of candidate nominations in Mississauga riding|work=The Mississauga News|first=Roger|last=Belgrave|date=January 18, 2017|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/joe-oliver-loses-nomination-1.3937947|title=Former federal finance minister Joe Oliver loses bid to become Ontario PC candidate|publisher=The Canadian Press|via=CBC News|first=Allison|last=Jones|date=January 16, 2017|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Bob Dechert}}
- {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=17283}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dechert, Bob}}
Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
Category:Conservative Party of Canada MPs
Category:McMaster University alumni
Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario