Murray Elston

Elston was educated at the University of Western Ontario, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree.{{Cite web |url=http://www.cna.ca/english/seminar2008/speakerscorner_e.asp |title=Murray Elston |work=Canadian Nuclear Association Seminar |accessdate=26 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928025630/http://www.cna.ca/english/seminar2008/speakerscorner_e.asp |archivedate=28 September 2011 }} He practised law, working for the firm of Crawford, Mill Davies & Elston.

Elston was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election defeating Progressive Conservative Gary Harron by 224 votes in the rural, southwestern constituency of Huron—Bruce.{{cite news|author=Canadian Press |title=Election results for Metro Toronto ridings |newspaper=The Windsor Star |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0NtYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QlIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6285%2C1391429 |date=1981-03-20 |location=Windsor, Ontario |page=22 |accessdate=2014-03-06}} The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Bill Davis in this election, and Elston sat on the opposition benches for the next four years.

He was re-elected in the 1985 election.{{cite news |title=Results of vote in Ontario election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 3, 1985 |page=13}} After the Miller government failed on a vote of no confidence, The Liberals formed a minority government with the support of the New Democratic Party and Elston was appointed to the high-profile position of Minister of Health.{{cite news |title=Liberals pledge reform as they take over in Ontario |newspaper=The Gazette |location=Montreal, Que |date=June 27, 1985 |page=B1}} In this role, he was at the centre of the government's fight against extra-billing by doctors,{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=46YyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j-8FAAAAIBAJ&dq=murray-elston%20-pay&pg=2466%2C3318886 |title=Extra-billing Ban Widely Supported: Minister |work=Ottawa Citizen |accessdate=26 December 2010|date=December 17, 1985}} an issue the government won after withstanding the province's first doctors' strike. Elston also announced subsidies for residents of Northern Ontario who needed to travel south for medical care.

The Liberals were re-elected with a landslide majority in the 1987 provincial election, and Elston was returned by a significant majority in the redistributed riding of Bruce.{{cite news |title=Results from individual ridings |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 11, 1987 |page=F2}} In the cabinet shuffle that followed on September 29, 1987, Elston was appointed Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet.{{cite news |title=Wrye gets new cabinet job |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=September 29, 1987 |page=A1}} He was also appointed Minister of Financial Institutions on August 16, 1988.{{cite news |title=Elston picks up new portfolio in Ontario cabinet change |last=Hall |first=Chris |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=August 17, 1988 |page=A4}}

In the 1990 Ontario election, the Liberals were defeated by the New Democratic Party under Bob Rae. Many high-profile Liberals lost their seats, though Elston was returned in Bruce by a comfortable if reduced margin. Peterson, who had lost his own seat on election night, resigned immediately as party leader.{{cite news |title=Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 7, 1990 |page=A12}}

{{s-start}}

{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=David_Peterson}}

{{ministry box cabinet posts

| post3preceded = Robert Nixon

| post3 = Minister of Financial Institutions

| post3years = 1988–1990

| post3note =

| post3followed = Peter Kormos

| post1preceded = Philip Andrewes

| post1 = Minister of Health

| post1years = 1985–1987

| post1note =

| post1followed = Elinor Caplan

}}

{{Ministry box special cabinet

| post1preceded = Robert Nixon

| post1 = Chair of Management Board

| post1years = 1987–1990

| post1note =

| post1followed = Frances Lankin

}}

{{Ministry box special parl

| post1preceded = Robert Nixon

| post1 = Leader of the Opposition

| post1years = 1991

| post1note = Also Interim Liberal Party Leader

| post1followed = Jim Bradley

}}

{{s-end}}

The Liberals initially chose Robert Nixon as their interim leader, but he resigned on July 31, 1991, to accept a federal appointment. Elston was then chosen as interim leader in Nixon's place, though his time in this position was brief.{{cite news |title=Liberal MPPs choose Elston to lead party for 6 months |first=Matt |last=Maychak |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=July 30, 1991 |page=A4}} He declared himself a candidate in the race to become the party's permanent leader, and accordingly resigned as interim leader on November 19, 1991.{{cite news |title=Bradley becomes interim leader as provincial Liberals vie for top job |newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator |date=November 20, 1991 |page=B5}} Jim Bradley took his place until the leadership convention.

Elston quickly became the favourite to win the 1992 race, gaining endorsements from such high-profile figures as Peterson, Ian Scott, and Sheila Copps. He led voting for the first four ballots, but lost to Lyn McLeod on the fifth and final ballot by only nine votes.{{cite book |last=Leyton-Brown |first=David |title=Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs: 1992 |date=August 1998 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-4369-6 |pages=161 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8aiVi3UqoUMC&pg=PA161}} The number of spoiled ballots from supporters of third-place candidate Greg Sorbara was greater than McLeod's margin of victory. Some political observers speculated that Elston appeared too much like a holdover from the Peterson era, at a time when the Liberal Party wanted to present a new image to voters.

Elston remained in the legislature for two more years, and served as Opposition House Leader before resigning as an MPP on October 31, 1994, to enter the private sector.{{cite news |title=Why McLeod's team is losing stars Departures of old rivals spark rumors but party appears united behind the leader |first=William |last=Walker |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=October 31, 1994 |page=A15}} He was touted as McLeod's likely replacement when she resigned as Liberal leader following a poor performance in the 1995 provincial election but he declined to enter the race preferring to remain out of politics.{{cite news |title=Jockeying begins to replace McLeod Ontario Liberal Leader resigns, makes no apologies for sudden election downfall |last=Gray |first=John |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 14, 1995 |page=A11}} In 1996, he was the most prominent supporter of Dalton McGuinty's ultimately successful bid to win the party's leadership.{{cite news |title=A first and last leadership bid |last=Tripp |first=Rob |newspaper=Kingston Whig - Standard |date=October 26, 1996 |page=1}}

From November 1994 until 1997, Elston was president of the Ontario Interlink Industrial Park. From January to October 1998, he worked for Engergreen Solutions Group. In November 1998, Elston was appointed president of Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D).

From 2004 to 2009, Elston was president of the Canadian Nuclear Association,{{cite news |url=http://www.oilweek.com/news.asp?ID=22522 |title=Ex Ont. health minister Murray Elston joins Bruce Power as vice president (Elston-Bruce-Power) |work=Oilweek Magazine |date=May 2, 2009 |accessdate=26 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002165101/http://www.oilweek.com/news.asp?ID=22522 |archivedate=2 October 2011 }} in order to lobby the Premier's office on behalf of the nuclear industry. As a former Liberal MPP, he had represented the riding of Huron-Bruce, which is home to the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. Elston's lobbying was highly successful: on June 13, 2006, the McGuinty government announced its commitment to rebuild all of Ontario's ageing nuclear stations as well as the construction of new reactors. He served as vice-president of corporate affairs for Bruce Power from 2009 until 2011.

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Ontario MPP biography|id=murray-john-elston}}

{{Ontario Liberal Leaders}}

{{Peterson Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elston, Murray}}

Category:1949 births

Category:Leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario

Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs

Category:University of Western Ontario alumni

Category:Western Law School alumni

Category:People from Wingham, Ontario

Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario