John Baird (Canadian Politician)

John Baird (Canadian Politician)

John Russell Baird, PC, MP (born May 26, 1969) is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Baird had previously held the posts of Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of the Environment and President of the Treasury Board. Prior to entering federal politics he was a provincial politician serving in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2005 and a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves serving as the Minister for Children, Community and Social Services, Energy and Francophone Affairs in addition to being the Government's Chief Whip.


A long-time resident of the former city of Nepean and a graduate of Kingston's Queen's University, he is the member of the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Ottawa West—Nepean. Baird was elected as a candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada in the 2006 federal election when his party won a minority government over Paul Martin's Liberal Party.

Baird was sworn in as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, replacing Jay Hill, on August 6, 2010, in the Conservative Government. Prior to this, Baird served as Transport Minister starting October 30, 2008, Environment Minister starting January 2007, & President of the Treasury Board during the Conservatives' first year in power.

Baird also previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2005 for the riding of Nepean—Carleton (previously part of Nepean until 1999), and was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. He served as the Minister for Children, Community and Social Services, Energy and Francophone Affairs in addition to being the Government's Chief Whip. After the Conservatives' defeat to Dalton McGuinty's Ontario Liberal Party, he was the party's critic for key portfolios including finance, culture and health. Baird has been a member of the Conservatives since 1985, when he was the youngest delegate at that time and was also a political aide for the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the late 1980s.

Since his beginning in the political ranks, Baird has been well known for being combative in many subjects in both the provincial and federal levels of government. During his tenure in the Harris Cabinet, he adopted several cost-saving measures, including cuts to social programs and a failed attempt to sell Hydro One, the government-owned utility firm. As the federal President of the Treasury Board in the Harper Cabinet, he adopted the Federal Accountability Act, which was put in place after the Gomery Commission which investigated the federal sponsorship scandal in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As Environment Minister, Baird has been opposed to the Kyoto Protocol which Canada had previously ratified.

Read more about John Baird (Canadian Politician):  Early Life and Career, Federal Politics, Electoral Record

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