Franklin "Jack" Pierce (May 24, 1937 – November 22, 2022) was a politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1985 to 1987 who represented the northern Ontario riding of Rainy River.

Background

Pierce was born in

Fort Frances Fort Frances is a town in, and the seat of, Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population as of the 2016 census was 7,739. Fort Frances is a popular fishing destination. It hosts the annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Cham ...

, Ontario, and educated in the area. He worked as an electrician.

Politics

Pierce served as reeve and councillor for Atikokan Township. He sought election to the Ontario legislature for Rainy River in the 1981 provincial election but lost to

Pat Reid Patrick Robert Reid, (13 November 1910 – 22 May 1990) was a British Army officer and author of history. As a British prisoner of war during the Second World War, he was held captive at Colditz Castle when it was designated Oflag IV-C. Reid wa ...

of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

by 426 votes. He supported

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil (Marvel Comics ser ...

in his bid for party leader in early 1985. Pierce tried again in the 1985 election. During the election campaign he criticized local Indians for expecting more "giveaways and handouts". He said he would not campaign on reserves as he received less than 10% of the votes from those constituencies. Some Conservative supporters were less sanguine about Pierce's candidacy as they believed his beliefs were too far to the right. Despite this, Pierce defeated

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

candidate

Howard Hampton Howard George Hampton (born May 17, 1952) is a politician who was a member of Provincial Parliament for the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, from 1987 to 1999 in the electoral district of Rainy Ri ...

by 278 votes. The Progressive Conservatives won a tenuous

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...

in this election, but were defeated in the legislature in June 1985 by a

motion of non-confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

. In November 1985, he supported Larry Grossman for party leader after Miller stepped down. Pierce served for the next two years as a member of the opposition. He finished third in the 1987 election, losing to Howard Hampton by 2,051 votes. Pierce died in

Atikokan Atikokan (, Ojibwe for 'caribou bones') is a town in the Rainy River District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The population was 2,642 as of the 2021 census. The town is one of the main entry points into Quetico Provincial Park and promotes itse ...

on November 22, 2022.Franklin 'Jack' Pierce
obituary

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierce, Jack 1937 births 2022 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs People from Fort Frances