John Cannis ( el, Γιάννης Κάννης; born November 4, 1951) is a Canadian politician. He was a former member of the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
.
Background
Born in
Kalymnos
Kalymnos ( el, Κάλυμνος) is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese island chain, between the islands of Kos (south, at a distance of ) and Leros (north, at a distance of less than ): t ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, Cannis was raised and educated in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
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 ...
. A successful entrepreneur for 18 years, Cannis owned a Toronto-based international
executive search
Executive search (informally called headhunting) is a specialized recruitment service which organizations pay to seek out and recruit highly qualified candidates for senior-level and executive jobs across the public and private sectors, as well ...
firm and was a member in good standing of Association of Professional Placement Agencies and Consultants. He also served as a computer and human resource consultant.
Cannis and his wife of more than 40 years, Mary, have three children; Irene (Tony), Paul (Christina), Daniel and four grandchildren.
Politics
Cannis ran as the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate in the
1993 election in the riding of
Scarborough Centre and was elected as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
. He continued to serve for 18 years before his defeat by Conservative
Roxanne James in 2011.
From 1999 to 2001, Cannis served as the
Parliamentary Secretary to the
Minister of Industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government.
The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mini ...
. As Parliamentary Secretary, he successfully guided four pieces of legislation through the House of Commons and
committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
stages; specifically, the Privacy Act, the Space Agency Act, the Canadian Tourism Commission Act and the Patent Act.
Notable committee appointments included Vice-Chair of the
Standing Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
on National Defence,
Chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
of the
Standing Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
on National Defence and Veterans Affairs,
Chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
of the
Subcommittee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
on International Trade, Trade Disputes and Investment (SINT) of the
Standing Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (FAAE) and as
Vice-Chair on the
Standing Committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
on Transport.
In 2004, when the
Khadr family
The Khadr family ( ar, أسرة خضر) is an Egyptian-Canadian family noted for their ties to Osama bin Laden and connections to al-Qaeda. returned to Canada, they were met by a loud wave of public sentiment in favour of revoking their citizenship and deporting them. Cannis, as the
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for their region, called for the entire family to be charged under the
Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act for "aiding a terrorist organization with which Canada is at war". Prime Minister
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006.
The son o ...
responded by saying that the Khadrs "have a right to their own opinions".
[ CBC]
Liberal MP calls for charges against Khadrs
April 16, 2004
Cannis ran as an independent candidate in Scarborough Centre in the
2019 Canadian federal election
The 2019 Canadian federal election was held on October 21, 2019. Member of Parliament (Canada), Members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons were elected to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. In keeping with the Fixed election dates in ...
and received 5.42% of the vote.
Electoral record
Note: Conservative vote is compared to the total of the Canadian Alliance vote and Progressive Conservative vote in 2000 election.
Note: Canadian Alliance vote is compared to the Reform vote in 1997 election.
References
External links
Official siteHow'd They Vote?: John Cannis' voting history and quotes*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannis, John
1951 births
Canadian people of Greek descent
Greek emigrants to Canada
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Naturalized citizens of Canada
People from Kalymnos
People from Scarborough, Toronto
Politicians from Toronto
Recipients of the Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
21st-century Canadian politicians