John Philip Gerretsen (born June 9, 1942) is a former 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 C ...
, Canada. He was a
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 ...
member of the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of
Kingston and the Islands
Kingston and the Islands (french: Kingston et les Îles) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968.
It covers part of the city of Kingston, Ontario and the sparse ...
. He served as a
Minister in the
Cabinets of
Premiers
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...
and
Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...
.
Early life
Gerretsen was born in
Hilversum, Netherlands during World War II, and moved to Canada with his parents in 1954. He was educated at
Queen's University in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...
, receiving a
BA degree in 1964 and an
LL.B
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...
in 1967. He subsequently worked as a solicitor, serving with
Manulife Insurance Company in Toronto from 1969 to 1970. His son
Mark Gerretsen
Mark Gerretsen (born June 5, 1975) is a Canadian politician who is the Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. He was first elected in the 2015 federal election, and re-elected in 2019 and 20 ...
served as a
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...
city councillor and was elected mayor in 2010.
Municipal politics
Gerretsen's political career began in the early 1970s at the municipal level. He was elected as a Kingston
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
in 1972, and remained on the City Council until 1980 (serving as Deputy Mayor from 1976 to 1980). Gerretsen was elected
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of the city in 1980, and was re-elected twice before stepping down in 1988. He was also President of the
Association of Municipalities of Ontario from 1986 to 1987, and a trustee of Queen's University from 1981 to 1992.
After retiring from municipal politics, Gerretsen served as the Chair of the Ontario Housing Corporation (1989–1992) and was a Deputy Judge in the province's
Small Claims Court
Small-claims courts have limited jurisdiction to hear civil cases between private litigants. Courts authorized to try small claims may also have other judicial functions, and go by different names in different jurisdictions. For example, it may ...
(1993–1995). He also became active in politics at the provincial and federal levels. Gerretsen was an Executive Member of the
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser since August 2022.
The party espouses the principles of li ...
's
Kingston and the Islands
Kingston and the Islands (french: Kingston et les Îles) is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968.
It covers part of the city of Kingston, Ontario and the sparse ...
riding association from 1989 to 1993, and was President of the
Liberal Party of Canada's federal riding association from 1993 to 1995.
Provincial politics
Gerretsen was elected to the Ontario legislature in the
provincial election of 1995, defeating
Progressive Conservative candidate Sally Barnes and incumbent
New Democrat
New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as cultural ...
Gary Wilson in Kingston and the Islands. This was a close three-way race—Gerretsen received 10,314 votes, Barnes 8,571, and Wilson 8,052.
The general election was won by the Progressive Conservatives and Gerretsen entered parliament as a member of the opposition, serving as Opposition Critic on Municipal Affairs and Housing and Chief Opposition Whip.
In 1996, he ran to succeed
Lyn McLeod
Lyn McLeod (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2003. McLeod was a cabinet minister in the Liberal government of David Peterson from 1987 to 1990, and served as leader ...
as
leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. Gerretsen was generally regarded as being on the right-wing of the party, and achieved some support in his home base of eastern Ontario. He placed fifth out of seven candidates on the first ballot, and dropped out after the second ballot. After withdrawing, he gave his support to Dalton McGuinty, the eventual winner.
Gerretsen was easily re-elected in the
1999 provincial election, although the Progressive Conservatives were again victorious across the province.
Gerretsen continued as Opposition Whip, and remained a vocal Liberal MPP for the next four years.
McGuinty government
The Liberal Party won the
2003 election with 72 seats out of 103, and Gerretsen was re-elected with over 60% support.
On October 23, 2003, he was named
Minister of Municipal Affairs, with responsibility for Seniors.
In March 2004, his portfolio was renamed the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Gerretsen was the primary spokesperson for the McGuinty government in its controversial decision to permit further housing expansion on the
Oak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough. One of the most sign ...
, despite an election promise not to do so. The Liberals claimed that they lacked the legal authority to prevent further development in the area. His main legislative success has been in leading in the enactment of a 1.8 million acre (7,300 km²) green belt surrounding the City of Toronto in 2005.
After a cabinet shuffle on June 29, 2005, the responsibility for Seniors issues was transferred to another government minister. Gerretsen was retained as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
In the
2007 election of October 10, 2007, Gerretsen won re-election with just under 50 per cent support.
On October 29, 2007, Gerretsen was appointed as
Minister of the Environment
An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
.
On August 18, 2010, Gerretsen was moved to the post of
Minister of the Consumer Services.
He won re-election in the October 6, 2011 election. He was appointed
Attorney General of Ontario and was re-appointed when
Kathleen Wynne
Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...
became premier in early 2013.
On October 25, 2013, Gerretsen announced that he would not run in the
next election. Just before his retirement at the June 2014 election, Gerretsen was moved from the Attorney-General portfolio to that of
Chair of Cabinet.
Cabinet positions
Electoral record
Personal life
On March 19, 2020, amid the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
, Gerretsen tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
, with his wife Assunta testing positive earlier that week, after they were both
repatriate
Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...
d to Canada from the ''
Grand Princess
''Grand Princess'' is a cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises. It was built in 1998 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone, Italy, with yard number 5956, at a cost of approximately US$450 million. She was the largest and mos ...
'' cruise ship; they were quarantined at
CFB Trenton
Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hub ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerretsen, John
1942 births
21st-century Canadian politicians
Living people
Attorneys General of Ontario
Dutch emigrants to Canada
Lawyers in Ontario
Mayors of Kingston, Ontario
Ontario Liberal Party MPPs
Queen's University at Kingston alumni
People from Hilversum