John Frederick Hamm (born April 8, 1938) is a Canadian
physician and
politician, who served as the 25th
premier of Nova Scotia
The premier of Nova Scotia is the first minister to the lieutenant governor of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and presides over the Executive Council of Nova Scotia. Following the Westminster system, the premier is normally the leader of ...
from 1999 to 2006.
Education
Hamm, a graduate of the
University of King's College and
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
, was a family doctor in his hometown of
Stellarton, Nova Scotia
Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1889, it was known as Albion Min ...
, and the president of the Nova Scotia Medical Society.
Provincial politics
He entered politics in 1993, becoming the
Member of the Legislative Assembly for the
riding of
Pictou Centre.
Progressive Conservative Party
Hamm was elected leader of the
Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia in 1995, succeeding
Terry Donahoe. His party won 14 seats in the
1998 provincial election and held the balance of power in a minority government where both the
Liberal Party and the
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:
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, led by
Russell MacLellan and
Robert Chisholm, respectively, held nineteen seats.
Premier of Nova Scotia
Hamm's Tories defeated the Liberal minority government on a budget vote on June 17, 1999, and in the subsequent election on July 27, 1999, Hamm was elected Premier, winning 30 of the 52 seats in the provincial legislature.
After taking office, Hamm sold or closed government-owned industries such as
Sydney Steel
Sydney Steel Corporation (SYSCO) was a Crown corporation in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It owned and operated a steel mill in Sydney.
Early history of steelmaking in Sydney
An integrated steel mill was established on the southeast side ...
. He invested more in
education and
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...
, and implemented some
tax cuts. His government was the first to truly balance provincial finances in 25 years, following changes in public sector accounting practises.
In 2001, Hamm was at odds with the
Nova Scotia Government Employees Union
A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
, trying to legislate nurses back to work after a legal strike.
In the
2003 election
The following elections occurred in the year 2003.
Africa
* 2003 Beninese parliamentary election
* 2003 Djiboutian parliamentary election
* 2003 Guinean presidential election
* 2003 Mauritanian presidential election
* 2003 Nigerian parliamentary ...
, Hamm's Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a
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 ...
. The main issue in that election was the increasing cost of
car insurance
Vehicle insurance (also known as car insurance, motor insurance, or auto insurance) is insurance for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles. Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury r ...
and whether Nova Scotia should begin to allow general
Sunday shopping. Despite the minority government, Hamm's government was able to drop an NDP plan for government automobile insurance issue, and put the Sunday shopping issue to a province-wide plebiscite. Hamm is opposed to Sunday shopping and a
public auto insurance system.
Retirement
On September 29, 2005, Hamm announced his intention to retire as Premier and PC Leader. In the
,
Rodney MacDonald was elected his successor.
After politics
On December 21, 2006, Hamm was appointed Chairperson of Assisted Human Reproduction Canada, a federal agency created to protect and promote the health and safety, human dignity and human rights of Canadians who use or are born of assisted human reproduction technologies, and to foster ethical principles in relation to assisted human reproduction and other related matters.
In 2009, he was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada "for his contributions to the province of Nova Scotia as a former premier, family physician and community leader."
In 2010 he became the Chairman of the Board of the holding company for Northern Pulp mill of Abercrombie, whose board he had joined shortly after his resignation from politics prior to the 2006 provincial election.
In May 2014 he was awarded a Doctor of Civil Law (honoris causa) from University of King's College, Halifax, Nova Scotia for his service to King's, his community and the province.
October 2014, he was awarded an "Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada."
Also in October 2014, John Hamm was appointed the Honorary Colonel for the 1st Battalion Nova Scotia Highlanders (North) for the next three years.
Atlantic Accord
One of his most notable achievements was negotiating with the federal government to implement the Atlantic Accord, a multi-decade regional development program that had been approved in principle during the late 1980s to prevent provincial government offshore oil and gas royalties from being included in calculations for the federal
equalization program. This resulted in an $830 million payment in 2005 from the federal government, which Hamm applied against the principal on the province's long term debt, thereby reducing debt servicing payments by over $50 million annually.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamm, John
1938 births
Canadian Anglicans
Canadian monarchists
Canadian general practitioners
Living people
Members of the Order of Nova Scotia
Officers of the Order of Canada
People from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
Premiers of Nova Scotia
Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs
University of King's College alumni
21st-century Canadian politicians
Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia
Dalhousie University alumni
Physicians from Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia political party leaders