John Laschinger is a Canadian
political strategist
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tel ...
and author. He is best known for his work as a campaign manager, organizing election campaigns and party leadership bids for a variety of candidates. He has written several books, including ''Leaders & lesser mortals: Backroom politics in Canada'' and ''Campaign Confessions: Tales from the War Rooms of Politics''.
Career
Conservative campaigns and early work
In 1983, Laschinger was campaign manager for
John Crosbie
John Carnell Crosbie, (January 30, 1931 – January 10, 2020) was a Canadian provincial and federal politician who served as the 12th lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Prior to being lieutenant governor, he served as a p ...
, a candidate for leadership of the
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003.
From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...
. In 1984, he was campaign manager for the
Larry Grossman in his bid for leadership of the
Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, an effort he repeated for Grossman in the party's 1985 leadership campaign. Laschinger was a key organizer for
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the fl ...
's bid to lead the
Conservative Party of Canada in 2004, and
John Tory
John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014.
After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 200 ...
's bid to lead the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...
also in 2004. He then worked as campaign manager for the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...
in the
2007 general election.
Laschinger also worked on other conservative campaigns in Canada, including New Brunswick and Manitoba.
In late 1990, Laschinger worked with a group of Canadians led by
McMaster University
McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Ga ...
professor Howard Aster on a trip to
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
to teach political leaders in the newly independent country about how political parties operate in democracies.
Progressive campaigns and municipal politics
Known for working with Conservatives, Laschinger was an important figure in the
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 ...
-aligned
David Miller's bid to become
Mayor of Toronto
The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits. While in ...
in 2003 and was his campaign manager in 2006.
During the
2010 Toronto mayoral election
The 2010 Toronto mayoral election was held on October 25, 2010, to elect a mayor of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The mayor's seat was open for the first time since the 2003 Toronto election due to the announcement by incumbent mayor ...
, he was campaign manager for
Adam Giambrone
Adam Giambrone (born March 8, 1977) is a Canadian transportation consultant and retired politician who served on Toronto City Council from 2003 to 2010, representing Ward 18 Davenport. Giambrone served as the chair of the Toronto Transit Commiss ...
, prior to Giambrone stepping down, before supported Miller's deputy mayor
Joe Pantalone
Joe Pantalone (born February 22, 1952) is a retired Canadian politician. He served as a former Toronto city councillor for Ward 19, one of two wards in Trinity—Spadina and as deputy mayor under David Miller from 2003 to 2010. He ran for mayor i ...
in his unsuccessful run for mayor.
In
2014 Toronto mayoral election, Laschinger managed his 50th campaign, working as campaign director for former MP and councillor
Olivia Chow
Olivia Chow (; born March 24, 1957) is a Canadian retired politician who was a federal New Democratic Party (NDP) member of Parliament (MP) representing Trinity—Spadina from 2006 to 2014. Chow ran in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, placin ...
.
References
Canadian political consultants
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
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