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

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) {{Ontario-politician-stub