Maurice Louis Bossy (April 1, 1929 – November 29, 2008) was a

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

in Ontario,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. 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

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 ...

from 1980 to 1984, and represented 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 (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022. The party esp ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1985 to 1990.

Background

Bossy was educated at Pain Court, Ontario, and worked for many years as a farmer, a traveling fertilizer salesman for Canada Packers. He served on several Kent County School Boards in the late 1960s, was also: a member of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

and

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, was active in RC Parish Council in both home parishes in Dresden and Chatham, performed as part of a local dance band specializing in polka music. Bossy married Margaret Lanckriet in 1950 and together they raised 7 children.

Federal politics

Bossy was elected to the House of Commons in the federal election of 1980, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent Bob Holmes by 847 votes in the southwestern Ontario riding of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He served as parliamentary secretary to the

Minister of Supply and Services Minister of Supply and Services was an office in the Cabinet of Canada from 1969 to 1996. On July 12, 1996, office of the Minister of Supply and Services and the office of the Minister of Public Works were abolished and replaced with the office of ...

from March 1 to September 30, 1982, and to the

Secretary of State for Canada The Secretary of State for Canada, established in 1867 with a corresponding department, was a Canadian Cabinet position that served as the official channel of communication between the Dominion of Canada and the Imperial government in London. Scot ...

from October 1, 1982 to February 29, 1984. The Liberals were defeated in the 1984 federal election, and Bossy lost to Progressive Conservative Elliott Hardey by over 5,000 votes.

Provincial politics

The following year, having been recruited by new provincial Liberal leader David Peterson, Bossy sought election for the Ontario Liberal Party in the riding of Chatham—Kent, and defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative Andy Watson by 1,134 votes. The Liberals formed 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 ...

after this election and Bossy was appointed as

parliamentary assistant In UK politics, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan member of staff employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work at the House of Commons in the U ...

to the Minister of Housing in 1987. He was re-elected by an increased margin in the 1987 provincial election, in which Peterson's Liberals won a landslide majority. The Liberals were defeated in the 1990 provincial election, and Bossy too, losing his legislative seat to

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 culturall ...

Randy Hope Randy R. Hope (born ) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was the mayor of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario from 2006 to 2018. He also served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995. ...

by almost 4,000 votes.

Later life

In 1994, Bossy signed a petition calling for the introduction of an

ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl ...

industry in Canada.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bossy, Maurice 1929 births 2008 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs