Ralph Bronson Cowan (May 6, 1902 – April 21, 1990) was a Canadian politician, who represented York—Humber in the House of Commons of Canada from 1962 to 1968.

Federal political career

Born in Ottawa,

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 ...

, Ralph Cowan was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1962 election, defeating Margaret Aitken. 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 ...

, he was re-elected in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

and 1965. In 1964, he filed a lawsuit against the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

after it converted its secondary Toronto station CJBC to an affiliate of the francophone

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

network, arguing that since the French language had no legal status outside of Quebec, the station's conversion to French was inappropriate and illegal; however, his case was dismissed by the

Ontario Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Ontario was a superior court of the Canadian province of Ontario. Created in 1881 pursuant to the Ontario Judicature Act (1881), the Supreme Court of Ontario had two branches: the High Court of Justice Division and the Appel ...

in 1965 on the grounds that Cowan did not have

legal standing Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

and could not show material harm from the format change. Although a Liberal, Cowan was considered a renegade and often voted against his own caucus; most notably, he filibustered both Lawrence Pennell's 1967 bill to abolish

capital punishment in Canada Capital punishment in Canada dates back to Canada's earliest history, including its period as a French colony and, after 1763, its time as a British colony. From 1867 to the elimination of the death penalty for murder on July 26, 1976, 1,481 peo ...

and the 1968 Broadcasting Act, and opposed Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau's 1968 revisions to the

Criminal Code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...

, including the decriminalization of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

and

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

. He was expelled from the Liberal Party caucus in March 1968 after voting against the government's tax bill, but fought to retain his rights as a voting party member at the 1968 Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, and pledged that he would continue to support the government if it faced a

motion of non-confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

. He ran in the 1968 federal election as an Independent Liberal in

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

after being expelled from caucus, and distributed pamphlets published by far right activist Ron Gostick alleging that Trudeau was a communist sympathizer as part of his campaign, but was defeated by Liberal candidate Walter Deakon.

Municipal politics

Following his federal defeat, Cowan attempted to intervene in the 1969 election for

Metro Toronto Chairman The Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto or Metro Chairman was the regional chair of Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the most senior political figure in the municipality. The Metro Chairman was elected by the members ...

, alleging in a speech made days before the election that the

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

mayor John Lister (Jack) Mould had a personal financial interest in a construction company whose tax arrears had been written off by York's municipal council. Mould was forced out of the contest when, at the last minute, two Metro Councillors who had agreed to nominate him decided to nominate another candidate instead as they decided not to nominate Mould "in view of developments in York". Mould filed a

slander Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

lawsuit against Cowan days after he made the allegation, but the suit never went to court and Cowan later claimed that it had been filed solely to silence him. Following the death of York municipal councillor Robert Hewitt in 1971, Cowan applied for appointment to the seat; he was not appointed, with council instead selecting Robert Waclawski."Former alderman rejected: York Council appoints lawyer to vacant seat". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', March 23, 1971.

Electoral record

, - ,

, Ralph Cowan , align="right", 15,526 , Progressive Conservative , Margaret Aitken , align="right", 14,864 , New Democratic Party , Charles Millard , align="right", 11,622 , - ,

, Ralph Cowan , align="right", 20,188 , Progressive Conservative , Douglas Morton , align="right", 12,218 , New Democratic Party , Charles Millard , align="right", 11,821 , - ,

, Ralph Cowan , align="right", 17,172 , New Democratic Party , Don Stevenson , align="right", 12,792 , Progressive Conservative , Victor Colebourn , align="right", 11,325 , New Capitalist Party , D. C. Tilley , align="right", 235

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowan, Ralph 1902 births 1990 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Politicians from Ottawa Politicians from Toronto