Reginald "Reg" Francis Stackhouse (April 30, 1925 – December 14, 2016) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
educator and politician. He served in 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 1972 to 1974 and from 1984 to 1988 as a member of the
Progressive Conservative Party.
Background
Stackhouse was born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
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 Ca ...
, and educated at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
,
Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College () is an evangelical graduate school of theology at the University of Toronto. Founded in 1877 as an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition, Wycliffe College today attracts students from many Christian denominations from ...
and
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. He held
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
and
Th.D.
Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...
degrees, and practised as an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
priest. Stackhouse was a Trustee for the
Scarborough Board of Education
The Scarborough Board of Education (SBE, commonly known as School District 16), formally the Board of Education for the City of Scarborough is the former public-secular school district serving Scarborough, Ontario, Canada. The board was founded ...
from 1965 to 1972, served on the Canadian Council of Regents from 1969 to 1972, and was a founding board member of
Centennial College.
Politics
Stackhouse campaigned for 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 ...
in the
1967 provincial election as a candidate of 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
Scarborough West
Scarborough Southwest is a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968.
Geography
It covers the southwestern part of the Scarboro ...
, and finished second against future
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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leader
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis (born November 11, 1937) is a Canadian politician, public speaker, broadcaster, and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s.
During many of those years as leade ...
.
He was elected to the House of Commons in the
1972 federal election, narrowly defeating
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 ...
incumbent
Martin O'Connell in
Scarborough East
Scarborough East was a Canadian electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 2003.
It initially consisted the eastern part of the Borough of Scarborough, although its boundaries were adjusted several times. It ...
.
The Liberal Party won a narrow
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 ...
in this election, and Stackhouse served as an opposition
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for the next two years. He was not a candidate in the
1974 campaign, and served as principal of Wycliffe College from 1975 to 1985.
Stackhouse was returned to the House of Commons in the
1984 election, defeating Liberal incumbent
David Weatherhead by nearly 5,000 votes in Scarborough West.
The Progressive Conservatives won a landslide
majority government
A majority government is a government by one or more governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in a legislature. This is as opposed to a minority government, where the largest party in a legislature only has a plurality of seats. ...
in this election under
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...
's leadership, and Stackhouse served as a government backbencher for the next four years. In 1988, he urged a strong Canadian protest against the threatened arrest of Anglican
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
.
He was narrowly defeated in the
1988 election, losing to Liberal challenger
Tom Wappel
Thomas William Wappel (born February 9, 1950) is a Canadians, Canadian politician. He was a Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons from 1988 to 2008, representing the Toronto riding of Scarb ...
by 440 votes.
During this campaign, members of the group
Campaign Life
The Campaign Life Coalition (sometimes shortened to Campaign Life) is a Canadian political lobbyist organization founded in 1978. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the organization advocates for socially conservative values. Campaign Life Coalition opp ...
distributed leaflets attacking Stackhouse as a "babykiller" because he supported
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 pregn ...
in some circumstances. He described this attack as "disgusting and reproachful", adding "That kind of personal attack by design has no part in a democracy."
[ The Campaign Life campaign had endorsed Wappel, who opposed abortion under all circumstances.
Stackhouse returned to teaching theology and philosophy after leaving parliament. He also served as president of the ]Canadian National Exhibition Association
The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...
after leaving parliament, and was appointed to a term on the Canadian Human Rights Commission
The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the ''Canadian Human Rights Act'' to investigate and to try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the pro ...
in 1990.
He attempted a returned to parliament in the 1993 election, but finished third against Wappel with 5,664 votes (14.45%) amid a general decline in support for his party. In the buildup to the 1993 campaign, he called for the abolition of the Senate of Canada
The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The Senate is modelled after the B ...
.
Later life
Stackhouse continued teaching at the University of Toronto. In 2005, he published a work entitled ''The Coming Age Revolution'', challenging traditional notions of retirement.
In 2011, he was made a Member of the Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...
. Stackhouse died in Toronto on December 14, 2016.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stackhouse, Reg
1925 births
2016 deaths
Canadian Anglican priests
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Members of the Order of Ontario
Politicians from Toronto
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs
University of Toronto alumni