Andrew Mitchell, (born April 21, 1953) is 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 ...

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, ...

. 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 Commo ...

from 1993 to 2006, representing

Parry Sound—Muskoka Parry Sound—Muskoka is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1949. The riding consists of the Territorial District of Parry Sound (excluding the Town of Powassan, ...

as a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was a minister in the government of

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan, Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law gradua ...

and a

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘ prime minister� ...

in the government of

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. The son ...

Early life and career

Mitchell was born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, and has a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

(1972). Before running for public office, he worked for the

Bank of Nova Scotia The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

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 anch ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...

Elliot Lake Elliot Lake is a city in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is north of Lake Huron, midway between the cities of Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie in the Northern Ontario region. Once dubbed the "uranium capital of the world," Elliot Lake has since ...

, and Gravenhurst. He was also active with several local

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ...

organizations. Mitchell joined the Liberal Party in 1991.

Parliamentarian

Government backbencher

Mitchell was first elected in the 1993 federal election, winning a seat that had been held by the Progressive Conservatives since 1957. At the time, he did not have a strong public profile outside of his riding. The Liberals won a

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 ...

, and Mitchell entered parliament as a

backbench In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of th ...

supporter of Jean Chrétien's government. He chaired a parliamentary task force that examined banking and small business policy in 1994. Its recommendations included a code of conduct for banks regarding small business loans, an

ombudsman An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...

to oversee this code of conduct, and a provision allowing entrepreneurs to borrow up to twenty per cent from their registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs). The proposed code of conduct was intended to facilitate more bank loans to small businesses. In 1996, Mitchell was appointed to another task force that examined the role of the federal government in relation to Canada's disability community. It recommended that the government cancel its plans to wind down assistance programs for disabled people and instead introduce new programs and tax credits. Mitchell argued this investment was necessary to ensure disabled Canadians could enjoy the full rights of citizenship. In the same period, he chaired a standing committee on natural resources with a focus on economic development in rural Canada. He supported construction of

Fenbrook Institution Fenbrook Institution is a Canadian medium security prison located in Gravenhurst, Ontario.1997 federal election against a strong challenge from former general

Lewis MacKenzie Lewis Wharton MacKenzie CM, MSC, OOnt, CD (born 30 April 1940) is a Canadian retired major general, author and media commentator. MacKenzie is known for establishing and commanding Sector Sarajevo as part of the United Nations Protection F ...

, who was running for the Progressive Conservative Party. The Liberals were re-elected with a second majority government nationally, and Mitchell was appointed as secretary of state for parks in Chrétien's government. This was a ministerial position but not a full cabinet portfolio. Shortly after his appointment, Mitchell announced that Canada's

national parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

would not be privatized or commercialized apart from a small number of projects that had already been approved in the previous parliament. He following year, he introduced legislation to create a permanent agency for

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

. The oversight of national parks had previously shifted among various ministries, and Mitchell argued that the new agency would allow for more and better-managed parks. In April 1998, Mitchell said the Canadian government would block a salvage company's plans to dynamite the wreckage of the Empress of Ireland ocean liner to recover an estimated one million dollars' worth of

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow t ...

ingots. Over one thousand people were killed when ship sank in the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

in 1914, and Mitchell argued the detonation would violate Canada's laws against interference with human remains. Many of the deceased were members of the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

, which strongly opposed the detonation plans. Mitchell joined with environmental groups in late 1998 to oppose a bid by the

government of the Northwest Territories The Politics of Northwest Territories involves not only the governance of the Northwest Territories but also the social, economic and political issues specific to the territory. This includes matters relating to local governance and governance by ...

, the

Inuvialuit The Inuvialuit (sing. Inuvialuk; ''the real people'') or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska. Their homelan ...

, and the

-based company Falconbridge Ltd. to change a proposed boundary of the Tuktut Nogait National Park and permit nickel mining in the disputed area. Mitchell argued that the change would endanger the local

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...

population and noted that eighty per cent of the nickel find was already located outside of the park's boundaries. A committee 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 ...

decided against moving the boundary in December 1998. The following year, Mitchell introduced legislation to restrict future development in all national parks and announced the creation of an aboriginal affairs secretariat to assist Parks Canada in matters relating to

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

communities. Mitchell supported a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

introduced by Liberal backbencher

Albina Guarnieri Albina Guarnieri (born June 23, 1953) is a former Canadian politician. She was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2011 who represented the Greater Toronto Area ridings of Mississauga East and Mississauga East—Cook ...

in 1998 to reduce

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

opportunities for criminals convicted of multiple murders. ;Secretary of State for Rural Development In October 1999, Mitchell was reassigned as secretary of state for rural development and secretary of state for the federal economic development initiative for Northern Ontario (FedNor). In early 2000, he hosted Canada's first national rural conference in

Magog, Quebec Magog (; ) is a city in southeastern Quebec, Canada, about east of Montreal at the confluence of Lake Memphremagog—after which the city was named—with the Rivière aux Cerises and the Magog River. It is a major centre and industrial city in ...

. He also introduced thirty-seven million dollars for small and medium-sized businesses in Ontario and new money for advanced grain identification technology in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. Re-elected in the 2000 federal election, Mitchell helped formulate a federal loan to prevent bankruptcy at Algoma Steel in 2001. He later announced the creation of a sixteen-member advisory committee on rural issues at the second national rural conference in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. In May 2002, Mitchell led a trade delegation to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, to promote trade with Northern Ontario. Later in the same year, he promoted increased high-speed internet service for rural Canada and announced a fifteen million dollar plan to support co-operatives. In August 2003, he joined with Chrétien and

Industry Minister The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mi ...

Allan Rock Allan Michael Rock (born August 30, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer, former politician, diplomat and university administrator. He was Canada's ambassador to the United Nations (2004–2006) and had previously served in the Cabinet of Jean Chrétien ...

to unveil Canada's Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund, valued at one billion dollars. ;Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Mitchell supported

's bid to succeed Jean Chrétien as Liberal Party leader in 2003. When Martin replaced Chrétien as prime minister, he promoted Mitchell to a full cabinet position as

Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

. Mitchell introduced new self-government legislation for Canadian indigenous communities in January 2004 and said that he would not re-introduce his predecessor's

First Nations Governance Act The ''First Nations Governance Act'' was a legislative initiative proposed by the Government of Canada in 2002 to reform the country's '' Indian Act''. Introduced by Robert Nault, then the minister of Indian affairs, it was met with opposition ...

, which had met with significant opposition from indigenous leaders. Mitchell attended the Martin government's one-day summit with leaders of the

Assembly of First Nations The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, ...

(AFN), the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the

Métis National Council The Métis National Council (french: Ralliement national des Métis) is the representative body of the Métis people of northwestern Canada. The MNC represents the Métis Nation both nationally and internationally, receiving direction from the ele ...

, the

Congress of Aboriginal Peoples The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) (formerly the Native Council of Canada and briefly the Indigenous Peoples Assembly of Canada), founded in 1971, is a national Canadian aboriginal organization, that represents Aboriginal peoples ( Non-Sta ...

, and the

Native Women's Association of Canada The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC; french: Association des femmes autochthones du Canada, nolink=yes FAC is a national Indigenous organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people in ...

in April 2004. He indicated that he was willing to fund a housing secretariat that would be operated by the AFN. In early 2004, Mitchell recognized embattled grand chief James Gabriel and the elected band council as the legitimate authority in

Kanesatake, Quebec Kanesatake (''Kanehsatà:ke'' in Mohawk) is a Mohawk (''Kanien'kéha:ka'' in Mohawk) settlement on the shore of the Lake of Two Mountains in southwestern Quebec, Canada, at the confluence of the Ottawa and Saint Lawrence rivers and about west of ...

. The Kanesatake community was divided into rival factions, and Gabriel was forced to leave the community for his safety after his house was burned down. ;Minister of Agriculture Mitchell was re-elected by a narrower margin in the 2004 federal election, as the Liberals were reduced to a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in t ...

nationally. Following the election, he was reassigned as the

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food The minister of agriculture and agri-food (french: ministre de l'agriculture et de l'agroalimentaire) is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Foo ...

. He was also appointed as

minister of state Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. I ...

for the federal economic development initiative for Northern Ontario in June 2005, after

Joe Comuzzi Joseph Robert Comuzzi, (April 5, 1933 – December 31, 2021) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a cabinet minister under Prime Minister Paul Martin. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1988 to 2008, representing Thunde ...

's resignation. When Mitchell became agriculture minister, the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

border was closed to Canadian cattle due to a case of

bovine spongiform encephalopathy Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, is an incurable and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms include abnormal behavior, trouble walking, and weight loss. Later in the course of t ...

(BSE) found in a single Canadian cow in 2003. Mitchell's initial efforts to lift the ban were unsuccessful, and he announced $488 million to aid the ailing sector in September 2004. When other instances of BSE were discovered in early 2005, Mitchell said that a "low level and a declining level" of the disease in older cattle was not surprising, that changes introduced in 1997 would ensure the safety of Canadian beef, and that an organized cull of older animals would be too extreme a reaction. Mitchell announced one billion dollars in aid farm aid in March 2005, primarily in response to the border closure but also to grain harvests affected by frost, drought in the

Prairies Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as t ...

, and trade difficulties associated with the higher

Canadian dollar The Canadian dollar (symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style g ...

relative to the

American dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

. The border eventually reopened in July 2005. Mitchell subsequently established a beef and cattle advisory group to assist the government on export policy. Mitchell withdrew the government's support for a conference promoting agricultural exports to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

in April 2005, following revelations that Canadian journalist

Zahra Kazemi Zahra "Ziba" Kazemi-Ahmadabadi ( fa, زهرا کاظمی احمدآبادی; 1948 – 11 July 2003) was an Iranian-Canadian freelance photojournalist. She gained notoriety for her arrest in Iran and the circumstances in which she was held by I ...

had died from torture in an Iranian prison two years earlier. In early 2005, the National Farmers Union (NFU) charged that proposed federal legislation would make it difficult for independent farmers to retain seeds from one year to the next and that the government was abandoning its commitment to public plant breeding by closing four experimental research farms. The NFU further argued that these changes would benefit large companies like

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in ...

over Canadian farmers. A representative for Mitchell responded that the government would protect the right of farmers to save their seeds. In response to further criticism, Mitchell announced a moratorium on the farm closures in June 2005. Mitchell spent part of the 2006 federal election participating in previously scheduled

World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and ...

talks in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

on agricultural subsidies. After extended negotiations, Mitchell and International Trade Minister

Jim Peterson James Scott Peterson (born July 30, 1941) is a retired Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1980 to 1984 and again from 1988 to 2007 who represented the northern Toronto riding of Willowdale. He ...

announced their support for a tentative deal that would end farm export subsidies while allowing the

Canadian Wheat Board The Canadian Wheat Board (french: Commission canadienne du blé, links=no) was a marketing board for wheat and barley in Western Canada. Established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935, its operation was governed by the Canadian Wheat Bo ...

's operations to continue. Mitchell lost to high-profile

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

candidate

Tony Clement Tony Peter Clement (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian former federal politician and former Member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ontario. Before entering federal politics, Clement served as an Ontario cabinet minister, including ...

by only twenty-eight votes in the 2006 election, as the Conservatives won a minority government nationally.

After career

Mitchell served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

for

official opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

leader Bill Graham in 2006. He later became executive director and chair of the Greater Peterborough Economic Development Corporation (GPAEDC), led a non-profit organization called the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster, and became an adjunct professor at

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Trent is known for its Oxbridge college system and small class sizes.

. Mitchell was elected as deputy reeve of Selwyn in the 2010 municipal elections. By virtue of holding this position, he also served on the Peterborough County Council. Mitchell also served as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Hon.

Jeff Leal John Jeffrey Leal (born December 13, 1954) is a Canadian politician who serves as the 63rd and current mayor of Peterborough. Previously, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 who represented the riding of Pet ...

, MPP and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. He served until 2014. Mitchell also served as campaign manager to the

Maryam Monsef Maryam Monsef ( fa, مریم منصف) (born Monsefzadeh; November 7, 1984) is an Afghan Canadian former politician. She first was elected to represent the riding of Peterborough—Kawartha as a Liberal member the House of Commons of Canad ...

campaign in 2015 federal election in which Monsef won. He also worked as a professor at

in the Political Studies department following his leaving federal politics. On October 22, 2018 he won election to become mayor of

Selwyn, Ontario Selwyn is a township in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, located in Peterborough County. Formerly known as Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield, the township passed a by-law changing its name to Selwyn in 2012.Official results, Township of Smith-Ennismore-Lakefield
'.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Andy 1953 births Canadian Ministers of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Liberal Party of Canada MPs Politicians from Montreal Members of the 26th Canadian Ministry Members of the 27th Canadian Ministry Mayors of places in Ontario