Robert Waldron MacQuarrie (November 24, 1926 – January 11, 2007) was a politician in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1981 to 1985, as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. MacQuarrie was born in Rexton,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, educated at Princes of Wales College (later renamed the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

), and practiced law with the firm of Cuzner, MacQuarrie. He began his political career at the municipal level, serving as reeve of Gloucester Township in Ontario from 1972 to 1978, and as a councillor in the Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton from 1969 to 1978. In 1980–81, he was director of the Eastern Ontario Development Corporation. He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Bernard Grandmaitre and

New Democrat New Democrats may refer to: * New Democratic Party, a social democratic party in Canada * New Democrats (United States), the ideological centrist faction of the Democratic Party ** New Democrat Coalition, the related caucus in the United States H ...

Evelyn Gigantes in a close three-way contest for Carleton East. MacQuarrie served as a government backbencher for the next four years, acting as parliamentary assistant to the

Solicitor-General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

and

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

. In January 1985, he supported

Roy McMurtry Roland Roy McMurtry (May 31, 1932 – March 18, 2024) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician in Ontario. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985, serving in the cabinet of Bill Dav ...

's bid to succeed

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Behind Oliver Mowat, Davis was the List of premiers of Ontario by time in office, second-longes ...

as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a tenuous

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 ...

in the 1985 provincial election, and lost power to

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Back ...

's Liberals. MacQuarrie was defeated in Carleton East, losing to Liberal candidate

Gilles Morin Gilles Morin (born July 20, 1931) is a retired politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1999, and was briefly a cabinet minister in Ontario. Background Morin was educated a ...

by 7,033 votes. The City of Ottawa named a sports complex after Bob Macquarrie - The "Bob MacQuarrie-Orléans Recreation Complex" located at 1490 Youville Drive in Orléans, Ontario, Canada.

External links

Obituary at legacy.comParliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
1926 births 2007 deaths Mayors and reeves of Gloucester Township, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario {{Ontario-mayor-stub