Robert Speller, (February 29, 1956 – December 16, 2021) was a Canadian politician. A member of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

, Speller was elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

four times from 1988 to 2000. He was defeated in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

by a 20,938 to 19,277 margin.

Personal life

Speller was born in

Hagersville, Ontario Hagersville is a community in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. History Upon the construction of Ontario Highway 6, Highway 6, known formerly as the Plank Road, a small village popped up around 1855 when Charles and David Hager bought most of ...

on February 29, 1956. In 1983, he married Joan Mouland, with whom he had a son, Christopher, and a daughter, Victoria. He died on December 16, 2021, at the age of 65 at a care facility near

Waterford, Ontario Waterford is one of the Communities in Norfolk County, Ontario and had a population of 3,132 at the time of the 2016 Census. Waterford is going through a major construction boom with new housing subdivisions in both the north and south ends of ...

, after an illness.

Career

Speller was first elected in the

1988 Canadian federal election The 1988 Canadian federal election was held on November 21, 1988, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 34th Canadian Parliament, 34th Parliament of Canada following the dissolution of the House on October 1. It was an electio ...

as a member of the Liberal Party, defeating incumbent Bud Bradley by only 209 votes.

Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney (March 20, 1939 – February 29, 2024) was 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 studi ...

's Progressive Conservatives won the election, however, relegating Speller to opposition Member of Parliament (MP). As an opposition MP, Speller was associate trade critic, youth critic and chair of the Liberal Rural Caucus. Speller was re-elected in

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

and

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, as a member of the winning party.

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

's Liberals won three successive elections. Speller served on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food (1994–1995), served on the Canadian Parliamentary Association International Executive Committee, served on the Parliamentary Steel Caucus (1993, 1994, 1998), served on the Joint Inter-Parliamentary Council, and was chair of the Sub-committee on Trade, Trade Disputes and Investment and the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

(Canadian Branch). On December 12, 2003, incoming

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

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

named Speller the federal

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food The minister of agriculture and agri-food () is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit C ...

. Speller represented the constituency of Haldimand—Norfolk—Brant until riding lines were redrawn prior to the June 2004 federal election. In his new riding of Haldimand—Norfolk, Speller lost the election to

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

candidate Diane Finley, and formally left cabinet the following July. In June 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin asked Speller to consider running in the next federal election. Speller ran in the following general election, but was defeated again. Speller did not run in the 2008 federal election but ran again in the 2011 federal election.

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Speller, Bob 1956 births 2021 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the 27th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the United Church of Canada People from Norfolk County, Ontario 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada