Christopher Campbell Ward (born June 21, 1949) is a former 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 ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

from 1985 to 1990 and was 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', ' p ...

in the government of

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 ...

Background

The son of Albert Charles Ward and Daniella Joy Griffiths, Ward was raised in Ontario and educated in Dundas. In 1971, he married Carol Suzanne Hunter.

Politics

He was elected a ward councillor in

Flamborough Flamborough is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north-east of Bridlington town centre on the prominent coastal feature of Flamborough Head. The most prominent man-made feature o ...

in 1978, a regional councillor in 1980 and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

in 1982. In 1984, Ward ran for the Ontario legislature in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

for the constituency of Wentworth North. He lost to Progressive Conservative

Ann Sloat Frances Sloat (née O'Rourke; July 28, 1928 – November 21, 2017) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was the mayor of Ancaster from 1973 to 1984, and the Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1984 to ...

by 169 votes, but a few months later defeated Sloat by 5,168 votes in the 1985 provincial election amid a general surge in support for the Liberal Party. He was re-elected handily in the 1987 election. Ward served as

parliamentary assistant In British politics and some Commonwealth nations, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan staff member employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work ...

to the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

from June 26, 1985, to January 9, 1987, and as the assistant to

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 ...

Ian Scott from January to September 1987. He was promoted to cabinet as

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

on September 29, 1987. Following a cabinet shuffle on August 2, 1989, he was named Minister of Government Services and

Government House Leader The Government House Leader, officially known as the leader of the Government in the House of Commons of Canada (), is the Cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the government's legislative program in the House of Commons of ...

. In the 1990 provincial election, Ward lost his seat to NDP candidate Don Abel by a mere 88 votes. During the campaign, Ward was targeted by a group of local lawyers who opposed the Peterson government's no-fault auto insurance program. He attempted to return to the legislature in the 1995 election, but lost to Progressive Conservative candidate

Toni Skarica Antonio Peter "Toni" Skarica is a judge and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2000 who represented the Hamilton area ridings of Wentworth North an ...

by over 10,000 votes. He supported

Gerard Kennedy Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Ca ...

for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1996.

Cabinet positions

Later life

After leaving politics, Ward became Vice-President of Strategic Planning and Communications for Canada's Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies. He now runs Ward Health Strategies, a consulting firm based in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He has provided briefings to legislators in several American states on behalf of the

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA, pronounced ), formerly known as the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, is an American trade group representing companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Founded in 1958, PhRMA ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Chris 1949 births Living people Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario