Edward Michael Havrot (June 4, 1927 – April 16, 2017) 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 was a Progressive Conservative member of 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 1971 to 1975 and from 1977 to 1985 who represented the northern Ontario riding of Timiskaming.

Background

Born in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, Havrot moved to Ontario as a child and was educated in

Kirkland Lake Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Timiskaming District of Northeastern Ontario. The 2021 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,750. The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn ...

. He was a businessman before entering political life, and was active in the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cade ...

. He married Gayle MacArthur and together they raised four children.

Politics

Havrot served on the Kirkland Lake council in 1966-67, and was elected as its reeve in 1970. He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, defeating a

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

(NDP) opponent by 2,154 votes in Timiskaming. He served 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 t ...

supporter for the next four years, and was named chair of the Ontario Northland Transportation and

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 ...

Minister of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

John Rhodes. Havrot was known for making

politically incorrect "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...

remarks. In 1975, during a local dispute with aboriginal groups over land claims, he told a ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'' reporter than he could have bribed the area's chiefs with "a case of goof". He then added, "These damn Indians have gone absolutely wild... We should have given them a bunch of teepees and some cordwood and that's all". He was accused of racism, immediately lost both of his legislative appointments, and was forced to read a prepared apology in the legislature. He later tried to defend himself by saying, "Up North, if you say the wrong thing in the heat of the moment and offend somebody, you apologize and its over". He was renominated for the 1975 provincial election, following a nomination speech in which he described ''The Globe and Mail'' article as the "lowest form of cheap journalism". He lost the election, falling to NDP candidate Bob Bain by 1,544 votes. Havrot returned to the legislature in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, defeating Bain by 664 votes. He once again served as a backbench supporter of the Davis government, though Davis refused to visit his riding association. In 1979, Havrot repeatedly interrupted a speech by New Democratic Party

Member of Provincial Parliament Member of Provincial Parliament is the title given to provincial legislators in two legislatures: * Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada) * Member of Provincial Parliament (Western Cape) In the Western Cape province of South Africa, Member of Pro ...

(MPP) Tony Lupusella to yell, "This is the

wop ''Wop'' is a pejorative term for Italians or people of Italian descent. Etymology The Merriam-Webster dictionary states wop's first known use was in the United States in 1908, and that it originates from the Southern Italian dialectal term '' g ...

show", "mama mia" and "Atsa nice. Good for

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

". He was again forced to read a prepared apology in the legislature. After fending off a serious challenge for the PC nomination, he again defeated Bain in the 1981 provincial election. Havrot was defeated for a second time in the 1985 election, losing to New Democrat David Ramsay by 2,824 votes. He sought a return to the legislature in

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

, and this time finished a distant third against Ramsay. Havrot also ran for

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 ...

of Kirkland Lake in 1988, but lost to incumbent Joe Mavrinac. He died in Kirkland Lake on April 16, 2017.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Havrot, Ed 1927 births 2017 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario People from Kirkland Lake Polish emigrants to Canada Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario