Reginald "Jerry" Pickard (November 14, 1940 – July 27, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 until his retirement in 2005, representing the riding of Chatham-Kent—Essex for the

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in his later terms in office.

Biography

Pickard had

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 ...

and

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum ...

degrees from the

University of Windsor , mottoeng = Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge , established = , academic_affiliations = CARL, COU, Universities Canada , former_names = Assumption College (1857-1956)Assumption University of Windsor (1956-1963) , type = Public univers ...

, and worked as a teacher in the Kent County and Essex County boards of education following his graduation. He was elected to the Kingsville municipal council in 1974 and remained in municipal politics for the next fourteen years, including tenures as deputy reeve and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

(1984–1988). He was first elected to parliament in the federal election of 1988, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent Jim Caldwell by about 6,500 votes in the riding of

Essex—Kent Essex—Kent was a federal electoral district in Ontario that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1997. It was created in 1976 from parts of Essex—Windsor, Kent—Essex and Lambton—Kent ridings, and initially ...

. He was re-elected in the 1993 election, and in the redistributed riding of Kent—Essex in the 1997 election. Pickard's riding was renamed (but not redistributed) as Chatham-Kent—Essex in 1998. In the 2000 election, he defeated a candidate of the

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed u ...

by over 7,000 votes. He faced his first difficult re-election 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 ...

, defeating

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candidate Dave Van Kesteren by only 407 votes. Former Liberal MP Rex Crawford campaigned for the Conservative candidate in this election, and some local residents were upset that the federal government had cut down more than 80,000 ash trees to stop a devastating beetle infestation. Pickard served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food from 1996 to 1997, and to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services from 1997 to 1998. In December 2003, he was named Parliamentary Secretary to the

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

and

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness The minister of public safety (french: ministre de la sécurité publique) is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for overseeing Public Safety Canada, the internal security department of the Government of Canada. The ...

, with special emphasis on border transit. He was transferred from this position in July 2004, and named Parliamentary Secretary to the

Minister of Industry 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 min ...

. Pickard did not run in the January 2006 election.

Death

Pickard died on July 27, 2021, aged 80.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickard, Jerry 1940 births 2021 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Chatham-Kent University of Windsor alumni 21st-century Canadian politicians