Ross MacKenzie Whicher (February 13, 1918 – April 19, 2002) was a Canadian politician and businessman. Whicher served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

with the 4th anti-tank regiment of the Canadian military. Following the war, he returned home and opened the Wiarton Dairy, operating it for several decades. Whicher served as mayor of

Wiarton, Ontario Wiarton () is a community in the town of South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the western end of Colpoys Bay, an inlet off Georgian Bay, on the Bruce Peninsula. Wiarton is notable for the Wiarton Willie Fes ...

from 1953 until 1955 when he was elected to 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 the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for

Bruce The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

. In 1958, he was a candidate for the leadership of the

Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; , PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by Bonnie Crombie since December 2023. The party espouses the principles of liberalism, with their rival the Progressive Co ...

, but received only 39 votes and dropped off after the first ballot at the party's leadership convention. Whicher was re-elected to the legislature in 1959 and 1963 and served as the Liberals' finance critic. During this period, the Progressive Conservative government of

John Robarts John Parmenter Robarts (January 11, 1917 – October 18, 1982) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 17th premier of Ontario from 1961 to 1971. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Early life Roba ...

was often to the left of the Liberals, and Whicher often criticised it for overspending. Following his provincial career, Whicher served two terms in 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 ...

as a Liberal Member of Parliament for

. He won his

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

in the 1968 federal election, and was re-elected in the 1972 election. He retired from politics when the 1974 election was called.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whicher, Ross 1918 births 2002 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Ontario Liberal Party MPPs 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario