Steven Fletcher
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Steven John Fletcher, MP, BSc (Eng), MBA (born June 17, 1972) is a Canadian politician. He has served in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004, representing the riding of Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia, in Winnipeg, Manitoba as a member of the Conservative Party. He is the first quadriplegic to serve in the House of Commons. Fletcher is currently the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health and the minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.
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Early life and career
Fletcher was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where his Canadian father was working as an engineer. He was raised in Manitoba, and received a degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1995.
He became a complete quadriplegic in 1996, after hitting a moose with his vehicle while travelling to a geological engineering job in northern Manitoba.Template:Ref The accident left him completely paralysed below the neck, and he now requires 24 hour a day attendant care. He was unable to speak for several months, and only regained this ability after a long process of recovery.
Before his accident, Fletcher was an avid wilderness canoe enthusiast. He served as president of the Manitoba Recreational Canoeing Association, was a two-time former Manitoba Kayak Champion, and competed in national events.Template:Ref He was able to resume his life as an outdoorsman in the mid-2000s through inventions such as the TrailRider, which allows quadriplegics to travel over rough terrain.Template:Ref In late 2004, he was able to stand again with the assistance of an hydraulic wheelchair.Template:Ref
Fletcher has said that the accident changed his political views. He has acknowledged that he "didn't give the less-fortunate any consideration" before his accident, but now describes himself as a "compassionate conservative".Template:Ref
Student president
Fletcher returned to the University of Manitoba in 1997 to take a Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. He was elected president of the University of Manitoba Students' Union (UMSU) in February 1999,Template:Ref and identified his main priorities as improving the university's public profile and fighting tuition increases.Template:Ref He also called for greater university access for disabled students and for higher aboriginal enrollment.Template:Ref In October 1999, he met with federal Finance Minister Paul Martin to lobby for increased student funding.Template:Ref
Fletcher's right-wing views often put him at odds with other campus organizations, and he was sometimes accused of administrative bias against left-wing groups. In early 2000, he supported a decision by student council to freeze university funding for The Manitoban, a campus newspaper with a left-leaning editorial board. He argued that the issue was one of financial accountability, though his opponents suggested he was trying to infringe on the paper's autonomy.Template:Ref Funding was restored when the newspaper staff agreed to accept an Ombudsman Board.Template:Ref
Fletcher was chosen president of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, a conservative rival to the Canadian Federation of Students, during his first term.Template:Ref He was re-elected student body president in 2000, and presided over the elimination of the UMSU's debt in May 2000. He credited a partnership with Starbucks for much of the council's $43,000 surplus.Template:Ref
In late 2000, Fletcher announced that he would seek the Progressive Conservative nomination for a provincial by-election in Tuxedo, called after the retirement of former Premier Gary Filmon.Template:Ref In response, some of Fletcher's opponents tried to remove him as student body president, arguing that such partisan activity was inappropriate for someone elected to represent the interests of all students.Template:Ref Fletcher argued that the university's constitution did not prevent him from participating in provincial politics, and described his opponents as "far left extremists".Template:Ref He lost the provincial nomination to Heather Stefanson, but remained student president.Template:Ref His opponents in the Graduate Students Association later voted to separate from the UMSU.Template:Ref
Near the end of 2000, Fletcher endorsed a report from the right-wing Fraser Institute which called for an end to university union contracts and professorial tenure.Template:Ref He has also called for a central co-ordination body to oversee Manitoba's universities, arguing that the province "is too small to have five universities offering the same thing".Template:Ref In 2001, he opposed the provincial government's plan to build a new university in northern Manitoba.Template:Ref Fletcher stepped down as UMSU president in 2001, and received his MBA in 2002.Template:Ref
Political career
Party president
Fletcher was elected president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba in November 2001, and was re-elected in 2003.Template:Ref His relationship with party leader Stuart Murray was sometimes fractious. Fletcher criticized Murray in 2002 for hiring discredited advisor Taras Sokolyk without informing him, and also suggested that Murray had not taken sufficient action to improve the state of the party's finances.Template:Ref
After Fletcher's election as party president, the Manitoba Automobile Injury Compensation Appeal Commission ruled that he could no longer receive travel expenses for his personal assistant. The panel judged that politics is not a full-time career, and so argued that political activity cannot be grounds for financial compensation. Fletcher appealed this decision before the Manitoba Court of Appeal, and hired former New Democratic Party cabinet minister Sidney Green as his attorney.Template:Ref
The Court of Appeal ruled against Fletcher in May 2003.Template:Ref He later tried to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada,Template:Ref but the court twice declined to hear his case.Template:Ref In September 2003, Fletcher filed a lawsuit against former provincial cabinet minister Becky Barrett, arguing that she had "maliciously" interfered in his legal battles.Template:Ref
Federal politician
Late in 2003, Fletcher defeated Don Murdock to win the Canadian Alliance nomination for Charleswood—St. James in the 2004 federal election.Template:Ref He later supported the merger of the Canadian Alliance with the more centrist Progressive Conservative Party of Canada,Template:Ref and endorsed Stephen Harper's bid to lead the merged Conservative Party of Canada in early 2004.Template:Ref Fletcher's Alliance nomination was invalided by the merger, and he was required to contest another nomination for the new party. He defeated Murdock a second time, and was declared the riding's Conservative candidate in March 2004.Template:Ref
Fletcher defeated star Liberal candidate Glen Murray, a popular former Mayor of Winnipeg, by 734 votes in the 2004 election. His victory was considered an upset, although polls before election day indicated the result would be close.Template:Ref The Liberal Party won a minority government nationally, and Fletcher was named as Senior Health Critic in the Official Opposition.Template:Ref
Fletcher is the first Member of Parliament (MP) in Canadian history with a permanent disability. A running joke during his first campaign was that he would have to be a front bench MP, as the backbenches are not wheelchair-accessible.Template:Ref His election created the need for a "stranger to the House" — a person who is not officially an MP or officer of Parliament — to be on the Commons floor during sessions.Template:Ref
Opposition MP
As Conservative Health Critic, Fletcher described himself as a supporter of the Canada Health Act but also indicated a willingness to permit greater private-sector involvement. He suggested that the government is "notorious for stifling innovation", and argued that the private sector should not be "pigeonholed like doctors who tried to pigeonhole me".Template:Ref In response, Liberal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh argued that the Conservative position would jeopardize the principles of the Canada Health Act.Template:Ref
On April 20, 2005, the House of Commons supported Fletcher's Motion to compensate all Canadians who were infected with Hepatitis C by the Canadian Red Cross as a result of its failure to test blood samples.Template:Ref This was a major development in a decade-long struggle to have the pre-1986 and post-1990 Hepatitis C victims included in a federal compensation package.
The following month, Fletcher became involved in a controversy unrelated to his parliamentary duties. On May 21, 2005, he apologized for saying "The Japs were bastards" at a veterans' convention in Winnipeg the previous week, in reference to Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. He defended the general intent of his comment, noting that his grandfather had witnessed the Japanese army commit atrocities when he was taken as a prisoner of war after the fall of Singapore.Template:Ref He also acknowledged that he had used outdated language and "language that was inappropriate".Template:Ref
Fletcher was re-elected with an increased majority in the 2006 federal election, as the Conservatives won a minority government nationally. After the election, he was appointed as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Health and the minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.
Table of offices held
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External links
Electoral record
| 2006 federal election: Charleswood—St. James—Assiniboia | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | |||||||||||||||
| Conservative | (x)Steven Fletcher | 20,791 | 46.98 | Liberal | John Loewen | 16,099 | 36.37 | New Democratic Party | Dennis Kshyk | 5,669 | 12.81 | Green | Mike Johannson | 1,700 | 3.84 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 44,259 | 100.00 | |||||||||||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 157 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 44,416 | 69.93 | |||||||||||||||||
| Electors on lists | 63,517 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 federal election: Charleswood—St. James | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservative | Steven Fletcher | 18,688 | 44.29 | $70,305.19 | Liberal | Glen Murray | 17,954 | 42.55 | $71,990.15 | New Democratic Party | Peter Carney | 4,283 | 10.15 | $6,030.25 | Green | Andrew Basham | 880 | 2.09 | $1,061.82 | Marijuana | Dan Zupansky | 337 | 0.80 | $0.00 | Communist | Beatriz Alas | 49 | 0.12 | $654.58 |
| Total valid votes | 42,191 | 100.00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 109 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 42,300 | 65.45 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electors on lists | 64,627 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada. Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available.
Notes and sources
- Template:Note Bill Redekop, "Moose collision shocks naturalists", Winnipeg Free Press, 25 January 1996, A1.
- Template:Note Bill Redekop, "Chinese power play", Winnipeg Free Press, 9 February 1997, B4.
- Template:Note Liz Katynski, "Lightweight, portable device leads to Happy trails", Winnipeg Free Press, 18 June 2003, p. 1.
- Template:Note Paul Samyn, "High emotion for city MP", Winnipeg Free Press, 9 December 2004, A1.
- Template:Note Paul Egan, "Breaking barriers", Winnipeg Free Press, 4 July 2004, A1.
- Template:Note Bill Redekop, "U of M elects quadriplegic man to take charge of students' union", Winnipeg Free Press, 19 February 1999, A3. Fletcher won by 148 votes, receiving just over 1,500 votes of 4,200 cast.
- Template:Note Manfred Jager, "UMSU president seeks to raise school's image", 5 May 1999, Winnipeg Free Press, A16.
- Template:Note Diane Driedger, "Searching for the formula: how University of Manitoba sees its future", Manitoba Business, 1 July 1999, Volume 21, Issue 6, p. 19.
- Template:Note Nick Martin, "Sympathy for the student but no federal financing", Winnipeg Free Press, 23 October 1999, A10.
- Template:Note David Roberts, "Students fight for paper's autonomy", Globe and Mail, 25 March 1990, A11.
- Template:Note "U. Manitoba paper keeps editorial autonomy", U-Wire, 4 April 2000.
- Template:Note "In Brief", Winnipeg Free Press, 7 March 2000, A9. His brother graduated, and the new vice-president was Colleen Bready. The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations is not affiliated with the Canadian Alliance political party.
- Template:Note "In Brief", Winnipeg Free Press, 27 May 2000, A7.
- Template:Note "U of M students union cancels Legislature protest", Winnipeg Free Press, 14 September 2000, A5.
- Template:Note "University-feud", Broadcast News, 2 October 2000, 09:34 report.
- Template:Note Nick Martin, "Students' union president criticized", Winnipeg Free Press, 3 October 2000, A7.
- Template:Note "Stefanson-Tuxedo", Broadcast News, 13 October 2000, 13:31 report.
- Template:Note Scott Edmonds, "Manitoba students union anything but united over controversial president", Canadian Press, 31 October 2000, 16:42 report.
- Template:Note "Mba prof suggests scrapping unions and tenure for professors", Canadian Press, 17 December 2000, 21:37 report.
- Template:Note Steven Fletcher, "How to fix our universities", Winnipeg Free Press, 29 March 2001, A15.
- Template:Note Steven Fletcher, "Do we really need another university?", Winnipeg Free Press, 24 July 2001, A13.
- Template:Note Nick Martin, "'Education is what saved me'", Winnipeg Free Press, 29 May 2002, A13.
- Template:Note Helen Fallding, "Grassroots will choose new top Tory", Winnipeg Free Press, 18 November 2001, A3.
- Template:Note Daniel Lett, "PC boss eyes Alliance Fletcher seeks candidacy in next federal election", Winnipeg Free Press, 19 April 2003, B1.
- Template:Note Mia Rabson, "PC party president fights for assistant's travel costs", Winnipeg Free Press, 11 April 2003, A3.
- Template:Note David Kuxhaus, "Tory president loses appeal MPI's decision on expenses stands", Winnipeg Free Press, 3 May 2003, B4.
- Template:Note Mia Rabson, "Tory boss wants Supreme Court to hear his case against MPI", Winnipeg Free Press, 17 June 2003, A8.
- Template:Note Mia Rabson, "High court rebuffs bid for support", Winnipeg Free Press, 9 January 2004, B1 and "High Court declines to hear insurance appeal of Winnipeg MP Steven Fletcher", Canadian Press, 18:33 report.
- Template:Note "Tory president files suit against Barrett, MPI", Winnipeg Free Press, 16 September 2003, B3.
- Template:Note Mia Rabson, "High-profile Tories running for Alliance", Winnipeg Free Press, 9 September 2003, B2.
- Template:Note Mia Rabson, "Local conservatives react with elation", Winnipeg Free Press, 17 October 2003, A11.
- Template:Note "Old Tories spoiling for a united fight", Winnipeg Free Press, 17 January 2004, A3.
- Template:Note Alexandra Paul, "Fletcher nomination galvanizes Tories", Winnipeg Free Press, 5 March 2004, A4. Fletcher won the nomination by a margin of 242 votes to 189.
- Template:Note Mary Agnes Welch, "Sure things, long shots and... who knows?", Winnipeg Free Press, 27 June 2004, B1.
- Template:Note Jim Brown, "Conservative Harper seeks middle ground in new shadow cabinet", Canadian Press, 22 July 2004, 15:22 report.
- Template:Note Mary Agnes Welch, "Wheelchair can't slow Fletcher's drive to win", Winnipeg Free Press, 18 June 2004, A21.
- Template:Note Graeme Smith and Jane Taber, "Paralyzed MP plans to change attitudes in Ottawa", Globe and Mail, 30 June 2004, A1.
- Template:Note Don Martin, "From a frozen ditch to Parliament Hill", National Post, 5 October 2004, A19.
- Template:Note Colin Perkel, "Tory move would threaten medicare, Dosanjh says", Globe and Mail, 20 April 2005, A4.
- Template:Note Mark Kennedy, "Liberals grant funds to all hep C victims", National Post, 21 April 2005, A7.
- Template:Note Mary Agnes Welch, "Fletcher upsets vets, Japanese-Canadians", Winnipeg Free Press, 21 May 2005, A3.
- Template:Note "MP apologizes for use of `inappropriate' language to describe Japanese", Canadian Press, 21 May 2005, 14:50 report.