Arthur Wishart

Arthur Allison Wishart, CM (June 11, 1903 – November 23, 1986) was a politician and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1971. He was a Progressive Conservative member who served in the cabinets of John Robarts and Bill Davis.

Arthur Wishart
Ontario MPP
In office
1963–1971
Preceded byHarry Lyons
Succeeded byJohn Rhodes
ConstituencySault Ste. Marie
Personal details
Born(1903-06-11)June 11, 1903
Chipman, New Brunswick
DiedNovember 23, 1986(1986-11-23) (aged 83)
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Political partyProgressive Conservative
OccupationLawyer

Background

Born in New Brunswick,[1] Wishart obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1930, and then practised in Windsor and Blind River.

Politics

He served as mayor of Blind River before moving to Sault Ste. Marie.

In the 1963 provincial election, he was elected the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Sault Ste. Marie.[2]

He entered the cabinet within a year as Attorney General of Ontario under then Premier John Robarts. He served in that senior cabinet portfolio for seven years, and is credited with shepherding many important pieces of legislation, including the Legal Aid Act of 1966 and the Law Enforcement Compensation Act of 1967.

In 1967, Wishart fired Morton Shulman from his position as Chief Coroner of Metropolitan Toronto as a result of Shulman's criticisms of the government's failure to follow various recommendations made in coroner's inquiries. The dismissal propelled Shulman, until then a long-time Tory, into politics as a candidate and then MPP for the New Democratic Party.

In early 1971, Wishart became Minister of Financial and Consumer Affairs under Robarts's successor, Bill Davis,[3] and served until retiring from politics at the 1971 provincial election.

Wishart was very active on the issue of franchises while he was Minister of Finance and Minister of Consumer and Commercial Affairs. He initiated the Grange Commission, an inquiry held into the financial abuse of franchisees by franchisors. The Arthur Wishart (Franchise Disclosure) Act, passed in 2000 was named in his honour.

Cabinet positions
Ontario provincial government of Bill Davis
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Bert Lawrence Minister of Financial and Commercial Affairs
1971 (March–December)		 Gordon Carton
Ontario provincial government of John Robarts
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor Office Successor
Frederick Cass Attorney General
1964–1971
Also Minister of Justice 1966–1971		 Allan Lawrence

Later life

After leaving politics, he served the province as chairman of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board and later of the Commission on Election Contributions and Expenses. He returned to Queen's Park in 1973 as a liaison between Premier Davis and the Progressive Conservative caucus.

Wishart was a supporter of Sault Ste. Marie's local university, Algoma University, and in 1989 a new wing was built at Algoma to house the Arthur A. Wishart Library.

In 1976, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He died on November 23, 1986.[4]

References
  1. Charles Whately Parker; Barnet M. Greene (1980). Who's who in Canada. 70. International Press Limited.
  2. Canadian Press (September 26, 1963). "78 in Tory Blue Wave -- 23 Is All Grits Saved". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 25. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  3. Manthorpe, Jonathan; Slinger, John (March 2, 1971). "Changes in policies promised: Davis priorities to include environment and jobless". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  4. R.B. Byers; John T. Saywell (March 1, 1990). Canadian annual review of politics and public affairs. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802057716.
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