Gary Lunn

Gary Vincent Lunn, PC (born May 8, 1957 in Trail, British Columbia) is a Canadian former Member of Parliament for the British Columbia riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands. He served in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2011, first as a member of the Reform Party of Canada and subsequently as a member of the Canadian Alliance and the Conservative Party of Canada. He was Minister of State (Sport) in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Official Opposition Critic for Métis and Non-Status Indians, Minister of State for Northern Development, and Critic of the Secretary of State for Human Resources Development. Lunn lost his seat in the 2011 federal election in Canada in an upset to the Leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May.[1][2][3][4]

The Honourable

Gary Lunn

PC
Lunn in 2010
Member of Parliament
for Saanich—Gulf Islands
In office
June 2, 1997 – May 2, 2011
Preceded byJack Frazer
Succeeded byElizabeth May
Minister of State (Sport)
In office
2008–2011
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
Preceded byHelena Guergis
Succeeded byBal Gosal
Minister of Natural Resources
In office
2006–2008
Prime MinisterStephen Harper
Preceded byJohn Efford
Succeeded byLisa Raitt
Personal details
Born
Gary Vincent Lunn

(1957-05-08) May 8, 1957
Trail, British Columbia
Political partyConservative (2003-)
Other political
affiliations		Canadian Alliance (2000-2003)
Reform (1997-2000)
Spouse(s)Alexandra Lunn
ResidenceSidney, British Columbia
ProfessionLawyer
PortfolioMinister of State (Sport)

Personal life

He is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada as well as the Knights of Columbus. He attended the University of Victoria, where he completed a Bachelor of Law. He practised law in Victoria for two years before seeking the federal nomination for Saanich—Gulf Islands. He and his family reside in Sidney, British Columbia.[5]

Political career

He was first elected to Parliament in the federal election of 1997 as a member of the Reform Party of Canada and was re-elected in 2000 as a member of the Canadian Alliance. In April 2001, Lunn was one of the first Alliance MPs to openly criticize the leadership of Stockwell Day, and was suspended from caucus in May of the same year as a result. He briefly sat with the Democratic Representative Caucus under the leadership of Chuck Strahl, but in November 2001, he left to rejoin the Alliance after Day agreed to hold a leadership race. He was permitted to return to the party in January 2002, during the leadership of John Reynolds, following Day's resignation. In the federal election of 2006, he won re-election against Liberal Candidate Sheila Orr and NDP candidate Jennifer Burgis.

Minister of Natural Resources

Lunn was Minister of Natural Resources in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper from February 6, 2006 to October 30, 2008, when he became Minister of State (Sport) and Minister responsible for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.[6]

Chalk River reactor shutdown

Lunn fired Linda Keen, the head of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, on January 15, 2008. Keen, who was due to appear before a parliamentary committee the next day, had ordered a shutdown of the NRU reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, which is operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, in November 2007 over the AECL's failure to perform safety upgrades.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee January 16, 2008 Lunn refused to cite one example of what Linda Keen had done wrong in her job, only that she had lost the confidence of the government. "These are the kinds of Republican tactics this town has never seen before," Liberal MP David McGuinty (Ottawa South) told the natural resources committee. "The Prime Minister and the people around the Prime Minister will stop at nothing. ... They will fabricate, in my mind, a case to dismiss a senior official, an independent regulator," McGuinty told reporters later. Lunn told the committee: "We do not believe she fulfilled her duties. There was an urgency to this situation, make no mistake ... it would have meant life and death for some patients."[7]

AECL falls under Lunn's management as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. The reactor shutdown caused problems with supply shortage of medical radioisotopes, which are used for testing to determine whether a patient has a disease. Canada produces more than half the world's supply. The House of Commons of Canada passed emergency legislation in mid-December 2007, with unanimous support, to get NRU restarted quickly. There has been no backup reactor for NRU since NRX was decommissioned in 1992, making it very difficult for upgrades and maintenance to be performed on NRU.

Electoral record
1997 Canadian federal election: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ReformGary Lunn24,27543.06+5.91$61,075
LiberalClark Roberts17,74231.47+5.45$59,743
New DemocraticChuck Beyer8,08014.33−4.53$29,672
Progressive ConservativeMarilyn Loveless4,2437.52−4.00$23,349
GreenJulia Lerner1,5462.74–$745
Natural LawAndy Guest2480.43−0.31$321
Canadian ActionValerie Rampone2340.41–$4,335
Total valid votes 56,368100.00  
Total rejected ballots 1810.32
Turnout 56,54974.26
Reform hold Swing +0.23
2000 Canadian federal election: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
AllianceGary Lunn25,39243.15+0.09$61,497
LiberalKaren Knott19,00232.29+0.82$63,669
Progressive ConservativeDon Page6,04910.28+2.76$10,385
New DemocraticPat O'Neill4,7218.02−6.31$9,666
GreenWally Du Temple3,2435.51+2.77$7,217
Natural LawKathleen Lapeyrouse2170.36−0.07$100
IndependentDan Moreau1230.20–
CommunistCharley Stimac880.14–$189
Total valid votes 58,835100.00  
Total rejected ballots 1650.28
Turnout 59,00070.60
Alliance hold Swing −0.36
Canadian Alliance change is based on the Reform Party.
2004 Canadian federal election: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeGary Lunn22,05034.57−18.86$81,613
LiberalDavid Mulroney17,08226.78−5.51$61,819
New DemocraticJennifer Burgis13,76321.58+13.56$40,318
GreenAndrew Lewis10,66216.71+11.20$79,731
IndependentMary Moreau2140.33–$12
Total valid votes 63,771100.00  
Total rejected ballots 1590.25
Turnout 63,93073.97
Conservative hold Swing −6.68
Conservative change is from a combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative votes.
2006 Canadian federal election: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeGary Lunn24,41637.15+2.58$80,272
New DemocraticJennifer Burgis17,45526.54+4.96$50,412
LiberalSheila Orr17,14426.08−0.70$79,489
GreenAndrew Lewis6,5339.94−6.77$19,061
Western BlockPatricia O'Brien1830.27–$0
Total valid votes 65,721100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1340.20
Turnout 65,85573.2
Conservative hold Swing −1.19
2008 Canadian federal election: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%
ConservativeGary Lunn27,98843.43+6.28
LiberalBriony Penn25,36739.36+13.28
GreenAndrew Lewis6,73210.45+0.51
New DemocraticJulian West3,6675.69−20.85
LibertarianDale P. Leier2460.38–
Western BlockPatricia O'Brien1950.3+0.03
Canadian ActionJeremy Arney1390.2–
Christian HeritageDan Moreau1140.2–
Total valid votes 64,448100.0  
Total rejected ballots 1790.27
Turnout 64,63970.40
Conservative hold Swing −3.50
Julian West was selected as the New Democratic Party candidate for the 2008 election, but withdrew after the filing deadline following a scandal.[8] Due to the late withdrawal his name remained on the ballot.
2011 Canadian federal election: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
GreenElizabeth May31,89046.33+35.88$87,738
ConservativeGary Lunn24,54435.66−7.77$89,604
New DemocraticEdith Loring-Kuhanga8,18511.89+6.20$66,273
LiberalRenée Hetherington4,2086.11−33.25$50,002
Total valid votes/Expense limit 68,827100.0   $293,617
Total rejected ballots 1600.23
Turnout 68,98775.25
Eligible voters 91,673
Green gain from Conservative Swing +21.82

References
  1. "Elizabeth May sees 'clear two-way race' with Tory incumbent Gary Lunn". Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  2. Chamberlain, Cindy E. Harnett, Judith Lavoie, Carla Wilson and Adrian. "Elizabeth May makes political history as first Green MP; unseats cabinet minister". www.vancouversun.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  3. Wintonyk, Darcy (2011-05-02). "Green Party makes history: Elizabeth May wins seat". British Columbia. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  4. Geyer, Felix von (2011-05-03). "Canada's Green party looks to bright future following Elizabeth May victory | Felix von Geyer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  5. Gary Lunn official government webpage Archived 2007-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Gary Lunn - Former Minister of Natural Resources". Sustainable Development Technology Canada. 2015-02-09. Archived from the original on 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  7. Richard Brennan, Bruce Campion-Smith. "PM blasted for firing of nuclear watchdog". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
  8. McCulloch, Sandra (2008-09-24). "NDP candidate who quit over nudity will not be replaced". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
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