Bernard Trottier

Bernard Trottier
Trottier in 2013
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Etobicoke—Lakeshore
In office
May 2, 2011 – August 4, 2015
Preceded byMichael Ignatieff
Succeeded byJames Maloney
Personal details
Born (1965-03-13) March 13, 1965 (age 59)
St. Paul, Alberta, Canada
Political partyConservative
SpouseSusan Schutta
ChildrenAlexandre, Zoë
Residence(s)Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Alberta
University of Western Ontario
ProfessionManagement Consultant

Bernard Trottier (born March 13, 1965) is a former Canadian politician. He was a Conservative Party member House of Commons of Canada who served from 2011 to 2015 representing the Toronto riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore. Trottier was elected in the 2011 federal election when he defeated the Leader of the Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff, who was also the Leader of the Official Opposition.

In February 2015, Trottier was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for La Francophonie. Previously, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services in September 2013.[1]

Early years and education

Born and raised in St. Paul, Alberta,[2] he was born to Dr. Léon Trottier and artist Terry Trottier.[3] After graduating from St. Paul Regional High School in 1983,[3] Bernard Trottier went on to earn his B.Sc.Eng. from the University of Alberta in 1988 and his M.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in 1992. He also attended l'École des Hautes Études Commerciales, l'Université de Montréal/École Polytechnique de Montréal, and the University of Ottawa.[4]

Business career and community activities

Since graduating from the University of Western Ontario in 1992, Trottier has resided in Toronto. Trottier was a management consultant in the Toronto area before joining IBM Global Business Services as a senior consulting manager, a job he held at the time he was elected to Parliament.[3][4] He previously served as the President of the Etobicoke—Lakeshore Conservative Association and of the Sunnylea Co-operative Nursery School. He also volunteered as a coach in the Royal York Baseball League and the Islington Rangers Soccer League.[4]

Entrance to politics

In the 2011 federal election, Trottier won the Toronto riding of Etobicoke—Lakeshore, defeating Leader of the Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff, who was also the incumbent Leader of the Official Opposition.[5][6][7][8][9] The Liberal Party had held 20 of the 22 Toronto ridings prior to the election.[10]

Trottier was initially considered a sacrificial lamb candidate; even he initially didn't expect to win. However, he benefited from a collapse in Liberal support in Toronto which saw the Conservatives claim a total of eight seats in the city. He also benefited from the endorsement of Toronto Mayor and Etobicoke resident Rob Ford. Voters were reportedly also concerned that Ignatieff might resign in the event the Liberals didn't do well.[11] Reports suggested that Ignatieff had initially promised to move into a home inside his riding, but instead he resided in the Downtown Toronto neighbourhood of Yorkville, which rankled Etobicoke—Lakeshore residents and reinforced perceptions of Ignatieff's political opportunism.[12]

Trottier was defeated by Liberal James Maloney in the 2015 election, taking 32 percent of the vote amid the Liberal wave that swept through Toronto.

Electoral record

2015 Canadian federal election: Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal James Maloney 34,638 53.70 +18.60 $154,037.25
Conservative Bernard Trottier 20,932 32.45 -7.78 $114,083.23
New Democratic Phil Trotter 7,030 10.90 -9.40 $27,861.80
Green Angela Salewsky 1,507 2.34 -1.68 $2,045.10
Animal Alliance Liz White 233 0.36 – $4,975.83
Marxist–Leninist Janice Murray 168 0.26 -0.10 –
Total valid votes/expense limit 64,508 99.53   $233,887.62
Total rejected ballots 307 0.47
Turnout 64,815 69.04
Eligible voters 93,880
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +13.19
Source: Elections Canada[13][14]


2011 Canadian federal election: Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Bernard Trottier 21,997 40.35 +5.48 $78,142.35
Liberal Michael Ignatieff 19,128 35.08 -11.05 $68,176.10
New Democratic Michael Erickson 11,046 20.26 +8.60 $19,716.93
Green David Corail 2,159 3.96 -3.02 $6,090.24
Marxist–Leninist Janice Murray 190 0.35 – –
Total valid votes/expense limit 54,520 100.00 – $91,715.45
Total rejected ballots 243 0.44 +0.02
Turnout 54,763 64.02
Eligible voters 85,547 – –

Personal life

A Franco-Albertan, Trottier is fluently bilingual in French and English. He and his wife, Susan Schutta, live in Etobicoke with their two children: Alexandre and Zoë.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Bernard Trottier | Prime Minister of Canada". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Meet Our Candidates: Etobicoke - Lakeshore". Conservative Party of Canada. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c Clare Gauvreau (April 26, 2011). "Former St. Paul man takes on Ignatieff". St. Paul Journal. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d "About Bernard". Bernard Trottier Campaign. Archived from the original on April 25, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  5. ^ "2011 General Election". Elections Canada. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  6. ^ Les Whittington & Susan Delacourt (May 3, 2011). "Ignatieff loses Etobicoke-Lakeshore seat as Liberals crushed". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  7. ^ Antonella Artuso (May 3, 2011). "Liberals suffer historic defeat in Toronto". Toronto Sun. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  8. ^ Ian Munroe (May 3, 2011). "Liberal support collapses in face of NDP surge". CTV News. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Campbell Clark (May 3, 2011). "Layton vows 'constructive' opposition to conservatives". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on November 30, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  10. ^ "Ignatieff joins Toronto liberals in defeat". CBC News. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  11. ^ Church, Elizabeth. The sacrificial lamb who slew Ignatieff Archived 2011-05-07 at the Wayback Machine. The Globe and Mail, 2011-05-03.
  12. ^ "How Bernard Trottier upset Michael Ignatieff". Maclean's. May 16, 2011. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  13. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Etobicoke—Lakeshore, 30 September 2015
  14. ^ Elections Canada – Final Candidates Election Expenses Limits