Bob Kaplan

Robert Philip "Bob" Kaplan, PC QC (December 27, 1936 – November 5, 2012) was a Canadian politician and lawyer.

The Honourable Bob Kaplan PC, QC
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Don Valley
In office 1968–1972
Preceded by	Riding created
Succeeded by	James Gillies
Member of the Canadian Parliament for York Centre
In office 1974–1993
Preceded by	James Edgar Walker
Succeeded by	Art Eggleton
Personal details
Born	Robert Philip Kaplan (1936-12-27)December 27, 1936 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	November 5, 2012(2012-11-05) (aged 75) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	Beth Tzedec Memorial Park
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Estherelke Tanenbaum Kaplan (1940-2009)
Relations	Michael Kaplan (brother)
Children	Jennifer Mia Kaplan, John David Kaplan, Raquel Katherine Shulman
Parents	Solomon Charles and Pearl (Grafstein) Kaplan
Residence	Toronto
Alma mater	University of Toronto
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Cabinet	Solicitor General of Canada (1980-1984)
Portfolio	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance (1976-1977) Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Health and Welfare (1975-1976)

Life and career

Born in Toronto, Ontario to Solomon and Pearl Kaplan and brother of Michael Kaplan. Kaplan attended and graduated from Forest Hill Collegiate after spending one year at Vaughan Road Collegiate Institute[1] in Toronto and received a Bachelor of Arts in 1958 and an LL.B in 1961 from the University of Toronto. In 1963, he was called to the Ontario Bar.

He was first elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Don Valley in 1968, beating the Progressive Conservative candidate, Dalton Camp. He lost to the PC candidate, Jim Gillies, in the 1972 election. For the 1974 election, he switched ridings to York Centre and won by over 16,000 votes. In 1978, he failed to implement Bill C-215, which would have stripped Canadians of their citizenship if they had been convicted of war crimes.[2]

He was re-elected in the 1979, 1980, 1984 and 1988 elections. He was the Solicitor General of Canada from 1980 to 1984 and oversaw the creation of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Security Intelligence Review Committee and the termination of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Security Service.[3] Kaplan was also responsible for bringing in the Young Offenders Act in 1984 which established 12 as the minimum age for criminal charges, brought in shorter sentences for most offenders under the age of 18 and banned the publication of youths charged or convicted of criminal acts in most circumstances.[4] He also pressed for and oversaw the extradition of Helmut Rauca to West Germany for war crimes.[5]

After leaving politics in 1993, Kaplan served as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Canada and was awarded the Order of Kazakhstan by its president in recognition of his service to the Republic. He was a director of PetroKazakhstan Inc., Platexco Inc., and Rex Diamond Mining Corp. In 2004, he joined the Board of Directors of European Goldfields, a Canadian-based resource company involved in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Romania and the Balkans.[4]

Kaplan died on November 5, 2012 at the age of 75 from cancer.[4]

References

1. http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/vaughanroad/HallofFame/HonourableRobertPKaplan.aspx
2. McCormack, Timothy. "The Law of War Crimes", 1997, p. 152
3. MacKrael, Kim (November 5, 2012). "Robert Kaplan, father of CSIS, dies at age 75". Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
4. Kraft, Frances (November 13, 2012). "Former solicitor general 'made a big difference'". Canadian Jewish News. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
5. Farber, Bernie (November 6, 2012). "Robert Kaplan fought to uncover Nazis in Canada". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 18, 2012.

External links

• Bob Kaplan – Parliament of Canada biography