Jim Hillyer (politician)

James Nation Hillyer[1] (8 July 1974 – 23 March 2016) was a Canadian politician. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the 2011 election, representing the electoral districts of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner until his death.

Jim Hillyer
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner
In office 19 October 2015 – 23 March 2016
Preceded by	LaVar Payne
Succeeded by	Glen Motz
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Lethbridge
In office 2 May 2011 – 19 October 2015
Preceded by	Rick Casson
Succeeded by	Rachael Harder
Personal details
Born	James Nation Hillyer (1974-07-08)8 July 1974 Lethbridge, Alberta
Died	23 March 2016(2016-03-23) (aged 41) Ottawa, Ontario
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Livi Hillyer
Children	4
Residence	Raymond, Alberta

Early life and education

Hillyer was born on 8 July 1974 in Lethbridge, Alberta,[2] and was a native of nearby Stirling.[3] Hillyer earned a master's degree in political economy from George Wythe University (a non-accredited university) in Cedar City, Utah, and took PhD courses in constitutional law.[4]

Hillyer and his wife Livi had four children and resided in Raymond, Alberta.[5] Prior to his marriage, Hillyer was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Quebec.[6]

Political career

Hillyer won a nomination to run in a Saskatchewan provincial election under the Saskatchewan Party banner in a Regina electoral district. He decided to drop out after he was diagnosed with leukemia.[4]

He made a political comeback running for a seat to the House of Commons of Canada in the 2011 Canadian federal election. He contested the electoral district of Lethbridge as a Conservative candidate and held for his party with a large majority.[7]

His decision to not attend any candidate forums after his first was a controversial topic in the riding.[7] Hillyer's absence prompted a local Lethbridge newspaper to dub Hillyer "The Man Who Wasn't There".[6][8] He was also accused of inflating his credentials in campaign literature by emphasizing his graduate education but not mentioning that the institution where he studied—George Wythe University—is non-accredited.[4]

In December 2011, Hillyer stated in the House of Commons that he intended no offence when he made gunshot gestures with his hands as he voted to scrap the Canadian Firearms Registry.[9][10] In promising not to make hand gestures in the Commons in the future, Hillyer suggested that "if people were offended they should blame whoever posted the six-week-old video [on YouTube] on the anniversary" of the École Polytechnique massacre.[9]

In March 2012, Hillyer was caught on camera "rolling his eyes dramatically" in the House of Commons during a speech by NDP MP Pat Martin.[11]

2015 election

Between the 2011 and 2015 federal elections, the electoral boundaries in southern Alberta were changed. Raymond, where Hillyer lived, was moved from the Lethbridge riding to Medicine Hat, which was expanded and renamed Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner for the 2015 election. In 2014, upon learning that Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne would not be running for reelection, Hillyer decided to seek the Conservative nomination for Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner rather than seek re-nomination for Lethbridge.[12]

In July 2014, Payne announced that he would not be endorsing Hillyer for the 2015 federal election, citing Hillyer's poor service of his constituents: "I have no problem saying that I won’t be endorsing Jim [Hillyer] just because of the fact that I know he hasn't served his own riding, and I don’t want that to happen here .... I know that he has not serviced his riding very well. I've had people from Lethbridge, Cardston area and Warner area talk to me about the whole thing, so I certainly won’t be endorsing Jim."[13] However, Hillyer still won by a nearly 4-to-1 margin over his nearest opponent.

Health and death

Hillyer had survived leukemia after receiving a bone marrow transplant in 2003.[5][14] In February 2016, Hillyer underwent surgery for a serious leg bone infection, the latest in a series of complications resulting from breaking his leg while skiing three years previously.[5][15] Hillyer returned to Ottawa after recovering from surgery to vote on the 2016 Canadian federal budget.[15]

After complaining of feeling unwell the previous day, Hillyer, aged 41, was found dead in his Ottawa office on 23 March 2016.[5][14] An autopsy confirmed the cause of death to be cardiomyopathy which may have been caused by either a pre-existing heart condition or caused by chemotherapy he underwent a decade before.[16]

Electoral record

2015 Canadian federal election: Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Jim Hillyer	34,849	68.8	+0.10	–
	Liberal	Glen Allan	9,085	17.9	+6.75	–
	New Democratic	Erin Weir	4,897	9.7	-5.24	–
	Green	Brent Smith	1,319	2.6	-1.84	–
	Independent	John Clayton Turner	500	1.0	+0.23	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			50,650	100.0		$236,204.82
Total rejected ballots			118	–	–
Turnout			50,768	66.11	–
Eligible voters			76,789
	Conservative hold		Swing		+2.67
Source: Elections Canada[17][18]

2011 Canadian federal election: Lethbridge
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Jim Hillyer	27,173	56.51	-10.45	$72,625
	New Democratic	Mark Sandilands	13,097	27.24	+13.02	$36,703
	Liberal	Michael Cormican	4,030	8.38	-0.92	$23,067
	Green	Cailin Bartlett	2,095	4.36	-2.86	$0
	Christian Heritage	Geoffrey Capp	1,716	3.57	+1.26	$14,727
Total valid votes/Expense limit			48,086	100.00
Total rejected ballots			307	0.63	+0.34
Turnout			48,393	54.20	+1
Eligible voters			89,280	–	–

References

1. Campbell, Quinn (1 April 2016). "Conservative MP Jim Hillyer laid to rest". Global News. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
2. "Hillyer, Jim B.A., M.A." Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
3. "Meet Jim Hillyer, M.P." jimhillyer.com.
4. Hall, Vicki (3 May 2011). "Lethbridge: Victorious Hillyer says vote 'turned out for the best'". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
5. "Alberta MP Jim Hillyer found dead in Ottawa office". CBC News. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
6. "'Man Who Wasn't There' surfaces on Hill as new MP". CTV News. Canadian Press. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
7. Modney, Dori (20 April 2011). "Conservative Candidate Jim Hillyer Deletes Forums From His Campaigning". Country 95 News. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
8. Wingrove, Josh (5 May 2011). "Lethbridge's 'Man Who Wasn't There' heads to Ottawa as Tory MP". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
9. "MP Hillyer shot down over gun vote antics". CBC News. Canadian Press. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
10. Rabson, Mia (7 December 2011). "Hillyer sticks to his 'guns'". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
11. Bolen, Michael (2 March 2012). "Jim Hillyer: Pat Martin's Speech On Robocalls And Second World War Veteran Elicits Eye Roll From Tory MP". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
12. Ashbee, Stan (14 July 2014). "Lethbridge MP Hillyer to seek re-election but in Medicine Hat". Sunny South News. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014.
13. "Jim Hillyer Won't get Payne's Endorsement for Conservative Nomination". CHAT-TV. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
14. "Alberta Conservative MP Jim Hillyer dies at age 41". Toronto Star. Canadian Press. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
15. Levitz, Stephanie (23 March 2016). "Party confirms Alberta Conservative MP Jim Hillyer dead at age 41". CFJC Today. Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
16. "MP Jim Hillyer died of heart attack, autopsy confirms". CBC News. Canadian Press. 23 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
17. "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
18. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 15 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Jim Hillyer home page
• Jim Hillyer (politician) – Parliament of Canada biography