Kellie Leitch

Khristinn Kellie Leitch PC OOnt FRCSC (born July 30, 1970) is a former Canadian politician and surgeon who served as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Simcoe—Grey from 2011 to 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party. She was first elected in the 2011 federal election, succeeding Member of Parliament Helena Guergis who was dismissed from the Conservative Party caucus. Following her election, Leitch was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. On July 15, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Leitch Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women. She served in Cabinet until the defeat of the Conservative government in the 2015 federal election. Leitch ran in the 2017 contest for the leadership of the Conservative Party.[1] On January 23, 2018, Leitch announced that she would not be seeking re-election for the 43rd Canadian federal election and would return to being a full-time surgeon.[2]

The Honourable Dr Kellie Leitch PC OOnt FRCSC MD MBA
Minister of Labour
In office July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Lisa Raitt
Succeeded by	MaryAnn Mihychuk
Minister responsible for the Status of Women
In office July 15, 2013 – November 4, 2015
Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Preceded by	Rona Ambrose
Succeeded by	Patty Hajdu
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Simcoe—Grey
In office May 2, 2011 – October 21, 2019
Preceded by	Helena Guergis
Succeeded by	Terry Dowdall
Personal details
Born	Khristinn Kellie Leitch (1970-07-30) July 30, 1970 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Progressive Conservative (Ontario)
Residence	Creemore, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	Queen's University University of Toronto (M.D.) Dalhousie University (M.B.A.)
Profession	Orthopaedic paediatric surgeon; professor
Field	Business, medicine
Institution(s)	University of Southern California University of Western Ontario
Board	CANFAR, National Research Council, YMCA, Genome Canada
Website	kellieleitchmp.com

Training and medical career

Leitch was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the daughter of Eleanor Lynne (Conway) and Kelburne "Kit" McNabb Leitch, who owned and operated a construction company.[3][4][5] She was raised a Catholic, and still practises the religion.[6] She graduated from Queen's University in 1991 with an undergraduate degree.[7] She earned her MD from the University of Toronto in 1994, MBA from Dalhousie University in 1998, and completed the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program in 2001 at the University of Toronto. She became a fellow of clinical paediatric orthopaedics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles/University of Southern California in 2002.[8]

Leitch formerly taught at the University of Western Ontario, where she served as the assistant dean of external affairs at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, and is a former chair of paediatric surgery at the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario.

She was an orthopaedic pediatric surgeon at SickKids Hospital for one year before pursuing a career in politics. Leitch is also an associate professor at the University of Toronto.[8]

Leitch was the founding chair of the Ivey Centre for Health Innovation and Leadership and led the health sector stream of the MBA programme at the Richard Ivey School of Business located at the University of Western Ontario.

In 2009, Leitch founded the Kids Health Foundation (now known as The Sandbox Project), an organization that sought to work with academia, the not-for-profit sector, government and industry to make Canada the healthiest place on earth for children to grow up.[9]

Leitch has maintained her medical credentials while serving in politics, and has hospital privileges at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa.[10]

Political involvement

Leitch is an active member of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.[11] She was a strategist in Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott's leadership bid in 2009.[12] She also served as president of the Ontario PC Campus Association, and has been actively involved in the Conservative Party since she was 14.

Leitch served as chair of the expert panel for the Children's Fitness Tax Credit in 2006, which made recommendations to Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, regarding the best ways to implement this tax credit designed to encourage health and fitness among Canadian children.[13] In 2008, Leitch authored the report entitled Reaching for the Top: A Report by the Advisor on Healthy Children & Youth. The report is a "call to action" for government and industry on key issues affecting Canadian children and youth.[8]

Leitch serves on the boards for CANFAR, the National Research Council, YMCA, and Genome Canada, among others.[8]

Federal politics

On September 17, 2010, The Globe and Mail reported that Leitch would run for the Conservative nomination in Simcoe-Grey. The seat was, at the time, held by Helena Guergis, who was expelled from the Conservative Party. The Globe described Leitch as a "star candidate" and noted that her launch event in Creemore the following day would include former Ontario premier Bill Davis and federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.[14]

Leitch won the nomination over Collingwood mayor Chris Carrier and Paul Throop with 67% of all ballots cast in a large turnout. Leitch won the general election with more votes than any candidate for public office had ever received in Simcoe-Grey, with 31,784 ballots cast for her and a plurality of 20,590 votes, or 49.36% of the vote.[15] Following her election, Leitch was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.

Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women

As part of the February 2014 budget, Leitch announced a $25 million plan to address violence against aboriginal women and girls.[16]

On July 15, 2013, Prime Minister Harper named Leitch Minister of Labour and Minister for the Status of Women. During the 2015 Canadian federal election, Leitch said that she was pro-life when asked at a local debate, citing her experience as a paediatric surgeon as her reason.[17]

Leitch in India as part of a Canadian delegation led by Chris Alexander in 2015.[18]

On October 2, 2015, during the general election, Leitch and then-Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander announced a Royal Canadian Mounted Police "tip line" where Canadians could report "barbaric cultural practices", which, along with the niqab issue, was widely viewed as an attempt to keep cultural and immigration issues at the forefront of the election campaign.[19] Leitch later expressed regret in her involvement of the "barbaric cultural practices tip line".[20] However, in an interview, on the statement the tip line "is a good idea but wasn’t communicated as effectively as it could be to the public" she characterised it as being "absolutely correct".[21]

Conservative leadership election

Although Leitch was re-elected in the 2015 election, the Conservatives were relegated to Official Opposition status. During the election, Leitch campaigned with over 70 Conservative candidates, which prepared the groundwork for her participation in the 2017 Conservative leadership election to replace Stephen Harper.[22] Leitch's policy stances faced similar controversy in October 2015 during the federal election, where she and fellow Conservative MP and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander pledged support and funding to establish a tip-line for Canadians to call in regards to what they called "barbaric cultural practices".[23] Leitch has since made an effort to apologize for her role in the proposed legislation, saying that she regrets her decisions.[24]

She recruited Nick Kouvalis and Richard Ciano to head her leadership campaign,[25] and Andy Pringle of the Toronto Police Services Board was her chief fundraiser.[26] Leitch was the first official candidate to enter the race.[27]

As part of her leadership campaign, Leitch proposed a Canadian value screening for all new residents.[28] Michael Chong, Conservative MP for Wellington-Halton Hills and an opponent of Leitch in the leadership race, spoke out against Leitch's proposal, saying that it "does not represent our Conservative Party or our Canada".[28] Despite the censure, Leitch stood by her proposal. In a September interview with the Canadian Press, Leitch made the following statement in response to the backlash she had been receiving: "I don’t think it's intolerant to believe in a set of values that we expect everyone to share here and include those people who are coming to visit or immigrate to Canada."[29] The focus of her campaign around the policies surprised some of her long-time mentors, such as former Conservative senator Hugh Segal, who couldn't support her leadership bid.[30]

Leitch proposed screening visitors, refugees and immigrants for "Canadian values". This process would include face to face interviews by trained immigration officers with 100% of immigrants, rather than the 10% or so that happens now, with questions pertaining to their views on whether Canadian law should be the only set of laws that applies to all Canadians, hate speech, violence, and equality between genders, sexual orientation, religious & political views.[31] Stephen Maher, based on information he received from former staffers of Letich, argued that her campaign manager Nick Kouvalis, thought that it would give Leitch, a way to win.[32]

In a November 9, 2016 interview with Toronto Life magazine, Leitch cited the belief that gays should not be sentenced to death as an example of one such Canadian value.[33]

During the campaign she was endorsed by Council of European Canadians,[34] but her campaign rejected the endorsement.[35] Regarding the endorsement, Leitch said that for anyone to think her campaign is in any way based on ethnic nationalism is to be willfully ignorant of what her campaign is about.[35]

Leitch finished sixth in the race.

After the leadership race

She was not included into Andrew Scheer's shadow cabinet. In December 2017, it was reported that Essa Township Mayor Terry Dowdall and physician Gillian Yeates were challenging Leitch for the Conservative nomination in Simcoe—Grey for the next election.[36] On January 23, 2018, Leitch announced that she would not seek re-election.[27] Leitch threw her support towards Marc Biss and Tim Bulmer, to be the party candidate for her riding arguing that they were "real conservatives" while believing Yeates and Dowdall were not.[37] On March 24, it was announced that Dowdall won the party nomination for her riding after it was rumoured that he defeated Yeates on the third ballot.[38]

On January 23, 2018, Leitch announced that she would not be seeking re-election for the 43rd Canadian federal election and would return to being a full-time surgeon.

Electoral history

2015 Canadian federal election: Simcoe—Grey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Kellie Leitch	30,612	46.6	-1.8	$101,505.22
	Liberal	Mike MacEachern	25,352	38.6	+25.9	$55,545.97
	New Democratic	David Matthews	6,332	9.6	-7.8	$5,106.83
	Green	JoAnne Fleming	2,923	4.4	-1.1	$5,324.15
	Christian Heritage	Len Noordegraaf	528	0.8	–	$3,879.16
Total valid votes/Expense limit			65,747	100.0		$242,062.43
Total rejected ballots			225	–	–
Turnout			65,972	–	–
Eligible voters			97,145
Source: Elections Canada[39][40]

2011 Canadian federal election: Simcoe-Grey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Kellie Leitch	31,784	49.36	-5.68	$96,128.50
	New Democratic	Katy Austin	11,185	17.38	+6.18	7,993.48
	Independent	Helena Guergis	8,714	13.50	–	57,289.66
	Liberal	Alex Smardenka	8,207	12.75	-8.80	83,148.92
	Green	Jace Metheral	3,482	5.41	-4.71	8,522.13
	Christian Heritage	Peter Vander Zaag	757	1.18	–	4,385.89
	Canadian Action	Gord Cochrane	244	0.38	–	2,512.75
Total valid votes/Expense limit			64,373	100.00	–	$99,651.72
Total rejected ballots			269	0.42	+0.08
Turnout			64,642	66.13	+6.03
Eligible voters			97,755	–	–
	Conservative hold		Swing		-5.93

References

1. "Kellie Leitch, Maxime Bernier enter Conservative leadership race". CTV News. April 6, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
2. "Former Tory cabinet minister, leadership contender Leitch to quit politics". nationalpost.com. January 24, 2018.
3. Edwards, John (April 3, 2011). "Who is Kellie Leitch?". simcoe.com. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
4. Priest, Lisa (October 22, 2009). "'She's so young to take on the leadership role'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
5. Lumley, Elizabeth (May 1, 2009). Canadian Who's Who 2009. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9780802040923.
6. "How Kellie Leitch touched off a culture war - Macleans.ca". September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
7. Queen's staff (January 27, 2010). "Queen's alumni honoured with Order of Ontario". News Centre. Kingston, Ontario: Queen's University. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
8. "Genome Canada-Board of Directors". Ottawa: Genome Canada. 2013. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
9. Leitch, Kellie (March 3, 2010). "Kids Health Foundation founder Dr. Kellie Leitch commends the Speech from the Throne" (Press release). Toronto: Newswire. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
10. "Leitch, Khristinn Kellie CPSO#: 68310". The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
11. Benzie, Robert (March 18, 2009). "Mike Harris is back as Tory kingmaker". The Toronto Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2010.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
12. Cheadle, Bruce (June 12, 2012). "Dr. Kellie Leitch, Conservative MP, Moonlights As Pediatric Surgeon". The Huffington Post. Ottawa. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
13. Richer, Eric (July 31, 2006). "Minister of Finance Appoints Expert Panel to Advise on Children's Fitness Tax Credit". Government of Canada. Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
14. Leblanc, Daniel (September 17, 2010). "With Guergis out in the cold, Tories to unveil new star candidate". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
15. Adams, Morgan Ian (May 3, 2011). "Simcoe—Grey, by the numbers". The Enterprise Bulletin. Collingwood, Ontario. Archived from the original on October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
16. Mas, Susana (September 15, 2014). "Tories table plan to stop violence against aboriginal women and girls". CBC News. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
17. Lum, Zi-Ann (October 2, 2015). "Kellie Leitch, Status Of Women Minister, Tells Crowd She's 'Pro-Life'". Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
18. https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2015/01/canada-india-continue-build-strong-economic-ties.html
19. Milewski, Terry. "Conservatives crank up values clash by taking aim at 'barbaric cultural practices'". CBC. CBC. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
20. Zimonjic, Peter (April 21, 2016). "Kellie Leitch tears up over role in barbaric cultural practices tip line". CBC News. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
21. Charlton, Jonathan (September 2, 2016). "Kellie Leitch: Barbaric cultural practices tip line was a good idea we failed to articulate". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
22. Dickson, Janice (November 9, 2015). "Kellie Leitch campaigned with nearly 70 candidates during election". ipolitics.ca. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
23. Maloney, Ryan (October 2, 2015). "Tories Pledge Tip Line To Combat 'Barbaric Cultural Practices'". TheHuffingtonPost.com. The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
24. Zimonjic, Peter (April 21, 2016). "Kellie Leitch tears up over role in barbaric cultural practices tip line". CBC/Radio-Canada. CBC. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
25. "How Nick Kouvalis turns candidates into winners - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
26. Proudfoot, Shannon. "Behind Kellie Leitch's 'sort-of' campaign for Conservative leader". Maclean's. Maclean's. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
27. "Conservative MP Kellie Leitch won't run in 2019". CBC News. January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
28. Tunney, Catherine (September 2, 2016). "Kellie Leitch defends 'anti-Canadian values' survey question". CBC/Radio Canada. CBC News. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
29. Smith, Joanna (September 6, 2016). "Kellie Leitch says values test is about tolerance". Rogers Media. Maclean's. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
30. Stone, Laura (January 24, 2018). "Kellie Leitch, former Conservative leadership contender, to leave politics". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
31. "Kellie Leitch on screening for Canadian values". February 25, 2017.
32. "The cautionary tale of Kellie Leitch - Macleans.ca". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
33. "Q&A: Kellie Leitch, the potential future prime minister who wants to bring President-elect Trump's message to Canada". Torontolife.com. November 9, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
34. McGregor, Janyce (December 6, 2016). "Conservative leadership contenders spend more time agreeing than debating in Moncton, N.B." CBC News. CBC News. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
35. Browne, Rachel (December 5, 2016). "'I do not want their endorsement'". Vice. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
36. Levitz, Stephanie (December 19, 2017). "Kellie Leitch Among Conservative MPs Facing Nomination Battle For 2019 Election". The Canadian Press. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
37. Cullen, Catherine (March 23, 2018). "Kellie Leitch tears into rivals for her former riding, suggests they're not 'real' conservatives". CBC News. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
38. Adams, Ian (March 24, 2018). "Essa Township's Dowdall wins Simcoe-Grey Conservative nomination". Simcoe.com. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
39. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Simcoe—Grey, 30 September 2015
40. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External links

• Kellie Leitch – Parliament of Canada biography

28th Ministry – Cabinet of Stephen Harper
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Lisa Raitt	Minister of Labour 2013–2015	MaryAnn Mihychuk