Former Cornwall-area MP Guy Lauzon dead at 81
Social Sharing
Guy Lauzon, who won Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry five times for the federal Conservatives in the 2000s and 2010s, has died at age 81.
Current MP for the area Eric Duncan posted about his death on social media Sunday.
Tributes followed from people including the area's MPP Nolan Quinn, the warden for the three local counties and former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole.
Lauzon was a union executive and businessman who ran his first federal race in the Cornwall area for the Canadian Alliance in 2000, coming second to Liberal Bob Kilger.
He went on to win the next five elections there for the Conservatives. He stepped down in early 2019 and Duncan has held the riding for the party since.
"He was a man who truly made a difference and set the bar for those serving in public life," Duncan wrote.
"Guy Lauzon was such a good person. As [party] caucus chair he dedicated a lot of time helping out a rookie MP from Durham after being thrown into things in a by-election," wrote O'Toole, referring to his own win in 2012.
"He was a true gentleman: respectful, kind, and always ready to listen," said Quinn.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
34 minutes ago
- National Post
CUPE Calls on MPs to Reject Dangerous Airline Deregulation Plan
Article content OTTAWA, Ontario — CUPE is urging Members of Parliament to reject the Competition Bureau's latest report on airline competition, warning it poses serious risks to Canadian jobs, public safety, and national sovereignty. Article content The report calls for increased foreign ownership of Canadian airlines and the elimination of anti-cabotage rules to allow foreign carriers to operate domestic flights within Canada. CUPE, which represents 18,500 flight attendants, says these proposals would lead to job losses, lower safety standards, and greater control of Canada's airline industry by foreign interests. Article content Article content 'This is not about giving Canadians more affordable air travel – it's about handing over control of our skies to Wall Street and foreign corporations,' said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. 'Canadians want safe, reliable, and affordable service, not a race to the bottom.' Article content Despite years of deregulation, the airline industry in Canada has seen the opposite of increased competition and more affordable fares. Instead, Canadians have seen increased airline consolidation, service cuts, and skyrocketing fares, especially in remote regions. Article content 'Workers in this industry know that the Competition Bureau's recommendations ignore reality in Canada, and they ignore the importance of a Canadian-owned and operated air network, particularly in times of crisis and emergencies, whether it's evacuating people during wildfires or delivering essential goods,' said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick. 'We can't afford to hand over that control.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts
National Post
37 minutes ago
- National Post
O'Toole, Ambrose, Baird and others call on Carney to take action against Iran
OTTAWA — More than 250 prominent Canadians have signed a letter calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to dial up the pressure against Iran. Article content The letter, sent by pro-Israel group Allies for a Strong Canada, urges Carney to take decisive action to counter Iran's 'malign influence' on the Middle East and broader global landscape. Article content 'In light of Iran's persistent aggression, including its support for terrorist organizations and its attempts to undermine stability in the Middle East, we urge Canada to take a leadership role against it in the international community,' reads the letter. Article content Article content The letter calls for Carney to tighten sanctions on Iran's regime, root out Iranian agents operating on Canadian soil and bar fleeing Iranian officials from taking refuge inside the country. Article content Signatories include former foreign affairs minister John Baird, Retired General Rick Hillier and ex-Conservative leaders Rona Ambrose and Erin O'Toole. It also includes former B.C. premier Gordon Campbell, former Alberta premier Jason Kenney and former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall. Michael Westcott, the executive director of Allies for a Strong Canada, told National Post that the fight against Iran belongs to Canada as much as anyone else. Article content 'Whether it was the recent threats against (ex-justice minister) Irwin Cotler, or the shooting down of Flight PS752 that left 55 Canadians dead, Iran is bad for Canada and bad for the world,' said Westcott. Article content Signatory Kaveh Shahrooz, a lawyer and senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said that Carney must acknowledge the existential threat Iran presents to ally Israel. Article content 'It is important that Canada's government begin from the premise that Israel, like every other state, should have the right to firmly defend itself against continuous and credible threats to its very existence.' Article content
Edmonton Journal
an hour ago
- Edmonton Journal
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi officially an MLA and the party has kept a hold of its Edmonton fortress
Article content Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi is officially an elected provincial politician after winning the Edmonton Strathcona seat by a landslide victory. Monday's provincial byelections in two Edmonton ridings and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills paid off for Alberta's two major parties with Nenshi securing his seat in the legislature and the UCP taking the rural riding by a comfortable victory with little challenge from the separatist party. Article content Speaking to reporters after his victory speech at the Delta Hotels Edmonton South Conference Centre, Nenshi said now that he'll be able to be in the legislature for the fall session, he's looking forward to going toe-to-toe with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. 'We're seeing the Conservatives lose support. So if I'm the premier, I'm starting to think that, geez, maybe doing all these things that I didn't run on, all these things against what I promised, might not be the smartest idea,' Nenshi said. 'I think we're going to see that continuing erosion of trust in this premier.' Unofficial results from Elections Alberta show Nenshi secured 7,952 votes with all 52 polls reported in Edmonton Strathcona. He took home 82.3 per cent of the vote in the riding, compared to UCP candidate Darby Crouch who received 13.6 per cent of the votes. Colin Aitchison, Western Canada director at communications firm Enterprise Canada and a former UCP staffer, said the next six months will be crucial for Nenshi as a leader. Article content 'I think if he's able to demonstrate a return to that level of charisma and communication we saw as Calgary mayor, that really helps launch him into the NDP leadership and and really communicate, not just NDP ideological positions, but what are his policy priorities, and what is he going to do as the government,' Aitchison said. Pointing to the NDP's decline in the polls, Aitchison said if Nenshi is able to respond in a way that appeals to Albertans as the alternative to the current government, it could level the playing field. 'So far to date, he hasn't really clearly articulated where he stands on issues other than opposing the government and that is going to be the real test for him.' UCP unable to crack NDP fortress The victory in Edmonton Strathcona was sweet for the former Calgary mayor who has been without a seat in the legislature since he was elected as the party leader late last June. But the riding to watch Monday evening was Edmonton Ellerslie which began as a tight race between the UCP and the Alberta NDP. Article content Ultimately, Gurtej Singh Brar held the seat for the NDP, triumphing over former UCP MLA Naresh Bhardwaj who was hoping to get back to the legislature after choosing not to seek reelection in 2015. According to Elections Alberta, Brar took home 4,327 votes with all 55 polls reported. He defeated Bhardwaj by 1,088 votes. 'We were confident from day one,' Brar said Monday evening. 'Every day at the doors we were listening to the same thing. Overcrowded schools (and) with health care, there are long, long wait times.' Aitchison said the NDP receiving 50.8 per cent should be a 'wake-up call' for the party, pointing to the UCP making ground in the city and recent polling that shows a decline in NDP support. But he noted the unexpected can happen during byelections due to low voter turnout. Rural Alberta votes UCP amid separatist movement Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, where the Republican Party of Alberta has been looking to stoke the flames of separatism, was held by the UCP's Tara Sawyer who secured 9,363 votes with all 60 polling stations recorded. She defeated second-place candidate Bev Toews of the NDP by more than 6,000 votes, according to the unofficial results from Elections Alberta. Article content Republican Party of Alberta Leader Cameron Davies, a longtime conservative operator who recently resigned his membership in the UCP, was sitting in third place Monday night with 2,705 votes. Aitchison said while the RPA did garner some support, it wasn't nearly enough to challenge the UCP, nor was it unexpected. 'The fact that the New Democratic Party was able to hold onto that second place position in a rural Alberta riding, I think shows that the Republican Party doesn't have the level of organization or potentially broader support that they need to be a real threat to the United Conservative Party to pick up seats in the province,' he said. Sawyer, a farmer from the Acme area who recently served as chair of the Grain Growers of Canada, was nominated after the seat was vacated by the departure of former Speaker Nathan Cooper, who resigned to become Alberta's trade representative in Washington, D.C. Article content Latest National Stories
