William Alexander "Bill" Blaikie (June 19, 1951 – September 24, 2022) was a Canadian politician. He served as a member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2008, representing Elmwood—Transcona and its antecedent ridings in the House of Commons of Canada for the federal New Democratic Party. Following his retirement from federal politics, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 2009 until 2011, representing the Winnipeg division of Elmwood as a member of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, and served as Minister of Conservation and Government House Leader.
Blaikie had the longest continuous parliamentary record in the 38th and 39th Canadian Parliaments, and in this capacity served as the Dean of the House. He was a member of the King's Privy Council for Canada. Blaikie was the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 2006 to 2008.
Prior to the 2011 Manitoba election, he announced that he was retiring from political life.
Early life and career Blaikie was born to a working-class family in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on June 19, 1951. His parents were Kathleen Taylor and Robert Blaikie. He had two brothers, Bobby and Donnie (both of whom predeceased him), and a sister, Kim. His maternal grandfather, Alexander Taylor, was an emigrant from County Antrim in Northern Ireland who served as the police and fire chief and, in the last years of his life, justice of the peace for Transcona, during which time it was an independent community. His father was employed by Canadian National for over forty years, at first as a machinist and later in management. Blaikie served in The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders of Canada from 1967 to 1972, and was a labourer on and off with the Canadian National Railway from 1969 to 1974 while attending university. He was a member of the Young Progressive Conservatives in high school, and joined the NDP in 1971.Graham Fraser, "Stalwart makes a passionate pitch --- Blaikie says he's the strong leader needed to save medicare", Toronto Star, November 9, 2002, H4.
Blaikie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and religious studies from the University of Winnipeg (1973), and a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel College, Toronto School of Theology (1977). He was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Canada on June 4, 1978, and subsequently became a politician in the social gospel tradition of such figures as J. S. Woodsworth, Tommy Douglas and Stanley Knowles.Blaikie himself delivered the eulogy at Knowles's funeral in 1997. See "Knowles bid fond farewell", Winnipeg Free Press, June 13, 1997, A10. Blaikie explained the linkage between his political and religious views in 2000, writing "As a Christian on the left I would want to argue [...] that there is a vast realm called "the economy," and all the values and practices that it explicitly and implicitly reinforces, that should be judged, in the Christian mind, by whether or not it conforms to the teachings of Jesus Christ, whether any false gods, like the market, are worshipped therein, whether the poor and the oppressed are given priority, and whether, environmentally speaking, creation is being looked after." See Bill Blaikie, "Day's politics versus his faith --- Opposition leader argues from conservative, not biblical principles", Toronto Star, December 2, 2000, 1. From 1977 to 1979, he worked as the Minister/Director of North End Community Ministry, an inner-city outreach ministry of the United Church located within the historic Stella Ave. Mission in Winnipeg.Mary Trueman, "Critics call it an excuse for cutbacks", Globe and Mail, November 3, 1979, P1; Dan Lett, "Voice in the wilderness", Winnipeg Free Press, June 9, 1996, B1; Francine Dube, "Esteemed MP strictly left-wing", National Post, June 6, 2002, A11.
Federal parliamentarian The New Democratic Party has never formed the national government in Canada, and Blaikie served in Ottawa for 29 years as an opposition MP. He held many important critic portfolios, and was respected by members of all parties for his personal integrity and conviction.Bruce Campion-Smith, "Veteran MP set to retire", Toronto Star, March 16, 2007, A6.
Clark, Trudeau and Turner governments (1979–84) Blaikie was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1979 federal election, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative MP Dean Whiteway (who had previously been elected in the riding of Selkirk, which was eliminated by redistribution). The Progressive Conservatives won a minority government under the leadership of Joe Clark, but lost a parliamentary motion of non-confidence later in the year. A new election was held in early 1980, in which the Liberal Party won a majority government under the leadership of Pierre Trudeau, who returned as Prime Minister of Canada. Blaikie was comfortably re-elected in his own riding.
Blaikie was appointed the NDP's Social Policy Critic in 1979,Mary Trueman, "Retired judge is appointed to review medicare system", Globe and Mail, September 18, 1979, P1. and was promoted to Health Critic in 1980.Ross Laver, "Restrict MDs' fees, scrap premiums, Ottawa told", Globe and Mail, September 4, 1980, P1. He was instrumental in forcing Minister of Health, Monique Bégin, to enact the Canada Health Act in 1984, to deal with the crisis in medicare due to user fees and physicians' extra-billing.James Rusk, "Report pleases Conservatives, NDP", Globe and Mail, September 4, 1980, P10; "Begin may pressure provinces to cut out MDs' extra-billing", Globe and Mail, March 18, 1981, P1; Charlotte Montgomery, "Begin assails tactics of CMA over new laws for medicare", Globe and Mail, March 18, 1983, P10; Jean Gray, "Begin fears chain reaction on user fees", Globe and Mail, May 12, 1983, P8; Charlotte Montgomery, "Ottawa threatens cutbacks in funds over extra-billing", Globe and Mail, July 26, 1983, P1; Charlotte Montgomery, "NDP plans meeting on medicare issue", Globe and Mail, August 19, 1983, P3; Charlotte Montgomery, "MDs to seek right to strike if extra-billing banned", Globe and Mail, February 17, 1984, P3; Jeff Sallot, "Alberta intimidating patients about premiums, Begin says", Globe and Mail, May 30, 1984, N12. In her memoirs, Bégin wrote that Blaikie waged "guerilla warfare" in the House of Commons over the issue.Monique Bégin, L'Assurance Santé, (Montréal: Boréal, 1987), p. 167. See also Graham Fraser, "Stalwart makes a passionate pitch --- Blaikie says he's the strong leader needed to save medicare", Toronto Star, November 9, 2002, H4. He also served as caucus chair in 1983–84."The Ottawa Scene", Globe and Mail, June 23, 1984, P5; Francine Dube, "Esteemed MP strictly left-wing", National Post, June 6, 2002, A11.As early as 1980, Blaikie also expressed concern about Canada's media becoming concentrated in increasingly fewer hands. When the Southam newspaper chain shut down the Winnipeg Tribune and left the city's newspaper market to the rival Free Press, he commented that Winnipeggers were now being forced to look at the world "through one eye rather than two", and recommended increased government oversight of the industry. See Ross Laver, "Papers should be licenced, inquiry told", Globe and Mail, December 10, 1980, P10. He expressed the same concern in 2000, when Thompson Corp. announced that it would sell off all of its holdings except The Globe and Mail. Blaikie called for limits on the number of newspapers that any chain could own. See Susanne Craig, "Thomson and Globe shift gears: Flagship publication will be centre of information powerhouse", Globe and Mail, February 16, 2000, A1.
Mulroney and Campbell governments (1984–93) The Progressive Conservatives won a landslide majority government in the 1984 federal election under Brian Mulroney, defeating the Liberals under their new leader John Turner. Blaikie was again returned for his riding, and was appointed NDP Environment Critic in the new parliament."New Tory minister stands firm on cut to wildlife service", Globe and Mail, November 20, 1984, P5. He opposed the Mulroney government's budget cuts and was strongly critical of Environment Minister, Suzanne Blais-Grenier, saying, "It is clear she does not think about the environment. She thinks about the deficit."Michael Keating, "Environment budget cuts called a possible danger", Globe and Mail, December 21, 1984, M5; Michael Keating, "Deficit 'paranoia' is blamed for cut in research financing", Globe and Mail, February 1, 1985, M4. He called for Blais-Grenier's resignation in June 1985, after she remarked that national parks could be opened to mining and logging."NDP environment critic adds voice to calls for Blais-Grenier to resign", Globe and Mail, June 12, 1985, P8. In the same year, Blaikie brought forward a private member's bill calling for a three-year moratorium on the construction and export of nuclear power stations, to be followed by a national referendum on any further development."Referendum urged", Globe and Mail, April 3, 1985, M5. Blaikie later called for Canada to stop marketing its nuclear technology abroad, when the government of India conducted successful nuclear weapons tests in 1998. (Canada had inadvertently provided India with the technology used in its first nuclear test in 1974.) See Allan Thompson, "Ottawa bears responsibility, critics say", Toronto Star, May 13, 1998, A17.
Blaikie spoke against a bill that proposed the return of capital punishment in 1987, saying that its passage would mark "a step toward not a less violent society, but a more violent society".Graham Fraser and Hugh Winsor, "Return of death penalty retrograde step, Hnatyshyn says", Globe and Mail, June 26, 1987, A12. The bill was defeated in a free vote. He was also an opponent of Sunday shopping law reform in this period, arguing that it interfered with a community's right to determine common rest times."121 stores charged in Sunday opening", Globe and Mail, December 9, 1986, A19. Blaikie said, "To my mind, Sunday shopping is one of the final victories of capitalism, of Mammon, and the idolatry of commodity fetishism. Our Constitution says that we recognize the supremacy of God. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Sunday shopping, why do we not drop the pretense and rewrite it to read supremacy of the market place?"
He was promoted to External Affairs Critic in September 1987.Graham Fraser, "Jewett replaced by NDP as external affairs critic", Globe and Mail, September 14, 1987, A4. One of his first major policy statements in this portfolio was to call for Canada to stop allowing American cruise missile tests over its territory."Stop testing cruise, opposition MPs urge", Globe and Mail, October 27, 1987, A5. He was also critical of Canada's proposed Free Trade Agreement with the United States, and released a document entitled A Time To Choose Canada, the New Democrats' Trade Option with fellow MP Steven Langdon in February 1988.Peter Cook, "The visionaries of the NDP go backward into the future", Globe and Mail, February 5, 1988, B2. As may be evident from the article title, Cook was critical of the NDP document. He also served as co-chairman of the NDP's international affairs committee, and held consultation meetings on whether or not the party should reaffirm its traditional opposition to Canadian membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.Susan Delacourt, "Few changes expected in NDP's NATO stand after weekend meeting", Globe and Mail, February 1, 1998, A8.