A Short/Long List of Reverend Huy Dang's Favourite Members of Parliament written on Sunday, February 19, 2012 by Huy Dang As you know by now, I'm a huge fan of the Conservative Party of Canada. They formed the Government of Canada just over six years ago, and a lot of interesting events have occurred over the years. However, this is something I've never done before... listing my favourite Members of Parliament (MPs) and reasons as to why I love them. So, here is a list of my favourite current MPs as of February 2012, in no particular order. You may notice that my reasons for the following MPs are of a nonsensical nature (this list includes ministers I never get tired of hearing during question period). Honourable John Baird Minister of Foreign Affairs Riding: Ottawa West-Nepean Elected: January 23, 2006 Did you really think I wouldn't include Mr. Baird in this list? The Honourable John Baird is currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs in our current Conservative government. Previously, Mr. Baird was a Member of Provincial Parliament for Ontario in the electoral districts of Nepean and Nepean-Carleton. Prior to becoming a Member of Provincial Parliament, Mr. Baird attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, earning an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in political studies. Mr. Baird is a tireless advocate of local issues, and made it obvious, according to his now-no-longer-updated blog. Throughout his time in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, he served in a number of capacities, including Minister of Community and Social Services, Minister Responsible for Children, Deputy House Leader, Chief Government Whip, Minister of Energy and Government House Leader. Mr. Baird eventually ran federally and was first elected as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Ottawa West-Nepean on January 23, 2006. On February 6, 2006, Mr. Baird was appointed to the Privy Council as President of the Treasury Board in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first cabinet. Mr. Baird later served as the Minister of Environment. Mr. Baird was successfully re-elected in Ottawa West-Nepean in the 2008 general election for the 40th Parliament. Shortly after, Mr. Baird was sworn in as Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. In August 2010, recognizing Mr. Baird's ability to reach across the aisle and work with Members of Parliament from all parties, Prime Minister Harper asked Mr. Baird to help make Parliament work by asking him to serve as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. In November 2010, the Prime Minister also asked Mr. Baird to serve once again as Minister of Environment. In 2010, Mr. Baird was named "Parliamentarian of the Year" by Maclean's in 2010. On May 2, 2011, Mr. Baird was successfully re-elected a second time and was named Minister of Foreign Affairs shortly afterwards. Aside from Mr. Baird's impressive background, there are other, obvious reasons as to why I like John Baird. Here are some of them of them: Honourable Joe Oliver Minister of Natural Resources Riding: Eglinton-Lawrence Elected: May 2, 2011 Joe Oliver is the Minister of Natural Resources for the Government of Canada and was elected in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, when he succeeded in defeating Joe Volpe in the 2011 election, which resulted in a strong, stable, national, majority Conservative government. Mr. Oliver has an impressive educational background and has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University that he earned in 1961 before earning a Bachelor of Civil Law degree in 1964 at the same school. He eventually received an MBA in 1970. Mr. Oliver is a pretty impressive fellow, but I quite enjoy his heated exchanges with his NDP critic, Megan Leslie. However, she's not the only person he deals with. Here's an example: Honourable Jim Flaherty Minister of Finance Riding: Whitby-Oshawa Elected: January 23, 2006 Elected on January 23, 2006, one day after my 17th birthday and before the Conservative Party of Canada won a strong, stable, national, majority, Conservative government. Mr. Flaherty is the only cabinet minister within the Conservative government that has held the same job for the entire duration of the government's current tenure. Prior to being elected to Parliament, Mr. Flaherty served as the Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario for the riding of Whitby-Ajax and once served as the Minister of Finance in Ontario. Mr. Flaherty has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University, as well as a Bachelor of Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School from York University. Prior to entering political life, Mr. Flaherty was an attorney. Overall, however, Mr. Flaherty is one of my personal favourites, based on these two incidents (and more I can't find videos for): Sure, Peter Julian thinks he "burned" Jim Flaherty, but Mr. Flaherty is the one that "burned" Mr. Julian. Honourable Steven Blaney Minister of Veterans Affairs Riding: Lévis-Bellechasse Elected: January 23, 2006 Elected on January 23, 2006, Mr. Blaney was a civil engineer prior to becoming a Member of Parliament. As of the current 41st Parliament, Mr. Blaney was named as the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Mr. Blaney can be quite entertaining, particularly during question period when he speaks English. Honourable Christian Paradis Minister of Industry Riding: Mégantic-L'Érable Elected: January 23, 2006 Mr. Paradis is currently the Minister of Industry. He has held various positions within the Conservative government and they include: Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Minister of State (Agriculture) Minister of Public Works and Government Services Minister of Natural Resources Minister of Industry Mr. Paradis resides in Thetford Mines, Québec. Prior to entering politics, Mr. Paradis was a lawyer, and still is. He is a graduate of the Université de Sherbrooke and has a master's degree in corporate law from Université Laval. He is one of the most interesting ministers to listen to, particularly when he speaks English, as demonstrated in this video: Honourable Vic Toews Minister of Public Safety Riding: Provencher Elected: November 27, 2000 Mr. Toews is currently the Minister of Public Safety in the current Conservative government. Mr. Toews has served numerous positions over the years while in government: President of the Treasury Board Minister of Public Safety Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Mr. Toews is certainly one of the most interesting cabinet ministers within the Conservative government, as shown in this video: What's funny about this video is that Mark Holland, and the women behind him (Siobhan Coady and Bonnie Crombie) were all defeated during the general election that occurred on May 2, 2011. Mr. Toews, however, recently got into some hot water after introducing Bill C-30, the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. Critics allege that the bill will give police access to information without a warrant. However, what really sparked "outrage" was when Mr. Toews said that those who do not support the bill are siding with child pornographers, resulting in an annoying trend on Twitter. Kelly Block Member of Parliament Riding: Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar Elected: October 14, 2008 Kelly Block was elected in the Saskatchewan riding of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar after replacing Carol Skelton in that year's election. Prior to becoming a Member of Parliament, Kelly was the mayor of Waldheim, Saskatchewan for two terms. She was then elected to the House of Commons on October 14, 2008, and was re-elected on May 2, 2011 with a bigger victory over her closest rival, Nettie Wiebe, from the NDP. But more importantly, Kelly is my very own Member of Parliament. Honourable Tony Clement President of the Treasury Board Riding: Parry Sound-Muskoka Elected: January 23, 2006 Tony Clement has served in numerous positions during the 6+ years the Conservative government has been in power, and is currently the President of the Treasury Board. Over the years, Mr. Clement has served as the Minister of Health, Minister of Industry. Currently, he is the Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario and the President of the Treasury Board. Born in Britain, Mr. Clement moved to Canada at a young age and once ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, losing to Stephen Harper, the current leader of the party and prime minister. Mr. Clement is certainly an interesting character, but he is usually more entertaining on the mean virtual streets of Twitter. As part of Canada's democratic system, elections in the future are inevitable. As such, these political figures are only my favourite for the 41st (and current) Parliament. Should the 42nd Parliament dramatically change with the addition of new Conservative MPs, I will publish an updated list, provided that this website still exists in 2014 or 2015.