Dick Proctor (born February 12, 1941, in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian political activist, former New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of Parliament, and a former journalist.

Dick Proctor
Member of Parliament
for Palliser
In office
1997–2004
Succeeded byDave Batters
Personal details
Born(1941-02-12)February 12, 1941
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political partyNew Democratic Party
ProfessionPolitical staff, Sports journalist

Career edit

Politics edit

Proctor has been active with the NDP in a number of capacities since the 1970s. In the early part of that decade, he was communications director for Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis. He was cabinet press secretary to then-Premier of Saskatchewan Allan Blakeney during the 1978 and 1982 provincial election campaigns.[citation needed] He was executive assistant to federal NDP leader Ed Broadbent in the intervening period.[citation needed]

In the mid-1980s, Proctor worked as the research director for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees and then as the project coordinator of the Canadian Labour Congress in Latin America.[citation needed] He returned to the NDP in 1989 to serve as the party's federal secretary. He then served as provincial secretary for the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 1993 to 1996.[citation needed]

Sports writer edit

He also worked as a journalist for the Edmonton Journal and Toronto Telegram in the 1960s and 1970s, and as sportswriter for The Globe and Mail in the 1970s. Moonlighting for The Hockey News under the pseudonym "Mike Gamble", he wrote a profile of 16-year-old junior hockey player Wayne Gretzky, and may have been the first person to use the phrase "The Great Gretzky".[citation needed]

Tenure in Parliament edit

Proctor entered electoral politics when he won a seat in the 1997 federal election representing the Saskatchewan riding of Palliser. He was re-elected in the 2000 election and served as NDP caucus chair from 2000 until he lost his seat in the 2004 federal election by 124 votes.[1] From 2004 to 2005, he served as chief of staff to NDP leader Jack Layton.[2] He retired to Victoria, British Columbia, in 2005.[citation needed]

As an MP, Proctor forced the resignation of Solicitor-General Andy Scott in 1998 when, on a flight from Ottawa to Saint John, New Brunswick, he overheard an indiscreet conversation between Scott and a political ally discussing the inquiry into the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's handling of protesters at the Vancouver Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. According to Proctor, Scott predicted the outcome of the inquiry thus creating the impression that the judicial inquiry's findings had been predetermined.[citation needed]

Retirement edit

Proctor returned from retirement in October 2008 to act as Interim Federal Secretary for the NDP federal office. The vacancy he is filling was left by Éric Hébert-Daly, who resigned immediately following the 2008 campaign.[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/ElectionsRidings/Ridings/Profile?OrganizationId=6329
  2. ^ Rana, Abbas (April 18, 2005). "Gallagher replaces Proctor as NDP leader Layton's chief of staff, poised for election call: Dick Proctor retiring from politics and will not run in the next election". The Hill Times. Retrieved December 1, 2023.

Sources edit

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by
Electoral district created
Member of Parliament for Palliser
1997-2004
Succeeded by