Michael Chong
Windsor 42° 17' 9.07" N, 82° 58' 41.05" W Politics Person
Michael David Chong, PC, MP (traditional Chinese: 莊文浩; simplified Chinese: 庄文浩; Mandarin Pinyin: Zhuàng Wénhào; Jyutping: Zong1 Man4 Hou6, born November 22, 1971) is a Canadian politician. He has represented the riding of Wellington—Halton Hills in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Sport, as well as the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada from February 6, 2006 to November 27, 2006. Chong is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Early life and career
Chong was born to a Hong Kong father and a Dutch mother in Windsor, Ontario. He was raised near Fergus in Wellington County, and from Centre Wellington District High School. He studied for a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History at the University of Toronto's Trinity College, interrupting his studies to take a job with Canadian Tire. He later completed his degree in Philosophy. Chong has worked in information technology, holding senior positions at Barclays Bank and Research Capital Corporation. Prior to his election, he worked as Chief Information Officer for the National Hockey League Players Association and was a senior technology consultant at the GTAA for the redevelopment of Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Chong was a founding member of The Dominion Institute. He served on the board of the Groves Memorial Hospital from 2002 to 2004, later serving on the board of the Elora Festival and Elora Festival Singers as well as the Corporation of Trinity College.
Chong is married to Caroline (Carrie) Joan Davidson who is a descendant of William Whiteway, a pro-Confederation politician who served as Premier of Newfoundland in the 1890s. They have three sons, William (born 2004), Alistair (born 2007) and Cameron (born 2009), and live just outside of Fergus in Wellington County.
Politician
Chong joined the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in the late 1980s. He ran for parliament in the 2000 federal election as a Progressive Conservative, and finished third Waterloo—Wellington against incumbent Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Lynn Myers. Chong supported Peter MacKay for the leadership of the federal PC party in 2003.
Conservative MP
In early 2004, the Progressive Conservatives merged with the Canadian Alliance to create the Conservative Party of Canada. Chong joined the new party, and in March 2004 defeated Marty Burke to win its nomination for Wellington—Halton Hills.[ He was elected in the 2004 federal election, defeating Liberal Bruce Hood by over 2,000 votes.
Chong is primarily known as a fiscal conservative, and is considered a moderate in his party. He declared his personal support for the Kyoto Protocol during the 2004 federal election, despite his party's opposition to the measure. He supported Elizabeth Witmer's bid to lead the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in 2001-02, and supported John Tory for the same position in 2004.
Chong wrote an opinion editorial for the Globe and Mail newspaper in late 2004 entitled "Canadians without hyphens", criticizing John Barber's suggestion that there were not enough Chinese-Canadian MPs representing areas with large Chinese populations. Chong noted he was elected in a riding with a 97% caucasian population, while John McCallum was elected in Markham—Unionville, which is more than 60% Asian. Chong argued that these results reflected his idea of Canada, adding that he favoured the creation of a "common Canadian identity that will allow for greater understanding among ethnic groups".
Like most Conservative MPs, Chong voted against the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Canada in 2005. A majority of MPs from other parties supported the measure, however, and same-sex marriages were granted legal recognition. In December 2006, Chong reversed his previous position and became one of thirteen Conservative MPs to vote against re-opening the marriage debate.
Cabinet minister
Chong was re-elected in the 2006 federal election. In February 2006, he was appointed to the cabinet in Stephen Harper's government as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and Minister of Sport. He was the second Chinese-Canadian cabinet minister in Canadian history, after Raymond Chan. On November 27, 2006, Michael Chong resigned his cabinet post as he did not support a government motion recognizing the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada.
In the buildup to the 2006 federal budget, Chong met with various provincial representatives to discuss ways of approaching Canada's equalization formula between the federal government and the provinces. Prior to the budget's release, he described the existing system as "a mess".[ Some politicians in Ontario expressed concern that the deal would be unduly favourable to Quebec and unfavourable to their province. Later in the year, Harper government indicated that it would automatically transfer future surpluses to the provinces.
In September 2006, the Canadian media reported that the Harper government was considering a plan to transfer $3 billion to the provinces each year. Every province except Newfoundland and Labrador would gain revenue, with Quebec gaining the most at $1.1 billion.
In early 2006, Chong said that his government would fulfill an election pledge to devote 1% of federal health spending (about $350 million) to health promotion and amateur sports. He represented the Harper government as a representative at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. This funding did not appear in the 2006 budget, although the Harper government introduced an annual sports tax credit of $80 per child.[21]
In June 2006, Chong indicated that the federal government would not provide federal funding to the "Out Games", a gay-and-lesbian themed athletic competition held in Montreal. The following month, Chong provided $395,000 to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, to make its collection accessible online. He has also discussed the possibility of restarting Canada's ParticipACTION program, which encourages ordinary citizens to become more involved in sports and athletic events. The program was restarted in February 2007, after Chong resigned from cabinet.
Chong pledged $3.5 million to the 2008 North American Indigenous Games in early November 2006. Later in the same month, he announced the creation of Podium Canada to consolidate Canada's medal strategies for the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Chong opposes using the Great Lakes as a water source for inland communities. He has expressed concern about depopulation in rural Ontario, and supports continued door-to-door rural mail service programs.
Resignation
Chong unexpectedly resigned from cabinet on November 27, 2006, to express his opposition to a motion before the House of Commons, put forward by Prime Minister Harper, which recognized "the Québécois as a nation within a united Canada". Chong said that the motion was akin to ethnic nationalism, which he opposes. During the press conference he held to announce his decision, he said "I believe in one nation, undivided, called Canada".