Al McLean
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| Al McLean | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1981–1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Gordon Smith |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Constituency | Simcoe East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 20, 1937 Barrie, Ontario |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Allan Kenneth McLean (born March 20, 1937) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1999 who represented the riding of Simcoe East. He was a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller and served as speaker of the assembly before being forced out of office due to a scandal.
Politics
He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, defeating NDP candidate Fayne Bullen by about 3,500 votes in the riding of Simcoe East.[1] He served as Deputy Whip of the PC party from 1983 to 1985, and was appointed a minister without portfolio and Chief Government Whip by Premier Frank Miller on February 8, 1985.[2]
McLean's time as a cabinet minister was brief. He was re-elected over Fayne Bullen in the 1985 provincial election, but the Progressive Conservative Party was reduced to a fragile minority government provincially.[3] He was re-appointed as a minister without portfolio responsible for Northern Affairs and Housing on May 17, 1985, but the Miller government was defeated in the legislature one month later and McLean moved with his party to the opposition benches.[4]
McLean was one of only seventeen PC members re-elected in the 1987 provincial election, defeating Liberal Butch Orser by fewer than 1,000 votes.[5] In the 1990 provincial election, he defeated NDP candidate Dennis Bailey by only 740 votes.[6]
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 election, and on this occasion McLean defeated his nearest opponent by more than 14,000 votes.[7] On September 26, 1995, he was chosen as speaker of the legislature.
In August 1996, McLean was accused of sexual harassment by an assistant to the Speaker. She complained that she had been harassed extensively since her appointment in March, six months previous. McLean denied the allegations but further investigations revealed that he had been subject to previous sexual harassment claims ten years prior to this event. In that case McLean settled out of court. The Globe and Mail said that public documents showed that McLean had paid $2,000 to the complainant. When the legislature resumed sitting in September, the opposition NDP introduced a motion demanding that McLean be replaced. The PCs refused to vote on the motion. McLean went on to say that he would sue any MPP that made the decade old reports public. After receiving legal advice that he could not sue, McLean decided to take a three month leave of absence for medical reasons. On September 26, 1996, McLean announced his resignation as Speaker of the House.[8]
References
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