Bob Rae, Liberal Member of Parliament, Toronto Centre
Friday June 14, 2013 - Toronto Roundtable Event - Political Leadership: Lessons Learned in the Hot Seat
As the Liberal Party of Canada embarks on a new era, the Hon. Bob Rae reflected on his time as Interim Leader and his views on the road ahead for the party. This off-the-record roundtable was a unique opportunity to openly discuss both the hard issues and the broader themes in the Canadian political landscape.
Bob Rae is the Liberal Member of Parliament in the federal riding of Toronto Centre.
Bob Rae served as Ontario’s 21st Premier from 1990 to 1995, and since 1978 has been elected eleven times to federal and provincial parliaments. From 2011 to 2013, he served as the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. In 2011 Mr. Rae was named by his colleagues as "Parliamentarian of the Year".
Mr. Rae studied History, Politics and Law at the University of Toronto and Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1980 and from 1996 to 2006 was a Partner at Goodmans LLP in Toronto.
Mr. Rae is the past president and founding Chairman of the Forum of Federations and served as Chairman of the Institute of Research on Public Policy (IRPP). He was chair of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and has been the Chairman Emeritus of the Royal Conservatory of Music, as well as National Spokesperson of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. He was the Chief Negotiator of the Canadian Red Cross Society in its restructuring, and also served as a member of the Canada Transportation Act Review and the Security and Intelligence Review Committee for Canada. He has served on the boards of a number of public companies and charities. He was Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University from 2002 to 2007.
Mr. Rae completed a review of Ontario’s Postsecondary School Education for the Ontario Provincial government, with a report entitled, Ontario: A Leader in Learning, which in turn led to significant policy and budgetary changes.
In the spring of 2005, Mr. Rae was appointed a special advisor to the Canadian Minister of Public Safety on the Air India bombing of 1985. His report, Lessons to be Learned was published in November of 2005 and led to his further appointment as Independent Counsellor to the Prime Minister of Canada.
Mr. Rae’s books From Protest to Power, The Three Questions, Canada in the Balance, and Exporting Democracy are published by McClelland & Stewart.
Mr. Rae is Senior Fellow of Massey College in the University of Toronto. He has received numerous Honourary Degrees and Awards from universities and organizations in Canada and abroad.
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