Colin Carrie

Colin Carrie (born April 11, 1962 in Hamilton, Ontario is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Oshawa (electoral district) in the province of Ontario for the Conservative Party of Canada.

Colin Carrie was elected to the House of Commons in June 2004. He was re-elected in January 2006, and once again in October 2008. On February 7, 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Carrie to the post of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, at that time the Honourable Maxime Bernier, and since August 2007 the Honourable Jim Prentice.

Carrie is the son of a late Royal Canadian Navy officer, and lived in several Canadian cities before settling in Oshawa, Ontario at age fifteen. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo, and was awarded a Doctor of Chiropractic in 1989 from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1989. He has worked as a chiropractor in private life, and is co-owner of the Lakeview Chiropractic and Wellness Clinic. He is past executive member of the Durham Chiropractic Society and former chair of Spinal Health Week in Durham Region, and has been financial secretary of the Oshawa Knights of Columbus.

Carrie was a director of the Oshawa Progressive Conservative Party of Canada Association, before that party's 2004 merger with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party. He was elected for Oshawa in the Canadian federal election, 2004, defeating New Democratic Party candidate Sid Ryan and Liberal Party of Canada Louise Parkes in a close three-way race. In a close two-way race with returning NDP challenger Sid Ryan, Carrie retained his seat in the 2006 election as part of the first Conservative government to be elected in Canada in almost 13 years.

In the 38th Parliament, Carrie served as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health. After his election in 2004, he reintroduced Private Member's Bill C-420 (previously introduced by James Lunney) to end the listing of vitamins, minerals and related products as drugs under the Canadian Food and Drugs Act. This measure, endorsed and largely designed by Freedom Party of Ontario activist Trueman Tuck, has been criticized by some as removing a safety provision from the regulation of natural health products. Supporters of the bill argued that it would benefit the position of small producers relative to the pharmaceutical industry. Carrie has served as Chair of the Conservative Party of Canada’s (CPC) Automotive Caucus and was a member of the CPC's Energy Caucus and Seniors Caucus.

On January 19, 2007, Elections Canada charged Alan Clarke, a former activist in Carrie's 2004 federal election campaign over an alleged defamation against Oshawa NDP candidate, Sid Ryan. Ryan, who is Ontario President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), also launched a one million dollar libel suit against Clarke. Carrie's campaign manager, Andrew Morin, suggested that the leaflet is a product of union squabbling over an endorsement by the Canadian Auto Workers, and stated that Ryan and Carrie were on good terms. In May 2008, a judge rejected the Crown's arguments and acquitted Clarke on all charges. matter.

On June 3, 2008 General Motors of Canada announced it would stop producing light duty pick-up trucks at its Oshawa truck assembly plant in 2009. Carrie, along with Whitby-Oshawa MP and Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty, were criticized by some members of CAW Local 222 for not having visited a union-initiated illegal blockade of GM's corporate headquarters in Oshawa, when many other federal, provincial, and municipal politicians had done so. Carrie also came under repeated fire from Local 222 President Chris Buckley, who told union members that Carrie had neglected to call until nearly two full days after GM's announcement.

External links

• Official site
• How'd They Vote?: Colin Carrie's voting history and quotes
• Parliament Webpage