Frank de Jong

Frank De Jong

Speaking at an economics forum in 2007
Leader of the Yukon Green Party
Assumed office
2016
Preceded by Kristina Calhoun
Leader of the Green Party of Ontario
In office
1993–2009
Preceded by First Leader
Succeeded by Mike Schreiner
Personal details
Born (1955-10-16) October 16, 1955
West Luther Township, Ontario
Nationality Canadian
Political party Green Party of Ontario
Other political
affiliations		 Green Party of Canada
Occupation Environmentalist, politician
Profession Elementary school-teacher

Frank de Jong, (born October 16, 1955 in West Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician, environmentalist and elementary school teacher at Fern Avenue Public School. He joined the Green Party of Ontario in 1987 and became the party's first official leader in 1993 – a position he held until November 14, 2009, when he was replaced by Mike Schreiner. He is the current interim leader of the Yukon Green Party.[1]

In the September 14, 2006, Parkdale—High Park by-election, de Jong received 6.2 percent of the vote. On November 7, 2006, he was nominated as the GPO candidate in the riding of Davenport for the 2007 Ontario general election.[2] In that election, de Jong captured 10.26 percent of the vote, his best showing as a member of the Green Party.

De Jong has also campaigned for federal office as a member of the Green Party of Canada.

Education and activism

Born into a Dutch background, De Jong earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1978, and a Bachelor of Education from University of Ottawa in 1979. After graduating, he worked as an elementary school teacher. He developed an interest in environmental concerns during the mid-1980s, and became involved in campaigns to save Ontario's old growth forests. He was also involved in the anti-nuclear, renewable energy and pro-choice movements. De Jong now resides in Faro, Yukon with his partner Tove Christensen.

Politics

The Ontario Green Party did not originally have a formal leadership structure, and was run in a very decentralized manner (nominal leaders were sometimes chosen for elections, but they had no personal authority over party decisions). De Jong and others opposed this approach, and successfully campaigned for a formal leadership contest in 1993. De Jong himself entered this contest, and defeated Jim Harris, who later became leader of the Green Party of Canada. De Jong supported Harris's leadership of the federal party until Harris stepped down in 2006, at which time de Jong supported David Chernushenko's leadership bid. He was challenged for the leadership of the Ontario Green Party by Judy Greenwood-Speers in 2001.

Frank De Jong (right), with his successor as Ontario Greens Leader, Mike Schreiner (left)

Like Harris, de Jong is an eco-capitalist. He defines his political philosophy as "socially progressive, fiscally conservative, and environmentally aware".[3] He has long supported conservative economic policies, including a gradual shift from the taxation of incomes to the taxation of natural resources. Recently, he has also spoken against extensive government subsidies and funding for crown corporations.

At the October 2005 Green Party of Ontario Annual General Meeting, de Jong narrowly avoided a "leadership review" when 67% of voting members voted against it. The GPO constitution requires that a leadership review be held bi-annually; If more than one-third of voting members had opted for a review, a leadership race would have been held in 2006. At the 2007 AGM, de Jong survived the next scheduled review, this time with approximately 71% support from party members. This followed what was considered the strongest election performance by the GPO to date.[4] Speaking at the Green Party of Ontario AGM in May 2009, de Jong announced that he will not be running for re-election as leader of the party.[5]

De Jong was a candidate for Ward 18 in Toronto's 2010 municipal election.

As of December 2014, de Jong was living in Faro, Yukon and has been nominated as the Green Party of Canada candidate in the Yukon riding in the 2015 federal election.[6]

Election campaigns

Wikinews has related news:

De Jong has campaigned for federal and provincial office several times. His best showing was in the provincial election of 2003, when he ran against sitting Premier Ernie Eves and finished third, ahead of the New Democratic Party candidate. On all other occasions, de Jong has finished well behind candidates of the major parties.

During the 1995 provincial campaign, de Jong cycled on a "leader's tour" from Ottawa to Sault Ste. Marie, Windsor and Niagara Falls before returning northward to Ottawa. Subsequently, he was involved in creating constituency contact lists throughout the province.

His electoral record is as follows:

Canadian federal election, 1988: Rosedale
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeDavid MacDonald 22,704 41.36 -11.44
LiberalBill Graham 22,624 41.21 +15.08
New DemocraticDoug Wilson 8,266 15.06 -2.77
LibertarianChris Blatchly 411 0.75 +0.09
GreenFrank de Jong 397 0.72 -1.15
RhinocerosLiane McLarty 265 0.48
IndependentMike Constable 102 0.19
IndependentHarry Margel 91 0.17
Commonwealth of CanadaPaul Therrien 33 0.06 -0.27
Total valid votes 54,893 100.00
Ontario general election, 1990: Ottawa East
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalBernard Grandmaître 16,363 62.41 −11.85
New DemocraticLori Lucier 6,103 23.28 +7.08
Progressive ConservativeDiana Morin 2,203 8.40 −1.14
Family CoalitionRichard Hudon 826 3.15  
GreenFrank de Jong 723 2.76  
Total valid votes 26,218100.0   +2.69

Ottawa municipal election, 1991

Capital Ward
Candidate Votes %
Jim Watson 4,123
Lynn Smyth (X) 1,817
Michael Lynch 638
Frank De Jong;; 482
Canadian federal election, 1993: Ottawa—Vanier
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalJean-Robert Gauthier 31,216 70.46 +11.25
Progressive ConservativeMarie-Christine Lemire 4,486 10.13 -13.07
ReformSam Dancey 3,553 8.02
New DemocraticWillie Dunn 2,935 6.62 -9.36
GreenFrank de Jong 606 1.37
NationalRaymond Samuels 497 1.12
IndependentDavid Talbot 429 0.97
Natural LawRoger Bouchard 414 0.93
Marxist–LeninistSerge Lafortune 138 0.31
AbolitionistSteven Edward White 28 0.06
Total valid votes 44,302 100.00
Canadian federal by-election, February 13, 1995: Ottawa—Vanier
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalMauril Bélanger 11,918 60.06 −10.41 $52,001
  Reform Kevin Gaudet 4,034 20.33 +12.44 $36,995
  Progressive Conservative Françoise Guenette 1,899 9.57 −0.96 $30,933
  New Democratic Party Bob Lawson 1,259 6.34 −0.16 $5,764
  Christian Heritage Gilles Gauthier 299 1.51 $1,751
GreenFrank de Jong 218 1.10 −0.24 $0
  Natural Law Ian A.G. Campbell 109 0.55 −0.35 $131
  Marxist-Leninist Serge Lafortune 61 0.31 +0.02 $136
  Abolitionist John Turmel 46 0.23 +0.17 $0
Total valid votes 19,843 100.00
Total rejected ballots 201
Turnout 20,004 30.39 −32.04
Electors on the lists 65,824
Ontario general election, 1995: Nepean
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
Progressive ConservativeJohn Baird 17,510 49.66 $40,800.37
LiberalHans Daigeler 13,575 38.50 $45,021.83
New DemocraticJohn Sullivan 3,274 9.29 $15,380.57
GreenFrank de Jong 390 1.11 $0.00
Natural LawBrian E. Jackson 259 0.73 $0.00
FreedomCathy Frampton 252 0.71 $2,307.70
Total valid votes 35,260 100.00
Rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 363
Turnout 35,623 64.97
Electors on the lists 54,832
Canadian federal election, 1997: Ottawa Centre
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalMac Harb 25,987 45.19 -6.71
New DemocraticJamey Heath 13,646 23.73 +1.07
Progressive ConservativePeter Annis 9,391 16.33 +4.45
ReformJohn Perocchio 6,651 11.57 +2.03
GreenFrank de Jong 855 1.49 +0.30
Canadian ActionHoward Bertram 236 0.41
Natural LawNeil Paterson 211 0.37 -0.34
IndependentSusan Cumby 190 0.33
Marxist–LeninistHardial Bains 150 0.26 +0.07
IndependentMalek Khouri 92 0.16
IndependentRay Joseph Cormier 91 0.16
Total valid votes 57,500100.00
Ontario general election, 1999: Parkdale—High Park
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalGerard Kennedy 23,022 54.92
Progressive ConservativeAnnamarie Castrilli 12,647 30.17
New DemocraticIrene Atkinson 4,937 11.78
GreenFrank de Jong 500 1.19
LibertarianDoug Burn 325 0.78
Family CoalitionStan Grzywna 289 0.69
IndependentJorge Van Schouwen 99 0.24
Natural LawLynne Hea 99 0.24
Total valid votes 41,918 100.0
Source: Elections Ontario[7]
Ontario general election, 2003: Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Progressive ConservativeErnie Eves 29,222 56.64 -8.12
LiberalDan Yake 14,859 28.8 -0.03
GreenFrank De Jong 3,161 6.13 3.68
New DemocraticMitchel Healey 3,148 6.1 +2.13
Family CoalitionDave Davies 1,202 2.33
2005 by-election: Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey
Party Candidate Votes % ±
Progressive ConservativeJohn Tory 15,610 56.3 -
LiberalBob Duncanson 4,625 16.7 -
New DemocraticLynda McDougall 3,881 14.0
GreenFrank de Jong 2,767 10.0
Family CoalitionPaul Micelli 479 1.7 -
IndependentWilliam Cook 163 0.6 -
LibertarianPhilip Bender 135 0.5 -
IndependentJohn Turmel 85 0.3 -
Ontario provincial by-election, September 14, 2006: Parkdale—High Park
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
New DemocraticCheri DiNovo 11,677 41.04 +25.27
LiberalSylvia Watson 9,387 32.99 -24.84
Progressive ConservativeDavid Hutcheon 4,921 17.29 +1.11
GreenFrank De Jong 1,753 6.16 -0.77
Family Coalition Stan Grzywna 367 1.29 -0.2
Libertarian Jim McIntosh 162 0.57  
FreedomSilvio Ursomarzo 111 0.39 -0.02
IndependentJohn Turmel 78 0.27  
Total valid votes 28,456 100.0
Source: Elections Ontario[8]
Ontario provincial by-election, January 12, 2007 by-election: Burlington
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeJoyce Savoline 11,143 48.98 +2.83
LiberalJoan Lougheed 9,365 41.17 -1.01
New DemocraticCory Judson 1,310 5.76 -2.46
GreenFrank de Jong 734 3.23 +0.90
FreedomBarry Spruce 106 0.47
IndependentJohn Turmel 90 0.40
Total valid votes 22,748 100.00
Ontario general election, 2007: Davenport
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalTony Ruprecht 12,467 41.82 -13.70
New DemocraticPeter Ferreira 10,880 36.49 +7.12
GreenFrank de Jong 3,047 10.22 *
Progressive ConservativeAntonio Garcia 2,805 9.41 +2.11
CommunistDave McKee 191 0.64
Family CoalitionGustavo Valdez 157 0.53
LibertarianNunzio Venuto 152 0.51 *
IndependentAnnette Kouri 114 0.38
Total valid votes 29,813 100.00
     Liberal hold Swing -10.41

Toronto municipal election, 2010, Ward 18: Davenport

Ward 18
Candidate Votes %
Ana Bailão 6,277 43.754%
Kevin Beaulieu 4,911 34.233%
Frank de Jong 869 6.057%
Hema Vyas 776 5.409%
Joe MacDonald 669 4.663%
Kirk Russell 326 2.272%
Nha Le 154 1.073%
Ken Wood 106 0.739%
Mohammad Muhit 94 0.655%
Joanna Teliatnik 70 0.488%
Doug Carroll 52 0.362%
Abdirazak Elmi 42 0.293%
Total 14,346 100%
Ontario general election, 2011: Davenport
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
New DemocraticJonah Schein 14,367 45.93 +9.44
LiberalCristina Martins 12,953 41.41 -0.41
Progressive ConservativeKirk Russell 2,480 7.93 -1.48
GreenFrank de Jong 855 2.73 -7.49
IndependentMark Jagg 250 0.80
CommunistMiguel Figueroa 163 0.52 -0.12
FreedomFranz Cauchi 96 0.31
Human RightsAlix Thompson 82 0.26
The Only PartyKiros Ghiwot 33 0.11
Total valid votes 31,279 100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 1780.57
Turnout 31,45745.59
Eligible voters 68,998
New Democratic gain from Liberal Swing +4.93
Source: Elections Ontario[9]
Canadian federal election, 2015: Yukon
** Preliminary results — Not yet official **
Party Candidate Votes%∆%Expenditures
LiberalLarry Bagnell 10,715 53.62 +20.67 –
ConservativeRyan Leef 4,800 24.02 -9.75 –
New DemocraticMelissa Atkinson 3,890 19.47 +5.10 –
GreenFrank de Jong 577 2.89 -16.02 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 19,982100.0   $209,471.75
Total rejected ballots –––
Turnout –––
Eligible voters 26,283
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +15.21

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Cohen, Sidney (31 August 2016). "Yukon Greens run record number of candidates". Whitehorse, Yukon: Whitehorse Daily Star. Archived from the original on 1 September 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Davenport Green Party nominates de Jong, Green Party of Ontario news release, November 8, 2006.
  3. ↑ Green Party of Ontario Leader Profile
  4. ↑ "Green leader gets 71 per cent support". Toronto Star, November 26, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Frank de Jong to step down as Green party leader". Toronto Star, May 23, 2009.
  6. ↑ Reynolds, Christopher (2014-12-18). "Whitehorse Daily Star: Local man pursues NDP nomination". Whitehorsestar.com. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
  7. ↑ Chief Returning Officer of Ontario. "Parkdale—High Park General Election of June 3, 1999". Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate. Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on 2012-01-04. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  8. ↑ Chief Returning Officer. "Parkdale–High Park By-election 2006". Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for each Candidate. Toronto: Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on 2012-01-04. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
  9. ↑ "Official return from the records / Rapport des registres officiels - Davenport" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2014.

See also

Preceded by
Kristina Calhoun		 Leader of the Yukon Green Party
2016 - present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
First Leader		 Leader of the Green Party of Ontario
1993 – November 2009 		Succeeded by
Mike Schreiner
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