Jay Hill

The Honourable Jay D. Hill PC
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Prince George—Peace River
In office 1993 federal election – October 25, 2010
Preceded by	Frank Oberle, Sr.
Succeeded by	Bob Zimmer
Personal details
Born	(1952-12-27) December 27, 1952 Fort St. John, British Columbia
Political party	Conservative
Other political affiliations	Reform (1993-2000) Canadian Alliance (2000-2003)
Spouse(s)	Leah Murray
Residence	Fort St. John, British Columbia
Profession	Farmer

Jay D. Hill PC (born December 27, 1952) is a former Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He was the Member of Parliament for the riding of Prince George—Peace River from 1993 until his retirement in 2010. He also served as Government House Leader in the Canadian House of Commons during his tenure. On July 21, 2010, Hill announced that he would be retiring at the May 2011 federal election. In October 2010, he announced he would retire on October 25, 2010.^[1]

Life and career

Hill was born in Fort St. John, British Columbia. Before entering politics, Hill had served as the president of the B.C. Grain Producers Association, and as the Director for Grain with the B.C. Federation of Agriculture.

Hill was first elected as a member of the Parliament of Canada with the Reform Party of Canada in 1993. Hill generally voted along official party lines. He opposed changes to divorce laws that would reduce the amount of time divorced fathers spend with their children, and has attempted to help refugees get admitted to Canada. Additionally, Hill called for an inquiry into the Canadian Security Intelligence Service's role in the 1985 Air India bombing. Generally, he is viewed as a right wing Conservative, he has repeatedly called all Government surpluses overtaxation.

After the Reform Party transformed into the Canadian Alliance in 2000, Hill was one of seven Members of Parliament ejected from caucus in 2001 for questioning the abilities of then-leader Stockwell Day. This group remained committed to the ideals of the Canadian Alliance, and formed the Democratic Representative Caucus (DR) as a way to maintain their efforts.

Hill served in various roles for his party, including Chief Whip as well as the opposition critic for National Defence, Transport and Justice ministries. He is the only MP to have served as Whip four times (for the Reform Party, Canadian Alliance, DR/Progressive Conservative Coalition and for the Conservative Party of Canada), both in Opposition and in Government. He also served as House Leader, both in Opposition and in Government.

One of Hill's private members bills resulted in the Adoption Expense Tax Credit, introduced in the 2005 federal budget.^[2] His bill called for tax breaks for couples who adopt children.

On February 16, 2006, Hill was made a privy councillor and the Chief Government Whip, a key position in a minority government. On January 4, 2007, he was appointed Secretary of State in the Harper government; On October 30, 2008, he became Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, serving until August 6, 2010.

Hill retired from politics on October 25, 2010.^[3][4] He was honoured at a retirement dinner in Fort St. John, attended by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, BC Premier Christy Clark, Reform Party of Canada founder and former Opposition Leader Preston Manning and numerous other colleagues and friends.^[5]

References

External links

• Jay Hill – Parliament of Canada biography
• Jay Hill Parliamentary Statements - OpenParliament.ca