Rob Nicholson

Infobox_CanadianMP
honorific-prefix = The Honourable
name = Robert Douglas Nicholson
honorific-suffix =
PC, QC, MP


caption =
riding = Niagara Falls
parliament = Canadian
term_start1 = 2004 federal election
term_end1 =
predecessor1 = Gary Pillitteri
successor1 =
parliament2 = Canadian
term_start2 = 1984
term_end2 = 1993
predecessor2 = Al MacBain
successor2 = Gary Pillitteri
birth_date = birth date and age|1952|04|29
birth_place = Niagara Falls, Ontario
death_date =
death_place =
party = Conservative
otherparty = Progressive Conservative
portfolio = Minister of Justice
residence = Niagara Falls, Ontario
spouse = Arlene Nicholson
occupation = lawyer
religion = Roman Catholic

Robert Douglas "Rob" Nicholson, PC, QC, MP (born April 29, 1952 in Niagara Falls, Ontario), the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Niagara Falls for the Conservative Party and the current Minister of Justice after serving for one year as Government House Leader. He replaced Vic Toews as Justice Minister during a Cabinet shuffle on January 4, 2007. Peter Van Loan replaced him as Government House Leader.

Education

Nicholson has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University and a law degree from the University of Windsor. He practiced law before entering politics, and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Political career

He was first elected to parliament in the federal election of 1984 as a Progressive Conservative, easily defeating New Democrat Richard Harrington and incumbent Liberal Al MacBain. He was re-elected by a narrower margin in the 1988 election, defeating Liberal Gary Pillitteri by fewer than 2,000 votes.

Nicholson served as parliamentary secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons from 1989 to 1990, and as parliamentary secretary to the Attorney General from 1989 to 1993. On June 25, 1993, he was appointed Minister for Science and Minister responsible for Small Business in the short-lived government of Kim Campbell.

He was defeated in the 1993 election, finishing third against Pillitteri and Reformer Mel Grunstein. He ran again in the 1997 election, but again finished third.

Nicholson was elected as a trustee for the Niagara Catholic District School Board in 1994. He was elected to the Niagara Regional Council later in 1997, and was re-elected in 2000, and 2003. He ran for Chairman of the Regional Municipality of Niagara in late 2003, but lost to St. Catharines Regional Councillor Peter Partington.

The Progressive Conservatives merged with the Canadian Alliance as the Conservative Party of Canada in early 2004, and Nicholson joined the new party. He was narrowly returned to parliament in the 2004 election, defeating Liberal Victor Pietrangelo by fewer than 1,000 votes.

Nicholson served as Shadow Transportation Critic from July 2004 to January 2005. He was appointed Chief Opposition Whip on January 28, 2005. He had the unique distinction of being the only member of the Conservative Party Caucus during the 38th Parliament who previously served as a cabinet minister at the federal level, and together with David Emerson still remains as one of only two Conservative MPs during the 39th Parliament who have previously done so (Garth Turner, who served with Nicholson in the Campbell cabinet, was elected as a Conservative but was removed from caucus after less than a year). He was re-elected in the 2006 election and appointed to the Harper cabinet.

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=1461&s=M Political Biography from the Library of Parliament]