The Honourable
Don Plett
Plett in 2009
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Assumed office
November 5, 2019
Leader
Preceded byLarry Smith
Canadian Senator
from Manitoba
Assumed office
August 27, 2009[1]
Nominated byStephen Harper
Appointed byMichaëlle Jean
President of the Conservative Party
In office
December 7, 2003 – December 7, 2009
Interim: 2003–2005
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byJohn Walsh
Personal details
Born
Donald Neil Plett

(1950-05-14) May 14, 1950[1]
Canada
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Betty Plett
​
(m. 1968)​
Children4
Parents
  • Archie Plett[1] (father)
  • Ruby Plett[1] (mother)
Alma materRed River College
OccupationSenator

Donald Neil Plett (born May 14, 1950) is a Canadian senator who has been the leader of the Opposition in the Canadian Senate since November 5, 2019.[2] He is the founding president of the National Council of the Conservative Party of Canada,[3] and the longest serving individual to have held this position.

Early life

From 1987 to 2007 Plett, was owner and manager of Landmark Mechanical,[1] a heating and ventilation company in Landmark, Manitoba,[1] that was started by his father Archie Plett in 1957. He stepped down as manager in 2007, and his sons continue in the family business.

According to the Senate website Plett,[3]

"As a Red River College alumnus, Mr. Plett served on the Board of Governors of the College. An active sports enthusiast, he has coached and played hockey, basketball, and golf and was President of the Landmark Minor Hockey Association. Mr. Plett also served as President of the Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Village Council, and Chair of the local Utilities Board."

— Senate of Canada biography

His father Archie, a lifelong Conservative, introduced Plett to the world of politics when he was just fifteen. He mentored and encouraged him and[4] in 1965 Plett worked as a youth volunteer on the Honourable Jake Epp's federal campaign.[1]

In 2000 Plett successfully managed the Vic Toews Canadian Alliance campaign where Toews defeated incumbent Liberal MP David Iftody by a large margin.

Plett became interim president of the Conservative Party of Canada at its creation in 2003 from the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and was officially elected to the position in at the party's first policy convention in 2005, defeating Montreal lawyer Brian Mitchell.[5] He was succeeded by John Walsh in 2009.

Senate career

On August 27, 2009, the office of Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Plett was among nine new appointees to the Senate.[6] His is one of many appointments made in thanks to service to the governing Conservative Party. Other appointees include Carolyn Stewart-Olsen, the prime minister's former press secretary, and Doug Finley, former Conservative Party chair.

Senator Plett was appointed Opposition Whip for the Conservative Senate Caucus and serves on the Standing Senate Committee on Legal & Constitutional Affairs and Agriculture & Forestry. He is also Chair of the Advisory Working Group tasked with studying and recommending changes to the Senate's administrative rules.[3]

Plett serves as co-chair of the Canada-China Legislative Association[7] a non-partisan forum established in 1998 for the discussion of bilateral and multilateral issues concerning Canada and the People's Republic of China.[8] On 1 October 2014 the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) came into force. This date was announced by International Trade Minister Ed Fast in a news release on 12 September 2014.[9]

In a rare move Plett spoke out[4] against the motion into the Senate to suspend Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau without pay before a single charge had been laid.[10] Plett, calling on fairness and justice, argued, "Honourable Senators, just because something is within our rights, does not make it the right thing to do."[4] National Post journalist observed that Don Plett, the owner of a plumbing business from Landmark, Manitoba, is representative of the base of the Conservative party.[11]

In 2017, Plett defended fellow Conservative Senator Lynn Beyak following Beyak's controversial statements in support of Canadian Indian residential schools.[12]

In 2019, Plett was elected by colleagues as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, succeeding Larry Smith.[13]

In 2020, Pletts voiced support for Donald Trump and the Republican Party in the 2020 United States presidential election and Senate elections.[14]

In December 2020, Plett vacationed to Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite government warnings advising against such trips. Plett returned to Canada on December 31 after reconsidering his decision.[15] Earlier that year he'd co-signed a directive barring all MPs and senators from travelling outside Canada as part of interparliamentary delegations.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Don Plett Official Website nd.
  2. ↑ Dickson, Janice (5 November 2019). "Tories elect Don Plett as new Opposition Leader in the Senate". The Globe and Mail.
  3. 1 2 3 Parliament of Canada ndb.
  4. 1 2 3 Maclean's 2013.
  5. ↑ Gohier 2010.
  6. ↑ "Don Plett - Senator - About Don". www.donplett.ca. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  7. ↑ Parliament of Canada nda.
  8. ↑ Parliament of Canada nd.
  9. ↑ Lunn 2014.
  10. ↑ Geddes 2013.
  11. ↑ Ivison 2013.
  12. ↑ "Conservative senators come to Lynn Beyak's defence while others say 'shame'". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  13. ↑ Dickson, Janice (2019-11-05). "Tories elect Don Plett as new Opposition Leader in the Senate". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  14. ↑ "Conservative Senate leader backs Trump for re-election". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
  15. ↑ "Senator Don Plett vacationed in Mexico over the holidays despite pandemic advisory on travel". CBC News. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  16. ↑ Thompson, Elizabeth (January 8, 2021). "Senator co-signed order barring international travel during pandemic — then went to Mexico". CBC News. Retrieved January 8, 2021.

References

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