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Bob Rae

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Politician

The Resume

    (August 2, 1948- )
    Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Birth name is Robert Keith Rae
    Canadian Member of Parliament for Broadview-Greenwood (NDP; 1978-82) and Toronto Centre (Liberal; 2008-11)
    Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for York South (1982-96)
    Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (1982-96)
    Premier of Ontario (1990-95)
    Interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (2011-13)
    Special Envoy of Canada to Myanmar and Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations

Why he might be annoying:

    He converted to Judaism after learning about his Jewish ancestry at the age of 20, despite the fact he was raised as an Anglican.
    He went as far as exclusively dating Jewish girls and abiding by their culture.
    He used his acceptance speech as provincial NDP leader to denounce the Ontario PC Party, by citing they weren't welcoming to women and people of color.
    He took part in a protest in Northern Ontario, which blocked the roadway leading into the Temagami Forest (1989).
    He was the scapegoat for Ontario's economic recession, which took place midway through his term as premier.
    He faced intense scrutiny after he backtracked on campaign promises he made during the 1990 election.
    He faced a public relations nightmare after most of his cabinet were embroiled in scandals.
    His government's unpopularity led to the NDP losing in a landslide to Mike Harris and the Ontario PC Party in the 1995 Ontario general election.
    His policies and reputation scared off many Ontarians from voting for the NDP for many years.
    He left the NDP and switched political allegiances to the Liberals in the years following his party's defeat.
    His decision to enter the leadership race for the Liberal Party of Canada drew criticism from his former provincial rival and former Ontario premier David Peterson, citing his track record as the province's premier was horrendous to be considered to lead another party.
    He took part in the Liberal-NDP-Bloc Quebecois coalition talks alongside Stephane Dion, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe in an attempt to form a goverment that would overthrow Stephen Harper from power without being elected (2008).
    He criticized Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's decision to withdraw the party's coalition negotiations with Layton and Duceppe appaling.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is the son of longtime Canadian diplomat Saul Rae.
    He was elected in 11 consecutive elections both federally and provincially combined.
    He was the first New Democratic Party leader to serve as Premier of Ontario.
    On top of that, he is also the first Jewish premier in the history of the province.
    He advocated for patriation of the Canadian Constitution with a Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
    He was credited for moving the motion of non-confidence that toppled the government of Joe Clark.
    He was one of the few premiers of Ontario to be fluent in French.
    He was credited with organizing a deal which helped save the economy in Northern Ontario from collapsing.
    He was appointed to both the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.
    He was considered a champion and advocate for human rights.
    He served as the interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, prior to the appointment of Justin Trudeau.
    He was credited with turning around the fortunes of the Liberal Party, which paved the way for Trudeau and the party taking power in 2015.

Credit: Ricky


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Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying