Sheila Copps

The Honourable Sheila Maureen Copps, PC, (born November 27, 1952, in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian journalist and politician.

Federal minister

The Liberals swept to power in the 1993 election, crushing Kim Campbell's Tories. Chrétien, then prime minister, named Copps Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment. This marked the first time in Canadian history that a woman had been named to the post of Deputy Prime Minister. In a 1996 cabinet shuffle, the Environment portfolio was removed and she became Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Related Topics:
1993 election - Kim Campbell - Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of the Environment - 1996 - Minister of Canadian Heritage

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In a curious sidebar in Canadian political history, Copps resigned briefly in the spring of 1996. One of Chrétien's campaign promises had been to abolish the hated Goods and Services Tax, a promise he had reneged on in an effort to avoid decreasing government revenues. Copps had promised that she would resign if the GST were not abolished, so she vacated her Hamilton East seat and then promptly ran again in the ensuing by-election. She won credibly, and Chrétien reinstated her to her previous cabinet posts.

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Copps' particular flavour of unabashed Canadian nationalism has often drawn controversy. She led a largely unsuccessful campaign to keep American magazines from producing "split-run" Canadian editions and faced widespread criticism for her efforts to bolster nationalism through the distribution of tens of thousands of free Canadian flags. The flag effort led many to accuse her of being too generous with taxpayer money for projects of questionable relevance, especially in times of financial difficulty.

Related Topics:
Split-run - Canadian flags

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Copps's somewhat tarnished reputation led to Chrétien stripping of her status as deputy prime minister following his the Canadian election of 1997, instead bestowing the largely ceremonial title on political stalwart Herb Gray. Copps was widely seen to have made little upward progress in political circles in the years following this demotion.

Related Topics:
Canadian election of 1997 - Herb Gray

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Following Jean Chrétien's announcement of his intent to retire in February 2004, Copps was the first to officially declare her candidacy for the party leadership. Starting well behind the overwhelming favourite, Paul Martin, Copps's campaign was seen as largely hopeless, and its relevance openly questioned, in advance of the Liberal leadership convention of November 14, 2003. As expected,

Related Topics:
2004 - Liberal leadership convention - November 14 - 2003

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Paul Martin easily won the Liberal leadership and went on to become prime minister.

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On December 9, 2003, Copps turned down the offer of a patronage appointment from Martin, announcing that she intended to remain in the House of Commons. Many suspect that Martin wanted to appoint Copps as Canada's ambassador to France or UNESCO.

Related Topics:
December 9 - 2003 - Patronage - France - UNESCO

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