# Brian Coburn (politician)

Brian Coburn (born c. 1945) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He sat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2003, representing the riding of Carleton—Gloucester (renamed as Ottawa—Orléans) for the Progressive Conservative Party. Coburn was a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.
He is not to be confused with the person of the same name who represents the same area on the Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board.

## Background

Coburn was educated at Brock University in St. Catharines. A small businessman, he served for ten years as the Mayor of Cumberland. Coburn also served on the Board of Governors for Algonquin College in Ottawa. As mayor, he earned a reputation for fiscal prudence.

## Politics

Coburn was elected for Carleton—Gloucester in the provincial election of 1999, defeating Liberal Ren Danis by over 6,000 votes. This was considered a major upset. The riding had been solidly Liberal for many years, and most observers thought Danis would win an easy victory. Coburn's win may be attributed to personal popularity and a local issue: many residents saw construction workers from Quebec as a threat to local employment, and voted Tory to protest the situation.
After sitting as a backbencher for two years, Coburn was appointed to the government of Mike Harris as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on February 8, 2001.
In 2002, Coburn endorsed Ernie Eves to succeed Mike Harris as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. When Eves became Premier on April 15, 2002, he named Coburn Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with Responsibility for Rural Affairs. On February 25, 2003, Coburn was moved to the Minister of Tourism and Recreation.
Coburn carried the banner of an increasingly unpopular party into the 2003 provincial election. The presence of Quebec workers was no longer an issue, and many local residents were angered by increased energy rates under the Harris and Eves governments. Despite gaining endorsements from several local newspapers, Coburn lost to Liberal Phil McNeely, another municipal politician, by about 4,500 votes.
In 2004, he endorsed Frank Klees for the leadership of the Ontario PC Party.

### Cabinet positions

Ontario provincial government of Ernie Eves :
| Cabinet posts (2) |||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Cam Jackson | Minister of Tourism and Recreation 2003 (February–October) | Jim Bradley |
| New position | Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 2002-2003 Also Responsible for Rural Affairs | Ernie Hardeman |
| Ontario provincial government of Mike Harris |||
| Cabinet post (1) |||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Noble Villeneuve | Minister of Agriculture and Food 2001-2002 | Helen Johns |

## Electoral record

vte2003 Ontario general election: Ottawa—Orléans :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Phil McNeely | 25,300 | 50.36 | +9.92 | $ 66,785.00 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Brian Coburn | 20,762 | 41.32 | −13.24 | 73,997.09 |
| | New Democratic | Ric Dagenais | 2,778 | 5.53 | +2.85 | 11,889.14 |
| | Green | Melanie Ransom | 1,402 | 2.79 | +1.42 | 1,069.07 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 50,242 | 99.61 | | $ 76,391.04 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 197 | 0.39 | −0.21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 50,439 | 63.39 | +2.52 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 79,574 | | +11.69 |
| | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +11.58 |
| Source(s) "General Election of October 2, 2003 – Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014."General Election of October 2, 2003 – Statistical Summary". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014."2003 Candidate and Constituency Associations – Candidate Campaign Return (CR-1)". Retrieved May 28, 2014. |||||||
vte1999 Ontario general election: Ottawa—Orléans :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Progressive Conservative | Brian Coburn | 24,356 | 54.56 | $ 32,653.11 |
| | Liberal | René Danis | 18,052 | 40.44 | 29,722.53 |
| | New Democratic | Jamie Gallant | 1,195 | 2.68 | Unavailable |
| | Green | André Clermont | 614 | 1.38 | 212.00 |
| | Independent | Luc Brisebois | 247 | 0.55 | 0.00 |
| | Natural Law | Richard Wolfson | 177 | 0.40 | 0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 44,641 | 99.40 | $ 70,837.44 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 270 | 0.60 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,911 | 60.86 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 73,789 |
| ↑ During the June 1999 election, this electoral district was also known as “Carleton—Gloucester” |||||||
| Source(s) "General Election of June 3 1999 — Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014."General Election of June 3 1999 — Statistical Summary". Elections Ontario. Retrieved May 28, 2014."1999 Election and Annual Returns - Candidate and Constituency Association Returns". Retrieved May 28, 2014. |||||||

## Later life

Coburn was appointed as a Citizenship Judge for Ottawa, Ontario in October 2006. Brian Coburn Boulevard, an arterial road in Orleans, is named after him.