What was the position of Sheila Copps from 1993 to Nov 1993?
Sheila Copps Sheila Maureen Copps ( born November 27 , 1952 ) is a former Canadian politician who also served as the sixth deputy prime minister of Canada from November 4 , 1993 , to April 30 , 1996 , and June 19 , 1996 , to June 11 , 1997 . Her father , Victor Copps was once mayor of Hamilton , Ontario . Considered a prominent left-wing member of the Liberal Party of Canada , Copps was an advocate for legal rights of women , marijuana legalization , minority rights , and protection of the environment . Her combative style and reputation for flamboyance were trademarks of her political career . Early life . Copps was born in Hamilton , Ontario . She is a second-generation member of a political family that has dominated Hamilton-area politics on the municipal , provincial and federal levels . Her mother , Geraldine Florence ( Guthro ) Copps , was a Hamilton city councillor . Her father , Victor Kennedy Copps , was one of the most influential mayors of the City of Hamilton . She attended Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School . As a child , Copps participated in Girl Guides of Canada youth programs . She is married to Austin Thorne ( her third husband ) , and has one daughter , Danelle ( from her second marriage ) . She was the first sitting Member of Parliament in Canadian history to give birth . Copps earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and English from Kings University College at the University of Western Ontario in London , Ontario , and pursued further studies at McMaster University in Hamilton and the University of Rouen in France . She worked as a newspaper journalist with the Hamilton Spectator and the Ottawa Citizen . Political career . Copps entered provincial politics in the 1977 provincial election , running for the Ontario Liberal Party in Hamilton Centre . She lost , finishing 14 votes behind incumbent New Democrat Mike Davison . Copps appeared on the ballot for this election as Sheila Copps Miller , using the surname of her then-husband . In all subsequent campaigns , she would refer to herself as Sheila Copps . After working as a constituency assistant to party leader Stuart Smith for the next four years , Copps again ran in Hamilton Centre for the 1981 election . She defeated Davison by 2,804 votes , and joined thirty-three other Liberals in forming the Official Opposition to Premier William Daviss Progressive Conservative government . Copps ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in 1982 following Smiths resignation , and despite her lack of experience finished a strong second against David Peterson . Copps turned to national politics in the 1984 federal election , campaigning for the federal Liberals in the riding of Hamilton East . This election resulted in a landslide victory for Brian Mulroney and his Progressive Conservative Party , which won 211 out of 282 seats . Copps was personally elected , defeating New Democratic Party candidate David Christopherson by 2,661 votes , but had relatively few allies in the House of Commons for the next four years . Copps proved to be an influential member of the small Liberal opposition . She became a prominent member of the Rat Pack , a group of young Liberal MPs who made it their business to bring misery to the Mulroney government . Fully bilingual , she earned both praise and scorn for her spirited attacks on Mulroney and his ministers . She released her autobiography , Nobodys Baby , only two years into her federal career , and was by all accounts a rising star in Canadian politics . The book came after Minister of Justice John Crosbie told Copps to just quieten [ sic ] down , baby during a heated debate . Copps retorted , I am nobodys baby . In 1987 , Copps became the first sitting MP in Canadian history to give birth , when her daughter Danelle was born . Later , Copps commented that she became part of her entourage , making friends across the country . In 1988 , Copps was re-elected without difficulty in the federal election . Copps was a candidate in the 1990 Liberal leadership race to succeed John Turner . She finished third , behind Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin . In 1992 , Copps supported Murray Elstons unsuccessful bid to succeed David Peterson as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party . Federal minister . The Liberals came to power in the 1993 election , defeating Kim Campbells Tories . Chrétien became prime minister following the election , and named Copps as 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 . Following a 1996 cabinet shuffle , she relinquished the Environment portfolio and became Minister of Canadian Heritage . Copps resigned briefly in the spring of 1996 . One of Chrétiens campaign promises had been to abolish Brian Mulroneys highly unpopular Goods and Services Tax , a promise he later reneged on in an effort to avoid decreasing government revenues . During the 1993 election campaign , Copps promised during a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation town hall program that she would resign if the GST was not abolished . Copps , after some pressure , vacated her Hamilton East seat in 1996 , and promptly ran again in the ensuing by-election . During the by-election , Reform put up billboards around her riding , one featuring a pig at a trough with SHEILA marked on it ; and another with her picture and , Promise to cut the GST : It worked last time ! Copps won handily , though with a significantly reduced percentage of the vote from 1993 , and Chrétien reinstated her to her previous cabinet posts . During her victory speech , she noted that the Liberals kicked butt in the by-election ; a controversial editorial cartoon in the right-wing Toronto Sun tabloid the next day portrayed Hamilton East voters as buttheads . Following the 1997 election , Copps was removed from the position of deputy prime minister , which was given to political stalwart Herb Gray . Copps made little upward progress in cabinet after this demotion , and by many accounts came to have relatively little influence over the direction of government policy . Many believe that Anne McLellan surpassed her as the most prominent woman in government during this period . Following Jean Chrétiens announcement of his intent to retire in February 2004 , Copps became the first candidate to officially declare for the party leadership . Despite her efforts to build support among women , minority groups and the partys left-wing , she began and ended the leadership contest well behind the overwhelming favourite , Paul Martin . While her national campaigning saw her sign up over 32,000 new party members , some speculated that she would withdraw prior to the Liberal leadership convention , as John Manley had . Nomination battle before 2004 federal election . Riding redistribution placed Copps in a serious nomination battle with another Liberal MP , Tony Valeri , who was named to Martins cabinet as Minister of Transport . With redistribution , part of Valeris Stoney Creek riding was merged with part of Coppss Hamilton East to create Hamilton East—Stoney Creek , while the remainder was merged with other neighbouring ridings to create Niagara West—Glanbrook . The remaining portion of Hamilton East was merged with parts of Hamilton West to create Hamilton Centre . Of the 115,709 constituents of the riding of Hamilton East—Stoney Creek , a slight majority of constituents ( 58,462 ) were from the old Stoney Creek while a minority ( 57,247 ) were from the old Hamilton East Copps position was that Valeri should have sought the nomination in Niagara West-Glanbrook , where he resided and in which there was a regional airport that would complement his transport portfolio . Valeris position was that the majority of his former Stoney Creek constituents lived in the new Hamilton East—Stoney Creek riding , Copps no longer lived in Hamilton and he resided less than 100 metres from the riding boundary . In a December interview with Hamiltons CHCH-TV , Copps complained that Martin was trying to drive her , other women and other Martin opponents out of the Liberal caucus . Beth Phinney , who represented nearby Hamilton Mountain , offered to stand down in favour of Copps , but Copps turned this offer down . On January 14 , 2004 , she suggested that she could campaign for the New Democratic Party in the upcoming election if Valeri won the Liberal nomination . Copps later retracted this threat . On March 6 , 2004 , Valeri defeated Copps by 2,802 votes to 2,491 . Copps argued that there were improprieties in the nomination process and in the conduct of the vote , and called on various authorities to investigate ( other nomination elections between Chrétien and Martin supporters had similar allegations of tampering ) . She initially appealed the vote results to the Liberal Party of Canada . Her appeal was late as it was filed beyond the 72-hour deadline after the commencement of the nomination meeting , but the Appeals Commission of the Liberal Party waived the deadline . Nevertheless , Copps dropped the appeal on March 29 , alleging a lack of transparency in the process . In July 2005 , Hamilton police announced a formal end to the investigation after finding no evidence to substantiate Copps allegations including tampering of her telephones on the day of the nomination . As the access codes to her phone system were apparently listed on a bulletin board , the police estimated that at least 40 individuals had access to the phone system . Post-political career . On May 14 , 2004 , Copps stood in the House of Commons of Canada and announced she would not run for re-election as an independent . She later suggested in comments to reporters that she might return to politics once Paul Martin was no longer prime minister . In her first public engagement after departing politics , she accepted a role in a Kingston , Ontario dinner theatre production of Steel Magnolias . She also guest-starred on the evening soap opera Train 48 . Her second autobiography , Worth Fighting For , was published by McClelland and Stewart in October 2004 , and resulted in further public controversy with Paul Martin and other members of the Liberal Party . Copps alleged that Martin had put a pledge in his 1995 budget to rescind the outdated Canada Health Act , and further claimed that her intervention had the offending line removed from the document . Her allegations were denied by Martin and David Dodge ( who Copps claims faxed her the draft of the budget ) , Diane Marleau ( who was Health Minister at the time ) , and others . After leaving politics , Copps wrote regular commentary for the National Post . In September 2005 , concurrent with a redesign , she was introduced as a regular columnist for the Toronto Sun which was also published in various Sun papers across Canada . Copps quit her column in December 2007 . She also hosts a weekly syndicated radio talk show , Weekends with Sheila Copps , focusing on lifestyle issues such as health and financial planning . She succeeded Dini Petty as host of the series . She is also employed by Quebecor , a Canadian media distribution company and then-owner of the Sun newspaper chain for which Copps previously wrote . In this capacity , she has been working on a new series for the History Television channel . In March 2006 , the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal , a prominent sovereigntist group , demanded $100,000 from Copps , claiming that she had defamed them in a television interview on January 6 , 2006 . Sovereigntists claim that Options Canada illegally spent $3.5 million to promote federalism in Quebec , while Copps claimed that the St-Jean Baptiste Society spent $4.8 million from the Quebec Government to promote sovereignty , which the group denies . Copps claims that she had been unaware of the groups demands until she was approached for comment by reporters on March 5 , 2006 , and that she has yet to receive any legal notice from the group . In 2006 , subsequent to Paul Martins resignation as prime minister , Copps decided not to seek the Liberal leadership . Following the 2006 election , Liberal MP Paul Zed ( Liberal , New Brunswick ) and former MP Dennis Mills ( Liberal , Ontario ) organized a gala event to pay tribute to Copps and heal wounds caused by party infighting . Held on March 23 , 2006 , the event was attended by a host of prominent Liberals , including former Prime Minister John Turner , and Aline Chrétien . The event also served as a fundraiser for Liberal women in Canadian politics . As the daughter of late Hamilton Mayor Victor Copps , she has long been the object of speculation as to whether or not she would follow in the footsteps of her father , recently stating that , if she were to return to politics , she would do so it would be in my hometown and nowhere else . Copps ran to be president of the Liberal Party of Canada in 2012 but lost to Mike Crawley by 26 votes . Following the defeat , Copps announced her retirement from politics stating that while she would continue to volunteer in political campaigns she would not be running for office again . She was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada on December 30 , 2012 . On November 10 , 2014 , Copps stated that she has been sexually assaulted and raped and one of the incidents happened while she was serving in the Provincial Parliament of Ontario . She said she felt compelled to come forward with the allegations after tweeting support for former Q host Jian Ghomeshi . SNC-Lavalin affair . At the height of the SNC-Lavalin affair during the Premiership of Justin Trudeau , Copps became known for being outspoken and interviewed as an opinion regarding the affair despite no personal involvement in present-day politics . After Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott resigned from their posts citing the governments handling of the matter , Copps repeatedly publicly called for their firing in the form of dismissal from the Liberal caucus . Copps argued Wilson-Raybould and Philpotts resignations amounted to a betrayal of Justin Trudeaus leadership and their presence continued to foment internal political divisions within the Liberal caucus . Copps directly pointed the blame on Wilson-Raybould and Philpott for the public mud-dragging that youve taken the prime minister through . Despite not serving in any capacity under Trudeaus government , Copps continued to publicly assail the competencies of Wilson-Raybould and Philpott , alleging while they had policy experience , they lacked political experience and when you don’t have a lot of political experience , the pressure gets too hot for you [ and ] I think that pressure has probably gotten to them , unfortunately . Sought out by CBC News for commentary , she wrote in an email that both are doing their best to destroy their leader . Unprompted , Copps went as far as to say Wilson-Raybould and Philpott had gone rogue and were not wizened political people . She claimed without providing evidence that Wilson-Raybould “doesnt really like to listen to other people , including the prime minister” and argued both she and Philpott were architects of their own victimization narrative being used for personal gain at the expense of the Prime Minister . Copps again disparaged Wilson-Raybould’s working relationship with her colleagues , alleging “ [ she ] was running her own show , and nobody was going to tell her what to do anywhere.” Indigenous leaders argued the criticisms perpetuated colonial-era , sexist stereotypes that Indigenous women could not be powerful , forthright , and steadfast in positions of power , but rather confrontational , meddling and egotistic . In a Twitter exchange with Jonathan Kay , Copps implied Wilson-Raybould’s conduct was one of a “bitch.” When concerns were raised that her diction made Indigenous issues sound menacing , Copps was baffled , since to her [ the aboriginal agenda ] only had positive connotations.” Another tweet saw Copps imply Jody Wilson-Raybould , a member of the We Wai Kai Nation , would have cared more about intervening in SNC-Lavalin’s prosecution had the 9000 jobs reportedly at stake in Quebec instead been 9000 jobs held by Aboriginal people . Copps later denied her implication that Wilson-Raybould was working for Indigenous communities more than the general public . When queried about the racial undertones behind her messaging and reasoning , Copps responded : Anybody who knows me knows Im not a racist…there is a higher test for women , for minorities , for Indigenous people . For sure . Sadly , its not fair . When asked if her comment about Wilson-Raybould perpetuated that double standard , Copps said no , that she was rather simply commenting on the former ministers background informing her choices . Copps’ messages and conduct were condemned by a member of the Haudenosaunee First Nations Confederacy , NDP MP Romeo Saganash , Aboriginal rights activist Cindy Blackstock , and Conservative MP Gérard Deltell , among others . Writings and publications . - Nobodys Baby : A Survival Guide to Politics ( 1986 ) . Toronto ON : Deneau . 192 p . . - Worth fighting for ( 2004 ) . Toronto ON : McClelland & Stewart . 213 p . . - La batailleuse ( 2004 ) . Montreal QC : Boréal . 236 p . . - Chapter contribution - Trish Hennessey and Ed Finn ( editors ) . Fight for equality is far from being won. , in : Speaking Truth to Power : A Reader on Canadian Womens Inequality , Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives , Ottawa , c.2010 . pp . 15–18 . - Articles - Canadas Historic Places Initiative , Heritage/Patrimoine , 6:26 , Spring 2003 . - Canadian Cultural Policy in a Global Economy , Canadian Business Economics , 7 ( 3 ) :40-3 , Oct . 1999 . - Celine Dion : Made in Canada , NPQ : New Perspectives Quarterly . 15 ( 5 ) :17 , Fall 1998 . - Initiative des Endroits Historiques du Canada , Heritage/Patrimoine . 6:26 , Spring 2003 . - Liberal Flogging of the Governments Green Plan , New Environment . pp . 39ff , Annual , 1990 . - Two Grit Guys and a Cutie? , Bulletin Centre for Investigative Journalism . no . 42:9 , Winter 1990 .