James Moore (Canadian politician)

Background

Moore was born in New Westminster, British Columbia and was raised in Coquitlam, BC. Following his graduation from Centennial Sr. Secondary, he pursued studies in economics and business administration at Douglas College. In 1996, started working as a broadcaster at CKST AM1040 in Vancouver. In 1997, he moved to Ottawa to work as the Communications Advisor for the Official Opposition, which at that time was the Reform Party of Canada. In 1998, Moore returned to broadcasting in Vancouver before moving to Prince George to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science at the University of Northern British Columbia. While in Prince George he continued in broadcasting by guest hosting at 550 CKPG and launching his own talk show entitled “’Behind the Headlines’ with James Moore.” In 2011, Moore earned his Master of Arts degree in Political Studies from the University of Saskatchewan.

Opposition member

In the 2000 federal election Moore was the Canadian Alliance candidate in the federal riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam. At the age of 24 Moore defeated Liberal Party incumbent Lou Sekora by a 20 percentage point margin. With his election win Moore became the youngest member of Parliament ever elected in the province of British Columbia. As a member of the Official Opposition Moore served as Deputy Foreign Affairs Critic and Deputy National Revenue Critic, and was later promoted to serve as the Senior Transport Critic and Vice-Chair of the Commons Transport Committee. In 2003, the Canadian Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to form the Conservative Party of Canada. In the 2004 federal election Moore was re-elected in the new riding of Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, winning 41% of the popular the vote. Following his re-election he served as the Official Opposition Transportation Critic, as well as Amateur Sport Critic.

In 2004, Moore was one of the few members of his caucus to vote in favour of same-sex marriage. After taking a long time to study the issue he stated "In short, I believe in equality under the law for all Canadians for civil marriages, which in a perfect world would be termed civil unions".

Government member

In the 2006 federal election the Conservative Party won a minority government and Moore was re-elected in his riding over former Coquitlam mayor, Jon Kingsbury. On February 7, 2006, Moore was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics. Moore was responsible for answering questions regarding Public Works and Government Services during Question Period due to the minister, Michael Fortier, being a senator as opposed to a member of Parliament.

On June 25, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Moore as the Secretary of State for the 2010 Olympics, the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Official Languages. With his appointment he became the youngest Cabinet Minister in British Columbia's history and the fourth youngest Cabinet Minister in Canadian history. Less than three months later Harper called an election for October 14, 2008. Moore was easily re-elected in the 2008 federal election and the Conservative Party won their second minority government.

Minister of Canadian Heritage

On October 30, 2008, Moore was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Moore's appointment came after Harper had sparked controversy during the recent election campaign when he made comments that “ordinary people” didn't care about arts funding. The comments were negatively received, particularly in Quebec, and it is thought to have contributed to the Conservatives not winning a majority government.

In the 2011 federal election Moore was once again re-elected in his riding and the Conservative Party won their first majority government. It was speculated that Moore could be promoted to a higher profile ministry when Harper shuffled his cabinet, however he remained Minister of Heritage when the new cabinet was sworn in. The resignation and defeat of several ministers did lead to his appointment as the senior regional Minister from British Columbia, he became the youngest person to ever hold the post. Moore is seen as one of the most influential members within his caucus, and with Prime Minister Harper. Though Harper has not appointed a Deputy Prime Minister since taking office, Jason Kenney is seen by many as the de facto Deputy Prime Minister. Maclean's columnist Paul Wells wrote in 2011 that Moore, whose views contrast to the more socially conservative Kenney, was a near-equal to Kenney. Moore's portfolio is an important one to Quebeckers and with only four Conservative members of Parliament in the province Moore has become a central figure in the province for the party, despite hailing from British Columbia.

CBC

As Minister of Canadian Heritage Moore was nominally responsible for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Crown corporation. On November 19, 2008, Moore warned CBC executives to rein in their spending practises after it was revealed that CBC's executive vice-president for French services, racked up more than $80,000 in 2006 on expenses such as theatre tickets, hotels, and catering. The information was revealed the same week that other Canadian broadcasters were announcing hiring freezes and layoffs. The President of CBC announced on November 21, 2008 that the corporation would be cutting spending and reviewing its major projects.

Moore has been a defender of the CBC and has spoken about its importance as a key cultural institution. This despite calls from some within the Conservative Party to stop funding or sell the CBC. Downsizing and decentralizing of the broadcaster is a goal for Moore and the Conservative government. In December 2011, he stated that under his leadership staffing at the CBC had decreased by about 25%.

Interim Minister of Aboriginal Affairs

On February 15, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Moore as acting Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development after the sudden resignation of John Duncan. Duncan resigned after improperly advocating to a tax court on behalf of a constituent in June 2011. Moore remained interim minister until Bernard Valcourt was appointed on February 22, 2013.

Minister of Industry

On July 15, 2013, Moore was appointed Minister of Industry.

On December 15, 2013 while commenting on a report that B.C. had the worst rate of child poverty in Canada, Moore said, "Is it my job to feed my neighbour's child? I don't think so" to Vancouver radio station News1130 reporter Sara Norman. His comments were criticized as “dismissive” and Scrooge-like, especially given the Christmas season. Initially the minister denied making any such statement in a series of tweets. On December 16, Moore issued a written apology on his website.

Out of politics

On June 19, 2015, Moore announced he was not running as a candidate in the 2015 federal election. In November 2015, it was announced that Moore had been chosen to be the next chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia, his alma mater, starting a three-year term in May 2016. He also works at the global law firm Dentons as a senior business advisor, and a policy advisor at the global firm Edelman. In September 2016, it was announced that Moore joined the national board of the Canadian Cancer Society.