Mark Holland

Mark Holland (born October 16, 1974) is the Canadian Member of Parliament for the Ontario riding of Ajax-Pickering. He was elected in the 2004 election as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and re-elected in the 2006 election. In 2006, Holland beat his nearest rival by nearly 9,000 votes capturing just under 50% of the vote. Holland is the second youngest member of the Liberal Caucus (Navdeep Bains is the youngest). Born in Pickering, Ontario, Holland majored in political science and history at the University of Toronto and graduated in 1996. He worked as an assistant to Member of Parliament Dan McTeague and at the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. He also worked for the Royal Bank of Canada and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. He served as a city councilor for the city of Pickering, Ontario (1997-2004) and as a councilor for the region of Durham from 2000 to 2004. He was the acting Mayor of Pickering in 2004. Holland created the Millennium Waterfront Committee in Pickering in 1998 and led the redevelopment of the City of Pickering's waterfront. He also founded the Region of Durham's Youth Partnership Initiative, the City of Pickering's Winterfest and was a member of the Board of Directors for Veridian Corporation. Holland was also a member of the Durham Region Police Services Board, past Vice-Chair of both the Ajax-Pickering Social Development Council and the Ajax-Pickering Block Parent program and a past member of Durham Region Finance and Administration Committee. He continues to be a member of the Durham West Arts Centre, serving as one of their founding members. As a Member of Parliament, Holland has served as Vice-Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, Vice Chair of the Public Safety and National Security Committee, Critic for Natural Resources, Critic for the Canadian Border Services Agency, Associate Critc for Treasury Board, as a member of the Finance Committee, Industry Committee and on the Cities and Communities Caucus. He currently serves in the Liberal Shadow Cabinet as the Critic for Public Works and Procurement. In Parliament, Holland brought up a private members bill to advocate for the cause of lowering the voting age. The bill stipulated that 16-18 year-olds be allowed to vote in federal elections encouraged provincial and municipal jurisdictions to allow the same. He asked that an elections unit be taught in high schools before elections take place, to inform students on current events and issues at debate. By raising this interest in youth first, at the election they will make more informed choices. Furthermore, voting would take place in schools, raising voter turnout. In October 2006, Holland re-introduced as a private members bill a former Liberal government bill to reform the animal cruelty sections of the Criminal Code of Canada, which have changed little since 1892. Holland has been named by the Globe and Mail as a member of the new 'Rat Pack' and was voted by the Hill Times as the most effective Opposition MP in Question Period and the 'Best Up-And-Comer' for 2006 and 2007 (December, 2006 and June, 2007). Stockwell Day has referred to Mark as 'Perry Mason on Steroids' and 'the Caped Crusader' during their sometimes heated exchanges in the Public Safety and National Security meetings. CTV called Holland "a one-man rat pack on a mission to change the hill" (2007-01-20). Macleans has labeled Holland - 'Part Attack Dog - Part King Maker' for his going after Conservatives and for his role in the 2006 leadership campaign. Other Macleans quotes on Holland; "With a prosecutorial zeal for parliamentary debate and a key role on Gerard Kennedy's Liberal leadership campaign, Mark Holland transformed himself from just another Ontario Liberal into one of the most talked-about opposition critics on the Hill." (Macleans.ca - December 29, 2006) "If you saw Kennedy in Montreal, Holland was inevitably not far behind. Already a favourite of some on Parliament Hill for his oratory skills and his impressive head of hair, Holland is a mere 32 years old - making him a potential leadership candidate for the next 30 years." (Aaron Wherry, Macleans.ca | Updated Monday, December 11, 2006) Holland supported Gerard Kennedy's leadership bid for the Federal Liberal Party and was Mr. Kennedy's Ontario Campaign Chair. When Kennedy dropped off after the 2nd ballot to support former Environment Minister Stéphane Dion, Holland went with him and was seen as key in building a bridge between the two camps. On January 18, 2007 Holland was named the Critic for Natural Resources in Dion's shadow cabinet.[1] It was in this capacity that he briefly garnered nationwide attention for telling talk-radio host Charles Adler that a Stephane Dion government would move to cap development in the oilsands in order to meet Kyoto targets. On October 9, 2007 Holland was named the Critic for Public Works and Procurement in Dion's shadow cabinet. Outside of politics, Holland competes in adventure racing, running and is a writer. A life long resident of west Durham, Holland lives in Pickering and has three children. He is one of the more enthusiastic users of Facebook amongst Liberal MP's, frequently updating his profile and writing notes about government announcements and party policy.

External links

• Official site
• How'd They Vote?: Mark Holland's voting history and quotes
• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
• An account of his statements on the Charles Adler show regarding Alberta oilsands