View source for Brian Tobin

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{for multi|the president of the International Tennis Federation|Brian Tobin (tennis)|the Irish hurler|Brian Tobin (hurler)}}
{{BLP sources|date=May 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
| image = Briantobin.jpg
| name = Brian Tobin
| honorific-suffix =  {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|OC|size=100%}}
| birth_name = Brian Vincent Tobin
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|10|21}}
| birth_place = {{nowrap|[[Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador|Stephenville]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]], Canada }}
| residence = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada

| parliament1        = Canadian
| riding1            = [[Bonavista—Trinity—Conception]]
| term_start1        = November 27, 2000
| term_end1          = January 25, 2002
| predecessor1       = [[Fred Mifflin]]
| successor1         = [[John Efford]]

| office = 6th [[Premier of Newfoundland]]
| term_start = January 26, 1996
| term_end = October 16, 2000
| monarch = [[Elizabeth II]]
| lieutenant_governor = [[Frederick Russell]]<br />[[Arthur Maxwell House]]
| predecessor = [[Clyde Kirby Wells|Clyde Wells]]
| successor = [[Beaton Tulk]]

| office3 = [[Newfoundland House of Assembly|MHA]] for [[Bay of Islands (electoral district)|Bay of Islands]]
| term_start3 = February 22, 1996
| term_end3 = February 9, 1999
| predecessor3 = [[Clyde Kirby Wells|Clyde Wells]]
| successor3 = [[Eddie Joyce]]

| office2 = [[Newfoundland House of Assembly|MHA]] for [[The Straits – White Bay North]]
| term_start2 = February 9, 1999
| term_end2 = October 17, 2000
| predecessor2 = [[Chris Decker]]
| successor2 = [[Trevor Taylor (politician)|Trevor Taylor]]

| parliament6        = Canadian
| riding6            = [[Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte]]<br />{{small|([[Humber—Port au Port—St. Barbe]]; 1980–1988)}}
| term_start6        = February 18, 1980
| term_end6          = January 25, 1996
| predecessor6       = [[Fonse Faour]]
| successor6         = [[Gerry Byrne (politician)|Gerry Byrne]]

| party = [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
| website =
| occupation =
}}
'''Brian Vincent Tobin''' (born October 21, 1954) is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] businessman and former politician. Tobin served as the sixth [[premier of Newfoundland and Labrador|premier of Newfoundland]] from 1996 to 2000. Tobin was also a prominent [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] and served as a cabinet minister in [[Jean Chrétien]]'s [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] government.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/captain-canada-returns-to-federal-politics-1.248761|title='Captain Canada' returns to federal politics|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]|access-date=2014-04-15|date=November 1, 2000}}</ref>

== Early life, education, and family ==
Tobin was born in [[Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador|Stephenville]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]. He studied [[political science]] at [[Memorial University of Newfoundland]] in [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's]]. He worked a brief stint as a TV news announcer with NBC (now NTV) before joining the [[Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador]] as a political aide to former federal Member of Parliament (MP) and federal cabinet minister [[Don Jamieson (politician)|Don Jamieson]].

Tobin is married to Jodean (Smith) and they have three children: Heather, Adam, and Jack.

== Political career ==
Tobin was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] as a Liberal in the [[1980 Canadian federal election|1980 election]]. He was re-elected in the [[1984 Canadian federal election|1984 election]] even though [[Brian Mulroney]]'s, [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative Party]] (PC) won the largest majority government in [[Canadian history]]. It was at this time however that Tobin gained prominence as a member of the [[Liberal Party of Canada Rat Pack|"Rat Pack"]], which was the nickname given to a group of young, high-profile Canadian Liberal opposition MPs during Mulroney's government.<ref name=ret/>

=== In government ===
Following the [[1993 Canadian federal election|1993 election]] in which the Liberals regained power from the Progressive Conservatives after almost a decade in opposition, Tobin was appointed [[Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)|Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]].

In the ministry, Tobin distinguished himself from his colleagues with speeches rife with rhetoric and his youthful exuberance. Throughout 1994 he mounted a fierce campaign against foreign over-fishing of waters on the nose and tail of the [[Grand Banks]], located just outside Canada's declared 200 nautical mile (370&nbsp;km) [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] (EEZ). People across Canada took notice of this new and aggressive posture, a position that had not been taken by a federal minister—Liberal or Conservative—since the EEZ was declared in 1977.

Critics{{who|date=December 2023}} note that Tobin was likely doing this to preserve his political life in his home province.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} At this point, Newfoundland and Labrador was wracked{{clarify|date=December 2023}} by rapidly rising [[unemployment]] and social unrest over the fiscal situation which many believed had been caused by federal mismanagement of foreign and domestic overfishing. This had resulted in the 1992 "Northern Cod Moratorium." In April 1995, Tobin's department was embroiled in the [[Turbot War]] (known in Spain as Guerra del Fletán). He received full backing of the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] in the pursuit. Later that month, Tobin conducted an international news conference from a barge on the [[East River]] outside the [[United Nations]] headquarters and dramatically displayed an illegal, under Canadian Law, trawl net that had allegedly been cut from a [[Spain|Spanish]] trawler which was arrested outside the Canadian EEZ, on international waters. The net was over 16 stories high and was hung from a crane causing a media sensation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tobin Fights Fish War at the UN|url=http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tobin-fights-fish-war-at-the-un/|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia|access-date=December 4, 2014}}</ref> Tobin was accused by the arrested shipmen of ill-intentionally orchestrating a media-oriented frame-up to mislead attention from economic and public image problems Canada was facing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mas.laopinioncoruna.es/suplementos/2010/03/14/heroes-del-estai/ |title=Suplementos de La Opinión A Coruña: Héroes del Estai|date=Mar 14, 2010|website=laopinioncoruna.es|access-date=May 15, 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329124734/http://mas.laopinioncoruna.es/suplementos/2010/03/14/heroes-del-estai/ |archive-date=2012-03-29 }}</ref>

Tobin helped organize a pro-Canada rally in [[Montreal]] before the October [[1995 Quebec referendum]]—busing in thousands of university students and other residents from English Canada. For his roles as Fisheries Minister and in the referendum, he earned the nickname "Captain Canada".

=== Premier of Newfoundland ===
In 1996, Tobin resigned from federal politics to succeed [[Clyde Kirby Wells|Clyde Wells]] as leader of the governing [[Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador|Liberal Party of Newfoundland]] and premier. The Liberal Party won a large majority government later that year. During his time as premier Tobin pursued tough negotiations with out-of-province companies seeking to export resources for refining and smelting elsewhere. He insisted that the resources will never be mined unless Newfoundlanders received secondary manufacturing and tertiary service spin-offs. A similar tough stance was taken in seeking to [[Lower Churchill Project|develop]] the [[Churchill River (Atlantic)|Lower Churchill River]], keeping in mind the contract his predecessor [[Joey Smallwood]] had negotiated. His Liberals won re-election in [[1999 Newfoundland general election|1999]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/player/Digital+Archives/Politics/Provincial+and+Territorial+Politics/Newfoundland+and+Labrador+Elections/ID/1822259854/ Brian Tobin's Liberals win re-election]</ref>

It was also during this time in the lead-up to the millennium that Newfoundland undertook an aggressive tourism marketing campaign which focused on important anniversaries such as the 500th year since [[John Cabot]]'s voyage of discovery (1997), as well as the 1000th year since [[Vikings]], such as [[Leif Ericson]], made landfall on the province's shores (2000).

=== Return to federal politics ===
In October 2000, Tobin suddenly resigned to join the federal Cabinet and run for re-election to the House of Commons in a [[2000 Canadian federal election|snap election]] called by Governor General [[Adrienne Clarkson]] on the advice of her prime minister, Jean Chrétien.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tobin-to-run-in-next-federal-election-1.240047 "Tobin to run in next federal election"]. CBC News, October 17, 2000. Retrieved 2014-04-15.</ref> Chrétien advised that his friend be appointed as [[Minister of Industry (Canada)|Minister of Industry]] before the election, replacing [[John Manley]], and Tobin was easily elected in the riding of [[Bonavista—Trinity—Conception]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tobin-back-as-mp-1.243511 "Tobin back as MP"]. CBC News, November 28, 2000. Retrieved 2014-04-15.</ref> His departure from the premiership caused speculation among Newfoundlanders and Canadians about his aspirations for the leadership of the federal Liberals following what was assumed would be Chrétien's final term as prime minister.{{Citation needed|date=August 2016}}  Tobin's position in Industry would allow him to develop a relationship with the nation's business leaders who would ultimately be financing any potential leadership campaign. In January 2002, Tobin abruptly resigned both his cabinet portfolio and parliament seat.<ref name=ret>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tobin-quits-politics-will-serve-country-as-private-citizen-1.312402 "Tobin quits politics, will serve country as 'private citizen'"]. [[CBC News]], January 15, 2002. Retrieved 2014-04-15.</ref> Observers interpreted that his departure of federal politics was due to his frustration at the stranglehold on the future leadership of the Liberal party by the then [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]], [[Paul Martin]], and possibly because Chrétien had promoted Manley to Deputy Prime Minister.{{Citation needed|date=August 2016}}

== Post-political career ==
In retirement from politics, Tobin has served on the board of several Canadian corporations. He became CEO of Magna International Developments (MID), controller of Magna's vast real estate and horse track holdings, the latter through [[Magna Entertainment Corporation]]. After only a few months in the position, he left after disagreements with Magna chairman and controlling shareholder [[Frank Stronach]]. The dispute was supposedly over the propriety of a [[share repurchase|share buyback]] program, while others suggested that it was because Stronach would not give Tobin autonomy to operate. Tobin has since joined the [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] think-tank the [[Fraser Institute]]. In the past, Tobin had referred to the Fraser Institute and its fellows as "Loony-Tunes". It is there that Tobin began his association with the ideas and political plans of [[Preston Manning]] and [[Mike Harris]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tobin-joins-fraser-institute-despite-past-conflicts-1.599820 "Tobin joins Fraser Institute, despite past conflicts"]. CBC News, December 8, 2006. Retrieved 2014-04-15.</ref> Tobin is also a Senior Business Advisor with Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP in Toronto and is a member of the firm's Public Policy Group.Through his involvement in policy decisions first entered as ideals at the Fraser Institute, Tobin has influenced the sale of energy interests in Alberta including the sale of two billion dollars' worth of Alberta oil and gas interests to Abu Dhabi a Middle Eastern company through their Houston affiliate as shown on the Fraser Milner Casgrain website.<ref>[http://www.fmc-law.com/People/TobinBrian.aspx FMC biography] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125080450/http://www.fmc-law.com/People/TobinBrian.aspx |date=November 25, 2010 }}</ref>

In 2003, Tobin authored his biography titled ''All In Good Time''.<ref>[http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/All-In-Good-Time-Brian-Tobin/9780143016137-item.html?pticket=sh5c1145tqqp3b55eiavudm5BHflAlvdvNUpLBL6sBwWQYULits%3d Chapters: "All in Good Time"] {{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

With the defeat of the Liberals in the [[2006 Canadian federal election]] to [[Stephen Harper]]'s [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservatives]], Prime Minister Martin resigned from the leadership of the party. There were frequent rumors that Tobin, and other former cabinet colleagues [[Allan Rock]] and [[John Manley]] would run to succeed Martin. On January 31, 2006, Tobin officially announced that he would not be running for the [[2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|federal Liberal leadership]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tobin-not-interested-in-replacing-martin-1.589257 "Tobin not interested in replacing Martin"]. CBC News, January 31, 2006. Retrieved 2014-04-15.</ref>

On December 25, 2010, Tobin's son Jack was charged with impaired driving causing death over an incident in which his best friend, Alex Zolpis, was killed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/brian-tobin-s-son-charged-in-fatal-accident-1.589627|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327124051/http://www.ctvnews.ca/brian-tobin-s-son-charged-in-fatal-accident-1.589627|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 27, 2016|title = Brian Tobin's son charged in fatal accident|date = 25 December 2010}}</ref>  His son later pleaded guilty and was granted full parole just over a year into a three-year sentence.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/31/jack-tobin-sentencing-jail-sentence-driving-ban_n_942922.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160327180232/http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/31/jack-tobin-sentencing-jail-sentence-driving-ban_n_942922.html| archive-date = 2016-03-27| title = Jack Tobin Sentencing: Judge Hands Down 3 Year Jail Sentence, 7 Year Driving Ban}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/09/28/son_of_former_nl_premier_brian_tobin_granted_full_parole_a_year_into_drunk_driving_sentence.html|title = Son of former NL premier Brian Tobin granted full parole a year into drunk driving sentence| website=[[Toronto Star]] |date = 28 September 2012}}</ref>

He was appointed an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]] on 19 November 2012.<ref name="Governor General of Canada">{{cite web | url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=11040&t=12&ln=Tobin | publisher=[[Governor General of Canada]] | title=Brian Tobin, P.C., O.C., LL.D., ICD.D. | date=11 June 2018 }}</ref>  His citation reads:<ref name="Governor General of Canada"/>
<blockquote>Brian Tobin is highly regarded for his strong and principled leadership. As a federal cabinet minister, he was instrumental in leading the implementation of the ''[[Oceans Act (Canada)|Oceans Act]]'', which provides a unique framework for modern ocean management. He also took a strong stance against offshore over-fishing by foreign fleets. His term as premier of Newfoundland and Labrador was marked by important economic reforms to traditional industries, the modernization of the educational system, and the development of the offshore oil and gas industry. In the corporate sector, he is known for his commitment to sound governance and corporate social responsibility.</blockquote>

In April 2013, [[BMO Capital Markets]], the investment and corporate banking arm of [[Bank of Montreal|BMO Financial Group]], announced that it hired Tobin as Vice-Chair.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://newsroom.bmo.com/press-releases/bmo-capital-markets-hires-hon-brian-tobin-as-vice-tsx-bmo-201304170867212001 |title=Archived Document |access-date=2013-10-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912201710/http://newsroom.bmo.com/press-releases/bmo-capital-markets-hires-hon-brian-tobin-as-vice-tsx-bmo-201304170867212001 |archive-date=2013-09-12 }}.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=5744}}

{{s-start}}
{{Canadian federal ministry navigational box header |ministry=26}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post4         = [[Minister of Industry (Canada)|Minister of Industry]]
| post4years    = 2000–2002
| post4note     =
| post4preceded = [[John Manley]]
| post4followed = [[Allan Rock]]

| post3         = [[Minister of Western Economic Diversification (Canada)|Minister of Western Economic Diversification]]
| post3years    = 2000–2002
| post3note     =
| post3preceded = [[John Manley]]
| post3followed = [[Allan Rock]]

| post2         = [[Minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]]
| post2years    = 2000–2002
| post2note     =
| post2preceded = [[John Manley]]
| post2followed = [[Allan Rock]]

| post1         = [[Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada)|Minister of Fisheries and Oceans]]
| post1years    = 1993–1996
| post1note     =
| post1preceded = [[Ross Reid (politician)|Ross Reid]]
| post1followed = [[Fred Mifflin]]
}}
{{ministry box special cabinet
| post1         = [[Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]]
| post1years    = 2000–2002
| post1note     =
| post1preceded = [[John Manley]]
| post1followed = ''vacant,'' later [[Lucienne Robillard]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{NLPremiers}}
{{Chrétien Ministry}}
{{CA-Ministers of Fisheries}}
{{CA-Ministers for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency}}
{{CA-Ministers of Western Economic Diversification}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobin, Brian}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the 26th Canadian Ministry]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs]]
[[Category:Premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:People from Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly]]