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{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1951)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox MLA
| honorific_prefix = [[The Honourable]]
|honorific-suffix =[[Executive Council of Ontario|ECO]]
| name              = David Tsubouchi
| image             = 
| imagesize         = 
| awards        = [[Order of Saint Joachim|Knight of the Order of Saint Joachim]]
| caption           = 
| office1           = [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Ontario MPP]]
| term_start1       = 1995
| term_end1         = 2003
| predecessor1      = [[Don Cousens]]
| successor1        = [[Tony Wong (Canadian politician)|Tony Wong]]
| constituency1     = [[Markham (provincial electoral district)|Markham]]
| party             = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]]
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1951|08|20}}
| birth_place       = [[Toronto]]
| residence         =
| occupation        = Lawyer
}}
{{Nihongo|'''David Hiroshi Tsubouchi'''|坪内 デビト|Tsubouchi Debito}} (born August 20, 1951) is a former [[politician]] in [[Ontario]], Canada. He was a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]] from 1995 to 2003, and was a [[cabinet minister]] in the governments of [[Mike Harris]] and [[Ernie Eves]]. He was the [[List of electoral firsts in Canada|first Japanese Canadian elected]] to a provincial legislature.

==Background==
Tsubouchi was born in Toronto, and grew up in Scarborough in the Agincourt area.<ref>{{cite news |title=Harris, cabinet vow 'significant change' |first1=Richard |last1=Brennan |first2=John |last2=Ibbitson |work=The Windsor Star |date=27 June 1995 |page=A1}}</ref> His parents were Japanese Canadians, originally from British Columbia, who were interned during World War II. After their release they moved to Toronto.<ref name=overcome>{{cite news |title=Ex-cabinet minister has had lifetime of overcoming |last=Simone |first=Joseph |work=Era - Banner |date=10 June 2006 |page=01}}</ref> He graduated from [[Agincourt Collegiate Institute]] in 1968 and attended York University where he received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in 1972,<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.yorku.ca/univsec/board/biography/tsubouchi.htm |title=David Tsubouchi |work= York University |accessdate=12 January 2011}}</ref> and a law degree from [[Osgoode Hall]] in 1975. He was the senior partner in the firm of ''Tsubouchi & Nichols'' (formerly ''Tsubouchi & Parker'') following his graduation.<ref name=yu>{{Cite web |url= http://news.yorku.ca/2003/04/28/ivan-fecan-john-tory-david-tsubouchi-steve-mirkopoulos-to-receive-york-university-alumni-recognition-awards/ |title=Ivan Fecan, John Tory, David Tsubouchi, Steve Mirkopoulos to receive York University alumni recognition awards |work= York University|date=April 28, 2003 |accessdate=12 January 2011}}</ref> Tsubouchi was also an Associate Director of the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, and was a frequent contributor to the ''[[Law Gazette]]''. He received an [[Air Canada]] Heart of Gold award in 1988, and was granted a coat-of-arms from the Canadian [[Governor-General]]'s office in 1993. Tsubouchi has a younger brother and sister. His father was killed in a hit and run accident in 2005.<ref name=overcome/>

Tsubouchi worked briefly as an actor. He had a minor role as a Japanese salesman in [[David Cronenberg]]'s ''[[Videodrome]]'' in 1983,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0875205/ |title=David Tsubouchi - IMDb |website=[[IMDb]] |accessdate=11 November 2012}}</ref> and episodes of [[John Byner]]'s ''[[Bizarre (TV series)|Bizarre]]'' and ''[[Second City Television|SCTV]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080200/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1|title = Bizarre (TV Series 1980–1985) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075578/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1|title = SCTV (TV Series 1976–1981) - IMDb| website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

==Politics==

===Municipal councillor===
Tsubouchi was elected as a city councillor in ward 5 in [[Markham, Ontario|Markham]] and served from 1988 to 1994.<ref name=overcome/><ref name=yu/>

===Provincial politics===
In the [[1995 Ontario general election|provincial election of 1995]], he ran as the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] candidate in the provincial riding of [[Markham (provincial electoral district)|Markham]], defeating his nearest opponent by 26,544 votes.<ref name="1995 results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=markham&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 8, 1995 |accessdate=2014-03-02 |archive-date=25 June 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140625024752/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=markham&flag=E&layout=G |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Tories won a majority government in the election and Tsubouchi was appointed as [[Ontario Minister of Community and Social Services|Minister of Community and Social Services]] in the government of [[Mike Harris]] on June 26, 1995.<ref name="1995HarrisCab">{{cite news |title=Mike Harris' cabinet |newspaper=The Spectator |location=Hamilton, Ont |date=June 27, 1995 |page=A7}}</ref>

In this portfolio, Tsubouchi was responsible for presiding over drastic cuts in the province's [[Welfare (financial aid)|welfare]] system. He also made a number of controversial actions early in his ministry, including suggesting that welfare recipients who had their funding reduced should consider haggling down the price of dented cans of [[tuna]] to 69 cents each.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.cbc.ca/archives/entry/1995-tsubouchi-diet-causes-uproar-in-ontario |title='Tsubouchi diet' causes uproar |work=CBC News |date=October 20, 1995 |accessdate=12 January 2011}}</ref> He also claimed that single mothers on welfare had ample time to find jobs, after having given a three-month warning for a 22% cut in benefits.

Later, he prepared a sample menu which listed affordable food purchases for those whose welfare rates had been reduced. His list was found to have less nutritional value than the diet served to prisoners in Ontario jails. There were several calls for his resignation in the wake of these comments; even the right-leaning ''[[Toronto Sun]]'' newspaper suggested that he should be removed.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}} He remained with the portfolio until August 16, 1996, when he was named [[Ontario Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations|Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations]].<ref name="1996HarrisCab">{{cite news |title=Tsubouchi demoted in Harris shuffle |first=William |last=Walker |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=August 16, 1996 |page=A1}}</ref>

Notwithstanding his handling of the Social Services portfolio, Tsubouchi was regarded in some circles as one of the more progressively-minded ministers in the Harris government. He supported the centre-right [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada]] rather than the right-wing [[Reform Party of Canada|Reform Party]] at the federal level, and in 2000 was the only member of the Progressive Conservative caucus to openly support [[Joe Clark]] for the federal party's leadership. He was also credited by some for at least making an effort to cushion the blow of his government's welfare cuts. Nonetheless, the legacy of his department's cutbacks would follow Tsubouchi for the rest of his career, and make him a frequent target of social activists opposed to the Harris government.

Tsubouchi's tenure as Consumer and Commercial Relations Minister was comparatively uneventful. He was easily re-elected in the [[1999 Ontario general election|provincial election of 1999]], defeating [[Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal]] [[Steven Kirsch]] by just over 13,000 votes.<ref name="1999 results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1999_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=37&rec=0&district=markham&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 3, 1999 |accessdate=2014-03-02 |archive-date=25 June 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140625024804/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1999_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=37&rec=0&district=markham&flag=E&layout=G |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On June 17, 1999, he was appointed as the province's [[Solicitor General of Ontario|Solicitor-General]].<ref name="1999HarrisCab">{{cite news |title=Ontario Cabinet |newspaper=The Spectator |location=Hamilton, Ont |date=June 18, 1999 |page=C8}}</ref> He held this position until a cabinet shuffle on February 8, 2001, when he was named [[Ontario Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet|Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet]].<ref name="2001HarrisCab">{{cite news |title=Flaherty to be new Ontario finance chief |newspaper=Sudbury Star |date=February 8, 2001 |page=A5}}</ref>

Tsubouchi supported [[Ernie Eves]]'s successful bid to replace Mike Harris as party leader in 2002. Eves retained him as chair of the Management Board, and also named him as Ontario's [[Ontario Minister of Culture|Minister of Culture]] on April 15, 2002.<ref name="2002EvesCabinet">{{cite news |title=Ont-Cabinet |publisher=Canadian Press NewsWire |location=Toronto, Ont |date=April 15, 2002}}</ref>

In the [[2003 Ontario general election|provincial election of 2003]], Tsubouchi was upset by Liberal candidate [[Tony Wong (Canadian politician)|Tony Wong]], losing by about 6,000 votes.<ref name="2003 results">{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=markham&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 2, 2003 |accessdate=2014-03-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402140237/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=markham&flag=E&layout=G |archivedate=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> In 2004, he supported [[John Tory]]'s successful bid to replace Eves as party leader.

===Cabinet positions===
{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Ernie_Eves}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post1preceded = [[Tim Hudak]]
| post1         = [[Ministry of Culture (Ontario)|Minister of Culture]]
| post1years    = 2002–2003
| post1note     =
| post1followed = [[Madeleine Meilleur]]
}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Mike_Harris}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post4preceded = [[Chris Hodgson]]
| post4         = [[Management Board Secretariat (Ontario)|Management Board Chair]]
| post4years    = 2001–2003
| post4note     =
| post4followed = [[Gerry Phillips]]

| post3preceded = [[Bob Runciman]]
| post3         = [[Solicitor General of Ontario|Solicitor General]]
| post3years    = 1999–2001
| post3note     =
| post3followed = [[David Turnbull (politician)|David Turnbull]]

| post2preceded = [[Norm Sterling]]
| post2         = [[Ministry of Consumer Services (Ontario)|Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations]]
| post2years    = 1996–1999
| post2note     = 
| post2followed = [[Bob Runciman]]

| post1preceded = [[Tony Silipo]]
| post1         = [[Ministry of Community and Social Services (Ontario)|Minister of Community and Social Services]]
| post1years    = 1995–1996
| post1note     = 
| post1followed = [[Janet Ecker]]
}}
{{s-end}}

==After politics==
He worked as associate counsel at the law firm [[Miller Thomson LLP]], and is currently the founder and chairman of Deduce International Markets Inc<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.senecac.on.ca/about/governance/boardmembers.html |title=Board Members |work= Seneca College - Toronto, Ontario, Canada |accessdate=12 January 2011}}</ref> In 2007 he was invested as a Knight in The Equestrian, Secular and Chapterial [[Order of Saint Joachim]] in Toronto.

In recent years, Tsubouchi has worked as a partner at the law firm Fogler, Rubinoff LLP, and has been appointed to head Ontario College of Trades starting on September 9, 2013. In 2013 he published ''Gambatte'', a memoir of his career.<ref name=openbook>{{cite web |url=http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/word_street_interview_series_david_tsubouchi |title=The Word on the Street Interview Series: David Tsubouchi |publisher=Open Book Toronto |date=September 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230931/http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/word_street_interview_series_david_tsubouchi |archivedate=March 3, 2016 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*{{Ontario MPP biography|id=david-h-tsubouchi}}
*{{IMDb name|0875205}}

{{Harris Ministry}}
{{Eves Ministry}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsubouchi, David}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian memoirists]]
[[Category:Canadian writers of Asian descent]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario]]
[[Category:Osgoode Hall Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Japanese descent]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs]]
[[Category:York University alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]
[[Category:Politicians from Toronto]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]