# Bob Dechert

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{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1958)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name             = Robert Dechert
| honorific_suffix = 
| image            = Dechert, Bob cropped (8242151078).jpg
| caption          = Dechert in 2012
| riding           = [Mississauga—Erindale](/source/Mississauga%E2%80%94Erindale)
| parliament       = Canadian
| term_start       = October 14, 2008
| term_end         = August 4, 2015
| predecessor      = [Omar Alghabra](/source/Omar_Alghabra)
| successor        = ''Riding abolished''
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1958|5|18}}<ref name="parlinfo">{{cite web|url=https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=17283|title=Profile - Dechert, Bob|publisher=[Library of Parliament](/source/Parliament_of_Canada)|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref>
| birth_place      = [Brampton](/source/Brampton), [Ontario](/source/Ontario), Canada
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| party            = [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_of_Canada)
| spouse           = Ruth Clark<ref name="Macleans110926"/>
| profession       = Lawyer
| footnotes        =  
}}
'''Robert "Bob" Dechert''' (born May 18, 1958) is a former Canadian politician and lawyer. A member of the [Conservative Party of Canada](/source/Conservative_Party_of_Canada), Dechert served as the [member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(Canada)) for the [riding](/source/electoral_district_(Canada)) of [Mississauga—Erindale](/source/Mississauga%E2%80%94Erindale) in the [House of Commons of Canada](/source/House_of_Commons_of_Canada) from 2008 to 2015.

==Background==
Dechert was born in [Brampton](/source/Brampton), [Ontario](/source/Ontario)<ref name="parlinfo"/> and graduated from [McMaster University](/source/McMaster_University) in [Hamilton](/source/Hamilton%2C_Ontario) with a Bachelor of Arts in economics.<ref name="CBC100922">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mississauga-erindale-1.939633|title=Mississauga–Erindale|publisher=CBC News|date=September 22, 2010|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref> He attended law school at the [University of Toronto](/source/University_of_Toronto) and was called to the bar in Ontario in 1985.<ref name="CBC100922"/> He joined the law firm of [Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP](/source/Gowlings) where he practiced corporate law and was a senior partner.<ref name="GC100305">{{cite press release|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2010/03/prime-minister-announces-appointment-bob-dechert-parliamentary-secretary-minister-justice.html|title=Prime Minister Announces the Appointment of Bob Dechert as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice|publisher=Government of Canada|date=March 5, 2010|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref><ref name="MN081110">{{cite web|url=https://www.mississauga.com/community-story/3141265-new-mississauga-erindale-mp-says-he-can-deliver/|title=New Mississauga-Erindale MP says he can deliver|work=The Mississauga News|first=Julia|last=Le|date=November 10, 2008|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref>

==Politics==
Dechert became involved in politics in his teen years, putting up signs for [Progressive Conservative Party of Canada](/source/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Canada) (PC) candidate [Duncan Beattie](/source/Duncan_Beattie) in the [1972 federal election](/source/1972_Canadian_federal_election),<ref name="MN081110"/> and assisting in the campaign of the [Ontario PCs](/source/Progressive_Conservative_Party_of_Ontario) in the [1975 provincial election](/source/1975_Ontario_general_election).<ref name="Macleans110926"/>

The PCs suffered a historic defeat in the [1993 federal election](/source/1993_Canadian_federal_election), winning only two seats in the House of Commons. In its aftermath, Dechert came together with a group of provincial conservatives, primarily from [Ontario](/source/Ontario), to form the "Blue Committee" in 1994.<ref name="Macleans110926">{{cite web|url=https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/why-bob-dechert-kept-his-job/|title=Why Bob Dechert kept his job|work=[Maclean's](/source/Maclean's)|date=September 26, 2011|accessdate=January 22, 2021|first=Charlie|last=Gillis}}</ref> The group desired a more conservative PC Party and wanted to work together with the [Reform Party of Canada](/source/Reform_Party_of_Canada), which won 52 seats in that election. The Blue Committee was instrumental in the creation of the [United Alternative](/source/United_Alternative) movement, the [Canadian Alliance](/source/Canadian_Alliance) and ultimately, the merger of the Alliance and the PCs to form the modern Conservative Party of Canada.

Dechert ran in the [2004 federal election](/source/2004_Canadian_federal_election) in the riding of Mississauga—Erindale, losing to [Carolyn Parrish](/source/Carolyn_Parrish).<ref name="2004 results">{{cite news |title=Election results...riding by riding |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=June 29, 2004 |page=A14}}</ref> He ran in the same riding in the [2006 federal election](/source/2006_Canadian_federal_election), losing to [Omar Alghabra](/source/Omar_Alghabra).<ref name="2006 results">{{cite news |title=Election results...riding by riding |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=January 24, 2006 |page=A16}}</ref> He defeated Alghabra in the [2008 federal election](/source/2008_Canadian_federal_election) to become the Member of Parliament for that riding,<ref name="2008 Ontario results">{{cite news |title=Ontario Results |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-ontario-results/142943064/ |newspaper=[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star) |date=October 15, 2008 |page=U2 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/3142048-victory-at-long-last-for-dechert/|title=Victory at long last for Dechert|publisher=Mississauga News|date=October 15, 2008|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}</ref> and was appointed [Parliamentary Secretary](/source/Parliamentary_Secretary) to the Minister of Justice on March 5, 2010.<ref name="parlinfo"/><ref name="GC100305"/> In the [2011 federal election](/source/2011_Canadian_federal_election), Dechert once again defeated Alghabra to return to the House of Commons,<ref name="2011 federal results">{{cite news |title=Riding results from across Canada |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/edmonton-journal-riding-results-from-acr/142942922/ |newspaper=[Edmonton Journal](/source/Edmonton_Journal) |date=May 3, 2011 |page=A6 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/05/02/dechert_defeats_a_familiar_foe_in_mississaugaerindale.html|title=Dechert defeats a familiar foe in Mississauga-Erindale|work=The Toronto Star|date=May 2, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}</ref> and was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs [John Baird](/source/John_Baird_(Canadian_politician)).<ref name="parlinfo"/>

On September 9, 2011, it was revealed that Dechert had been engaging in "flirtatious e-mails" with a correspondent, Shi Rong, working for the [People's Republic of China](/source/People's_Republic_of_China) news agency, [Xinhua](/source/Xinhua). The e-mails came to light when the correspondent's husband hacked into her e-mail account and made them public. Dechert acknowledged the "flirtatious" nature of his relationship and issued an apology, but denied any wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tory-mp-apologizes-for-flirty-emails-to-chinese-journalist-1.1059589|publisher=CBC News|title=Tory MP apologizes for flirty emails to Chinese journalist|date=September 9, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}</ref> Critics, including [Charles Burton](/source/Charles_Burton_(sinologist)), a former Canadian diplomat to [Beijing](/source/Beijing), raised concerns as to whether Shi Rong was a Chinese spy trying to gain access to sensitive government information. Both Burton and the opposition asserted that Dechert must have known about Xinhua's espionage activities.<ref>{{cite news|author=Andrea Janus|title=MP in email scandal fits profile of spy target: expert|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/mp-in-email-scandal-fits-profile-of-spy-target-expert-1.698173|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022181520/http://www.ctvnews.ca/mp-in-email-scandal-fits-profile-of-spy-target-expert-1.698173|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 22, 2012|publisher=[CTV News](/source/CTV_News)|date=September 17, 2011|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}</ref><ref name="CBC News">{{cite web|last=The Canadian Press|title=Reporter says Chinese news agency asked him to spy|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/reporter-says-chinese-news-agency-asked-him-to-spy-1.1223135|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}</ref>

Despite the controversy, Dechert stayed on as Parliamentary Secretary to the Foreign Affairs Minister, then returned to his previous role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Justice Minister in September 2013.<ref name="parlinfo"/>

Dechert contested the newly established riding of [Mississauga—Erin Mills](/source/Mississauga%E2%80%94Erin_Mills_(federal_electoral_district)) in the [2015 federal election](/source/2015_Canadian_federal_election), losing to [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Canada) candidate [Iqra Khalid](/source/Iqra_Khalid).<ref name="2015 Canada results">{{cite news |title=Cross-Canada Election Results |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-cross-canada-election-r/142943275/}} and {{cite news |title=Page GT14 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-cross-canada-election-r/142943398/}} and {{cite news |title=Page GT15 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-cross-canada-election-r/142943483/ |newspaper=[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star) |date=October 20, 2015 |pages=GT13–GT15 |access-date=March 8, 2024 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/federal-ridings-toronto-gta/2015/10/19/iqra-khalid-wins-mississauga-erin-mills.html|title=Iqra Khalid wins Mississauga-Erin Mills|work=The Toronto Star|date=October 19, 2015|accessdate=August 6, 2016}}</ref> He then sought to represent the Ontario PCs in the riding of [Mississauga—Erin Mills](/source/Mississauga%E2%80%94Erin_Mills_(provincial_electoral_district)) in the [2018 provincial election](/source/2018_Ontario_general_election), but withdrew from the nomination process in January 2017, citing concerns over the sale of new party memberships.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ipolitics.ca/2017/01/09/set-to-lose-ex-mp-dechert-withdraws-from-ontario-pc-nomination-race/|title=Set to lose, ex-MP Dechert withdraws from Ontario PC nomination race|publisher=iPolitics|first=Ainslie|last=Cruickshank|date=January 9, 2017|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/7072872-former-tory-mp-dechert-questions-integrity-of-candidate-nominations-in-mississauga-riding/|title=Former Tory MP Dechert questions 'integrity' of candidate nominations in Mississauga riding|work=The Mississauga News|first=Roger|last=Belgrave|date=January 18, 2017|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/joe-oliver-loses-nomination-1.3937947|title=Former federal finance minister Joe Oliver loses bid to become Ontario PC candidate|publisher=The Canadian Press|via=CBC News|first=Allison|last=Jones|date=January 16, 2017|accessdate=January 22, 2021}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Bob Dechert}}
*{{Canadian Parliament links|ID=17283}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dechert, Bob}}
Category:1958 births
Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
Category:Conservative Party of Canada MPs
Category:Living people
Category:Lawyers in Ontario
Category:McMaster University alumni
Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Category:People from Brampton
Category:Politicians from Mississauga
Category:University of Toronto Faculty of Law alumni

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bob Dechert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dechert) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dechert?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.