Paul Steckle
| Paul Daniel Steckle | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Huron—Bruce |
|
|
In office January 17, 1994 – September 7, 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Murray Cardiff |
| Succeeded by | Ben Lobb |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 10, 1942 Zurich, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy Steckle |
| Residence | Zurich, Ontario |
| Profession | businessman/farmer |
| Religion | Mennonite |
Paul Daniel Steckle (born May 10, 1942) is a former Canadian Member of Parliament for Huron—Bruce and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Born in Zurich, Ontario, Steckle served as a Councillor in Stanley Township, Ontario from 1970 to 1980 and was subsequently elected as Reeve from 1980 to 1985. In 1993, Steckle was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal from the riding of Huron-Bruce in the 1993 election. He continued to represent the riding of Huron-Bruce until his retirement in 2008.
During his tenure, Steckle played a significant role in contributing to the committee process and served as a member on a number of different Standing Committees. Steckle also served in the role of Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food and the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans as well as Co-Chair and Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.
During the 35th Canadian Parliament, Steckle was opposed to Bill C-68, An Act Respecting Firearms and Other Weapons (now the Firearms Act). In opposition to this Bill, he stated in the House of Commons “that we have adequate controls in place but we are simply not enforcing them” and that “Canadians must bear the responsibility of using their firearms in a responsible manner. The Government of Canada should not be asked to shoulder this burden. We must congratulate firearms owners in this nation for their initiatives into the area of the safe handling of firearms, not condemn them for their efforts.” Steckle was one of three Liberal backbenchers who voted with the opposition against Bill C-68 and as a result, Steckle was subsequently removed from his assignment on the Standing Committee of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
In 2004, Steckle mailed a controversial Christmas card which featured members of the Steckle family wearing camouflage hunting gear in front of a corn field sitting on and around two four-wheel-all-terrain vehicles while holding rifles. In response to the controversy surrounding the card, Steckle stated “I had to think, is this really a news issue? It must be a really slow news day.” He further noted that “his family enjoys hunting and the photograph seemed like a natural choice.” In an interview with the London Free Press, Steckle stated that the Christmas card “was never done with an intent to raise an issue.”
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Wikipedia