Ron Knight (Ontario politician)
| Ron Knight | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
|
In office 1967–1971 |
|
| Preceded by | George Wardrope |
| Succeeded by | Jim Foulds |
| Constituency | Port Arthur |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 19, 1932 Windsor, Ontario |
| Political party |
Liberal, 1967-1969 Independent, 1969-1971 |
| Occupation | Radio and television broadcaster |
Ronald Henry "Ron" Knight (born June 19, 1932) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, who represented the riding of Port Arthur from 1967 to 1971. He was elected as a Liberal in 1967 but in 1969 he announced that he was quitting the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent.
Knight was born in Windsor, Ontario in 1932. Knight was a radio and television broadcaster. His first radio broadcasting job was with Ottawa's largest radio station, CFRA, in 1954. He then held positions at stations in Rouyn Noranda, Pembroke and Fort William (now Thunder Bay). In 1961, he was hired by CKPR-TV, in Fort William, to broadcast the evening news, and he held that position until 1967. Even while serving as an MPP, Knight held a part-time position with Toronto radio station CHUM.
Knight ran as the Liberal candidate in the 1967 provincial election. He defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent George Wardrope by 815 votes. He served as a member of the opposition behind leader Robert Nixon. In 1967 he gave his first speech as an MPP in Ojibway. Initially the speaker would not allow it but Premier Bill Davis supported Knight.On July 17, 1968 he complained that revenue from northern mining operations was not being reinvested in the north. Minister for Mines Allan Lawrence termed that complaint as "horse feathers". On the same day, Knight spoke in French in the legislature warning that a policy of bilingualism could give French speaking civil servants an unwarranted advantage. Five days later he voted for a motion to make the legislature bilingual because "he wanted to make it work". The motion passed unanimously.
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