Randy Hillier (politician)


Randy Hillier is a rural activist, politician, anti-vaccinationist, and conspiracy theorist in Ontario, Canada. He was most recently elected as a Progressive Conservative MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston during the 2018 Ontario general election.
Hillier is a licensed construction electrician with a diploma in electrical engineering technology from Algonquin College and former employee of the Canadian federal government. He lives near Perth, Ontario. In 2009, Hillier was a candidate in the provincial PC leadership election. After finishing fourth on the first ballot, he threw his support behind the eventual winner Tim Hudak. Hillier has formerly served as the PC critic for the Attorney General, Labour, Northern Development, and Mines and Forestry in the provincial legislature. Despite being an elected official, Randy does not believe he is part of the government.

Activities outside elected politics

Activist

In 2003, Hillier co-founded and served as the first president of the Lanark Landowners' Association. He then assisted in creation of local landowner groups in other parts of Ontario, modelled on the Lanark Landowners. In 2006, he became the first president of the 15,000-member Ontario Landowners Association, an umbrella group for these groups. The OLA was formed "...to preserve and protect the rights of property owners and to enshrine property rights within the Constitution of Canada and the laws of the Province of Ontario."
Under Hillier's leadership, the landowners' groups initially engaged in acts of civil disobedience, including blocking highways, barricading government offices, staging illegal deer hunts, and publicly breaking laws that the landowners regarded as unjust. This was primarily done as a tactic to draw media attention to perceived injustices, and thereby to pressure the provincial government to amend the laws or at least enforce them in a manner less injurious to the interests of rural landowners.
Hillier has explained the illegal actions of the landowners as follows:
In 2007, when he was seeking election to the provincial legislature, Hillier was challenged to justify his participation four years earlier in an illegal deer hunt. He responded by stating,
As well as acts of civil disobedience, the landowners conducted demonstrations at Queen's Park and Parliament Hill. Hillier's ability to attract media notice through the use of attention-grabbing rhetoric and tactics prompted one television commentator to describe him as "Don Cherry in plaid and rubber boots"—a reference to the colourful hockey personality. On one occasion in 2006, Hillier was arrested and detained for trespassing during a protest at a water quality meeting in Cornwall.
After the creation of the OLA in 2006, acts of civil disobedience were replaced by attempts to influence the political system by more traditional means. Landowner-endorsed candidates ran for municipal office in many rural municipalities in the 2006 Ontario municipal elections. Hillier and other members of the OLA began to appear as witnesses before parliamentary hearings into issues affecting rural areas.

Editorialist

Hillier is the author of numerous editorials on a wide range of policy issues. Since 2003 he has been a periodic contributor to Le Québécois Libre, a bilingual libertarian online journal that is published in Montreal until 2010.
Since 2006, Hillier has been co-publisher and co-editor of the OLA's official organ, The Landowner magazine, which is published bi-monthly. Hillier publishes an editorial in each issue of The Landowner.
In 2009, Hillier and Scott Reid co-founded the Lanark Society for the Advancement of Democracy, Property and the Common Law, which is intended "to help elected officials of a libertarian or classical liberal bent to take 'projects to expand the cause of freedom' beyond the conceptual stage."

Politics

2007 election campaign

In January 2007, Hillier resigned as president of the OLA to seek the Progressive Conservative nomination in Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington in the upcoming provincial election. Some members of the party suggested that Hillier's activist past made him an unsuitable candidate, and the Toronto Star speculated that the party might disqualify him. Scott Reid, the federal MP for Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, responded that he would be "very disappointed" if Hillier were prevented from running, adding "I can't think of anything more dangerous to our prospects ". On May 5, Hillier won a three-way nomination against Jay Brennan and Brent Cameron. He was elected MPP for the riding on October 10, 2007, capturing just under 41% of the vote and defeating Liberal candidate Ian Wilson by 924 votes.
During the election campaign, some observers questioned Hillier's fitness for elected office, given his history of civil disobedience. But this history won him some admirers as well. Similarly, his willingness to take contrarian positions earned him approval as well as opposition. Shortly after this meeting, the Citizen's editorial board endorsed Hillier. An editorial in the paper advised voters to "Take a chance on Randy Hillier" and stated that "he landowners'-rights activist is doing the right thing by running for the legislature and trying to change the system he's been battling for so very long."

2007-2009: Early career as a Member of Provincial Parliament

Following the 2007 election, Hillier was appointed his party’s critic for rural affairs.
However, it became increasingly clear that Hillier was unhappy with the leadership of PC leader John Tory. In March 2008 an article in the Ottawa Citizen reported that Hillier was considering leaving the Progressive Conservative caucus and joining the small Reform Party of Ontario. Hillier brushed aside this rumour as “void of fact.”

2009: Ontario PC leadership candidate

In early March 2009, John Tory resigned as leader of the Ontario PCs. On March 30, Hillier announced his candidacy in the leadership race to succeed Tory. Few observers thought Hillier had a realistic chance of winning, but some media commentators speculated that he might fill the role of kingmaker.
Lacking in high-profile endorsements, Hillier instead focused his leadership bid on a series of policy announcements. These included:
Hillier placed fourth in the September 2009 leadership vote, with just under 10% of the vote. However, the initial vote-count showed no clear leader among the other three candidates: Tim Hudak had won 33.9%, Frank Klees had 29.9%, and Christine Elliott had 26.4%. Because the election was structured as a preferential vote, the ballots cast by Hillier supporters were then redistributed among the other candidates. This system meant that Hillier's prior public endorsement of Tim Hudak as his own second choice for leader was important: two-thirds of the second-preference votes of Hillier supporters went to Hudak, doubling his lead over Klees.

2009-present: Political career after the leadership election

Following the election, Tim Hudak appointed Hillier as the party's critic for Labour, and for Northern Development, Mines and Forestry in the provincial legislature.
Regarding Hillier's support of Jack MacLaren, former Ontario Landowner Association President, to challenge sitting MPP Norm Sterling at the Annual General Meeting of the Carleton-Mississippi Mills Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Riding Association, the Globe and Mail newspaper described Hillier as a "shrewd political operator"
Prior to the 2011 provincial election, Randy Hillier and federal counterpart Scott Reid introduced motions to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the federal House of Commons, respectively, to enshrine property rights for Ontarians in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

2011 election

During the 2011 provincial election, it was reported that, as the result of a dispute over with the agency over taxes said to be owing for the sale of some land, the Canada Revenue Agency had placed two liens with a total value of $15,000 on property owned by Hillier and his wife. Hillier responded that they were working with CRA to resolve the dispute. The dispute did not hurt Hillier's reelection effort; he won by a 10,000 vote margin.

2012

After the 2011 provincial election, Randy Hillier co-sponsored a bill to repeal Ontario’s breed-specific restrictions on pit bull ownership. The bill was supported by members of all three parties at second reading in February 2012. Despite passing second reading and committee, Ontario’s Liberal Government did not call the Bill for third reading. It died on the order table with Premier McGuinty’s prorogation of the legislature.
Following revelations in January 2012 that the head of a union local in Toronto was rehired after improperly spending public funds, Hillier called on the Ontario Government to make unions receiving public money to be made more accountable.
In March 2012, Hillier introduced a bill to proclaim “Constitution Day”, recognizing the day that the British North America Act and the Constitution Act were proclaimed into law.
With the support of the Canadian Taxpayer Federation, Hillier introduced a bill to strengthen the Taxpayer Protection Act introduced by the Harris government and to require all pieces of legislation be costed before they are introduced to the Ontario Legislature.

2013

In September 2013, Hillier was stripped of his role as the party's labour critic after the Toronto Star published an email Hillier had sent to the PC caucus raising concerns over colleague Monte McNaughton’s private member's bill abrogating construction company EllisDon's 1950s-era collective bargaining agreement. The Star revealed that Hillier’s concerns included that the PC Party would receive donations from Ellis Don for pushing the legislation. Hillier acknowledged that the email was his but did not comment on it. Hillier voted against the bill at second reading along with the members of the New Democratic caucus. Hudak, McNaughton and nine other members of the Tory caucus and 22 Liberals voted for the bill at second reading. All but two Liberals voted against the Bill at third reading. Hillier was not in attendance for the third reading vote.
At the end of October 2013, Hillier introduced a bill to allow provincial politicians to be recalled from public office. Hillier’s bill received some public support after he recommended that it should apply to Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who was embroiled in a crack cocaine scandal.
In the fall of 2013 Hillier wrote an article for the Canadian Parliamentary Review detailing his ideas to reform Ontario’s Legislature to “empower” Members of Provincial Parliament.

2014

In October 2014 Hillier who was instrumental in organizing rural landowners, helping found the Lanark Landowners Association, referred to members of his former organization as "nutbars". “When I was there I tried to keep a distance from the fringe elements and the nutbars, if I can put it that way,” The practice adopted by Landowners Associations of seeking original Crown patents for their land "has been, quite frankly, a problem for me as an MPP,” Hillier said. “People are following this advice and not getting building permits, and then when the building inspectors visit them they’re phoning me as their MPP and seeking my assistance.”"

Interim leadership bid

Hillier stood for the position of interim leader of the party following Tim Hudak's resignation in the aftermath of the 2014 provincial election. Hillier advocated moving power out of the hands of the leader and having more decisions made by caucus, including the selection of House Leader and Whip. He was defeated by Jim Wilson. Prior to the caucus meeting where the vote for interim leader was held, Wilson had dismissed Hillier's bid as a stunt, saying “He’s crazy... he has consistently betrayed the trust of caucus.”

2017

In 2017 allegations were made against Hillier for violating the internal conduct policies of Tav Valley Township and the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Following a three-month investigation Hillier was found to have harassed municipal staff in Tay Valley. The township investigation wrote that Hillier “unfairly called into question the competence and proficiency of Township staff and undermined their integrity.” A letter from the township Chief Administrative Officer said there was a pattern of criticism and that the MPP had been “cautioned” about this “type of behaviour” in March. The letter stated. “Much of the information upon which you rely for your criticisms is inaccurate and the commentary about staff is disparaging. The impact of this behaviour is made even more harmful by the position and authority that you hold as MPP.”

2018

In February 2018 Hillier filed a formal complaint against former Ontario PC Leader and MPP Patrick Brown during the leadership race which was caused as a result of Brown resigning as leader. "I've known Patrick Brown to lie just about every time he opens his mouth" Hillier told reporters, he "engaged in dirty and crooked politics". "He purposely and willfully lied to the people of Ontario." An investigation found no evidence to support Hillier's allegations that Brown failed to disclose gifts of travel. Brown publicly responded calling Hillier’s allegations “garbage,” and “fabricated”.

2019

Hillier was suspended from the PC Caucus by Premier Doug Ford on February 20, 2019 after making what Ford characterized as "disrespectful comments to parents of children with autism." He was subsequently removed from the PC caucus on March 15, 2019.

Electoral record

Controversies

Accusations of Racism

In June 2020, Hillier came under fire for appearing to trivialize Minister Ahmed Hussen's experience with racism, when in response to a CTV article were Hussen discussed experiences of prejudice while shopping, Hillier tweeted “A guilty conscience?". The tweet has since been deleted but has been met with sharp criticism online and multiple accusations of racism, including by Andrea Horwath who commented " At a time when Black people are protesting for their lives, you’re denying the reality of Black, Indigenous and racialized people."

'''Views on COVID-19'''

On June 2, 2020, Hillier took part in a rally protesting the COVID-19 lockdown measures in Ontario at Queen's Park, and was later condemned by Premier Doug Ford who described Hillier’s participation in the rally as “totally irresponsible” and said it goes against “what everybody has been working for.” Hillier has likened the public health measures to combat the pandemic to that of the rise of fascism in Europe post World War I, and has shown support on social media for vaccine and mask related conspiracy theories which include claims that masks are a government "coercion tactic" designed to cause "psychological trauma", as well as promoting the activism of anti-vaccinationist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who believes in the pseudoscientific speculation of a link between vaccines and autism, including a claim that COVID-19 vaccines were being designed to re-write human DNA.
On July 28, 2020, Hillier re-uploaded a controversial Brietbart News video to his facebook page that had been removed the day prior from numerous social media sites due to alleged violations of their covid-19 misinformation policies. The video and its subsequent removal gained media attention after it was retweeted by President Donald Trump, and featured statements in support of the use of Hydroxychloroquine as a cure for COVID-19 by a group identifying themselves as "Americas Frontline Doctors". The video gained notoriety for featuring Stella Immanuel, a Nigerian doctor who identifies as a deliverance minister, a belief that physical and psychological problems can be attributed to demonic possession and who has spoken on conspiracy theories such as "the gay agenda, secular humanism, Illuminati and the demonic new world order.”