18 Facts About Charles Harnick

Charles Harnick was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999, and served as a senior cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris.

Charles Harnick was called to the bar in 1977, and worked as a civil litigation lawyer with the firm of Feigman and Chernos and with the firm of Malach and Fidler before entering political life.

Charles Harnick was certified as a Specialist in Civil Litigation in 1991; he was appointed a Queen's Counsel in 1992 and in 2005 he was awarded the Law Society Medal.

Charles Harnick has been a member of the Canadian Jewish Congress and B'nai Brith.

Charles Harnick ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial legislature, losing to Liberal Gino Matrundola by 4,034 votes in the North York riding of Willowdale.

Charles Harnick ran in the same riding in the 1990 election, and defeated Matrundola by 834 votes.

The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 provincial election, and Charles Harnick was re-elected in Willowdale by a landslide.

Charles Harnick was appointed Attorney General and Minister responsible for Native Affairs on June 26,1995.

Charles Harnick reduced civilian oversight of Toronto's police services, and called for a restoration of capital punishment.

In June 1996, Charles Harnick was asked in the legislature to comment about a racist remark that Premier Mike Harris had allegedly made regarding the Ipperwash crisis.

At the Ipperwash Inquiry in 2005, Charles Harnick said Harris had in fact uttered the phrase that Wildman asked about in 1996.

Charles Harnick admitted that he had lied to the legislature out of loyalty and friendship to Harris, adding that he was under oath at the inquiry, not in the legislature.

Charles Harnick was responsible for the creation of the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program and Legal Aid Ontario.

Charles Harnick spent several years as a land claim negotiator and he is a trained and accomplished mediator.

Charles Harnick was instrumental in bringing the major legal organizations in Ontario together with paralegal organizations, culminating in legislation that has made the Law Society of Upper Canada the regulator of paralegal activities.

Charles Harnick is a founding Principal of Counsel Public Affairs Inc He is a former board member and Vice Chairman of St John's Rehabilitation Hospital and he is an ex officio Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada.

Charles Harnick is the Senior Adjudicative Officer of the General Insurance Ombudservice, an independent service that adjudicates disputes between consumers and member insurance companies.

Charles Harnick served as chair of the Police Costing Review committee in Toronto, and has been involved in negotiations relating to aboriginal self-government.