Ballantyne, Charles

Born August 9, 1867 in Ontario . He made a successful career as an entrepreneur, was a millionaire and owner of Sherwin Williams Paints in Montreal . He was President of the Manufacturers Association of Canada and a member of the Supervisory Board of Montreal Port. With his active participation, the 1st Guards Grenadier Battalion was created, which Ballantyne also commanded ^[2] .

In October 1917, Prime Minister Robert Borden appointed Ballantyne Minister of Public Works in the Union . Just 9 days after his appointment, Ballantyne was relocated from this post to the posts of Minister of Marine and Fisheries and Minister of Naval Services. At the time of his appointment, he was not a member of parliament, as required by law: subsequently, , he managed to get into the House of Commons from the Montreal constituency of . Balantine became one of three Unionists elected from Quebec; in the remaining 59 districts of the province, representatives of the Liberal Party won.

Ballantyne took an active part in the investigation of the explosion in Halifax , one of the most devastating non-nuclear explosions in history, which entailed significant casualties and destruction, almost completely destroying the city of Halifax ^[3] . On his initiative, the Royal Commission for the Investigation of Halifax Events was created. The results of the investigation conducted by the Ballantyne commission were never published. In March 1918, Premier Borden, based on the results of the commission’s investigation and using the powers granted to his government , announced the transfer of the port of Halifax to federal government control until the end of the war. ^[4] .

After Robert Borden resigned as prime minister, Ballantyne retained both of his portfolios in the Borden's successor Arthur Meyen . However, in he could not be re-elected, having been defeated in his constituency by liberal .

In 1932, the Governor-General of Canada appointed, on the advice of the conservative Prime Minister Richard Badford Bennett , Ballantyne to the Senate of Canada . In 1942, Ballantyne became the opposition leader in the Senate , leading the Senate faction, first the Conservative and then the Progressive Conservative Party . He remained the leader of the opposition until 1945, after which he again became an ordinary senator. He served in the Senate until his death on October 19, 1950 .

• Ballantyne, Charles - Biography on the official website of the Parliament of Canada