Robert Oliphant
- Born
- 1956
- Career
- United Church minister
- Political Experience
- Canadian politician
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before entering federal politics, Robert Oliphant was an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. He served in several congregations and held senior roles within the church's administration. He also worked for the Government of Ontario as a senior advisor in the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs. According to his public disclosures, he has reported assets including publicly traded securities and a rental property. His professional background is primarily in theology and public administration rather than private business.
Key Relationships & Connections
As a long-serving Member of Parliament, Robert Oliphant has held several key roles within the Liberal government. He has served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs under multiple ministers, including Chrystia Freeland, Marc Garneau, and Mélanie Joly. This position placed him in a close working relationship with these senior cabinet members, acting as a key representative for Canada on the world stage.
Public Controversies
Robert Oliphant faced public scrutiny and media attention in 2023 regarding his travel expenses. Reports highlighted that he had spent over $120,000 on travel in his role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in less than a year. The expenses included trips to various countries for diplomatic purposes. In response to the reports, his office and the government defended the travel as a necessary part of his official duties, which involved representing Canada at international meetings and engaging in diplomacy. The controversy centered on the cost to taxpayers during a time of heightened concern over government spending.
Where Robert falls on key policy spectrums
Your Money
People & Society
How We're Governed
Land & Community
How does Robert Oliphant's voting record line up with your values?
Mr. Speaker, he was a passionate advocate for social justice, a wise and thoughtful theologian, and a compassionate and caring rabbi. However, for me, Arthur Bielfeld was mostly my dear friend of 40 years, my mentor and teacher as a colleague in ministry, my supporter, and an occasional thorn in my flesh as a member of Parliament. Arthur's life came to an end two weeks ago at a time and place of
Mr. Speaker, I think everyone in this House knows that our government is significantly engaging around the world to do three things. We want to open markets for Canadian goods and services while attracting investment. We want to create jobs for young people and all Canadians. We want to ensure that our economy is resilient. Minister of Foreign Affairs Just last week, thewas in Armenia
Mr. Speaker, on April 2, Don Valley West mourned the loss of Safia Parveen, a formidable community leader and advocate for the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood in my riding. Recognizing the significant benefit that nature can have on our mental health, a decade ago Safia launched the Thorncliffe Wellness Café Group, connecting newcomers with each other and their natural environment. Having been a
A blanket or universal requirement to do that could limit our ability to be strategic, country by country, or even to engage a third country if we felt that it had a better relationship with the host country. We may want to engage it, as opposed to doing it ourselves, to find a more successful route. Am I correct?
When we're dealing with a consular case and with family members who are not the consular case themselves, what power of agency does the family have versus the individual?
Those are strategic case-by-case decisions as opposed to a blanket or universal decision.
Then we'd be very cautious about doing something that could undermine our work for Canadian citizens. A point was being made that we would want to be delicate in our strategic interventions around human rights defenders or prisoners of conscience who may not be Canadian citizens if those interventions jeopardized a Canadian citizen in an either similar or different.... We have people who do bad
Clause-by-clause was in camera. A voice: It wasn't. I looked at the transcript. Hon. Robert Oliphant: Oh, it wasn't in camera. Okay, then I can.... There were discussions among the parties at that point around this, which I thought we had reached consensus on. I will want to look at the transcript—
Would it be about 600 per year?
How many complex, problematic cases are there that would require a variety of higher-level interventions?
Listing activities by country and by name of person could threaten that work, in your opinion.
Okay. However, these are complex cases that you need to follow and need attention on, with limited resources. Am I also right in assuming that our consular engagement sets a priority for Canadian citizens?