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Brian CoburnBrian Coburn is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1999 to 2003, representing the riding of Carleton--Gloucester (later renamed Ottawa--Orlans) for the Progressive Conservative Party. Coburn was born in Cumberland, Ontario, and was educated at Brock University in St. Catharines. He was a small businessman before entering provincial politics, and served for ten years as the Mayor of Cumberland. Coburn has also served on the Board of Governors for Algonquin College in Ottawa. Coburn was elected in Carleton--Gloucester in the provincial election of 1999, defeating Liberal Rene Danis by over 6,000 votes. This was considered a major upset at the time; the riding had been solidly Liberal for many years, and most observers anticipated that Danis would have a rather easy victory. Coburn's win may be credited to his personal popularity and to specific local factors: many local residents regarded construction workers from Quebec as a threat to local employment, and voted Tory to protest the situation. After serving as a backbencher for two years, Coburn was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on February 8, 2001. He had earned a reputation for fiscal prudence as Mayor of Cumberland, and was regarded by most as a competent minister. In 2002, he endorsed Ernie Eves to succeed Mike Harris as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. When Eves became Premier on April 15, 2002, he named Coburn Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with responsibility for Rural Affairs. On February 25, 2003, he was promoting to Minister of Tourism and Recreation. Although Coburn was personally respected, he was forced to carry the banner of an increasingly unpopular government into the provincial election of 2003. The presence of Quebec workers was no longer a significant issue in the riding, and many local residents were angered by increased energy rates under the Harris and Eves governments. Despite being endorsed by several local newspapers, Coburn lost to Liberal Phil McNeely, another municipal politician, by about 4,500 votes. Coburn, Brian
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