Reed Elley

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Reed Elley (1945- ) was born in Simcoe, Ontario and was educated at McMaster University in Hamilton where he obtained a BA in History and an MDiv in Theology. He pastored several churches in the Baptist denomination in three provinces, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. In 1967, he married the former Louise Plester from Chemainus, British Columbia and they raised 8 children, four children of their own as well as four children who became part of their family through their fostering experience. Together, Reed and Louise fostered over 150 children of all ethnic backgrounds and medical problems. Three of their children are first nations and one is physically disabled.

Reed was always interested in politics having grown up in a very political family which successfully managed to combine faith and politics. He was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada for many years. But in 1987 he was introduced to Preston Manning and the fledgling Reform Party of Canada. He joined that party in 1988.

In 1992 he took time off from parish ministry and became more involved politically. He was asked to run the "VOTE NO" campaign in Calgary Centre during the Constitutional Referendum. He then became an area manager for the Reform candidate Jim Silye. During that time he and his family moved to Vancouver Island where he became involved in the winning campaign of Bob Ringma in 1993. After the election he was asked to become president of the Nanaimo-Cowichan Reform Constituency Association and guided it through a difficult time. He remained on the board and served in various capacities.

In 1997, while the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Nanaimo, he was nominated to carry the Reform banner in the next general election. He won that riding handily and began a seven year stint as the Member of Parliament for Nanaimo Cowichan. He was reelected with an even bigger majority in the election of 2000 sitting as a Canadian Alliance member. He ended his political career as a member of the new Conservative Party of Canada, a coalition of the old Progressive Conservative party and the Canadian Alliance.

During his political career he held the positions of deputy chair of the Health Committee for several years as well as serving as Chief Opposition Critic for Indian Affairs and Northern Development and also Labour. He served on the Fisheries and Oceans Committee and on the Persons With Disabilities Committee. He had a special interest in the tainted blood scandal and advocated in Parliament and in his riding for those who contracted Hepatitis C through bad blood. He worked hard on the softwood lumber trade disagreement with the United States and was an advocate of personal choice for alternative medicines and therapies.

At a critical time he was responsible for getting government funding to help a Vancouver Island committee negotiate with businesses to take over local control of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway. This process would not have gone forward without his advocacy in Parliament with the then Minister of Transport, David Collenette.