The Canadian Sportsman
Last Call Online
Back To Last Call OnlineApril 13, 2010
Hec Clouthier has resigned as executive director of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA), effective June 1, to make a return to politics.
Despite a deep, lifelong love for harness racing, politics has always been the true calling for the man with the fedora. Clouthier was the Liberal MP for Renfrew - Nipissing - Pembroke from 1997 to 2000 and then, following that, worked in the Prime Minister’s Office from 2000 to 2003 when Jean Chrétien was in power.
“Politics beckons,” Clouthier wrote in an email Monday. “My time is now. Time and tide wait for no person and time is marching on. At 60 years of age it is now or never to once again take the plunge back into Federal politics. If things work out the horse racing industry will have a strong voice in Ottawa.”
Clouthier has been executive director of OHRIA since 2007. He was instrumental in revamping the once-vital industry collective, which had become stagnant in the years after it delivered both slots machines and a crucial tax break to Ontario’s horse racing industry under the leadership of Jane Holmes.
In recent years, Clouthier worked tirelessly behind the scenes to lobby Ontario politicians about the value of the industry and to campaign for a long-term extension to the slots-at-racetracks program maintaining the crucial industry revenue share of 20 per cent. Publicly, he constantly promoted harness racing around the province.
His political experience was crucial to the industry and his advice to the horse racing industry has always been the same.
“Coming from government and having some experience in government, government wants one, united voice,” he said in 2007 referring to the importance of OHRIA. “We, meaning the horse racing industry, cannot go there blasting off in all different directions. Also, we have to be proactive, not reactive. We have to be optimistic, not pessimistic. If the only rationale for going to the government, or the government officials is to be laying the blame on another sector of the industry, that’s not helpful. The politicians do not want to hear that. They want you to come in and say, ‘Things are going well.’ Candidly speaking, the horse racing industry has never, ever, ever had it so good.”
Clouthier, a veteran marathoner, will run his third Boston Marathon on Monday.
While I tip my hat to him in that run and the run for Ottawa likely to come in his home riding, his daily campaign on behalf of horse racing will be sorely missed.
Comments (0)
Print
Add Your Comment
Blog Archives
