Bryon Wilfert

Who is Bryon Wilfert?

Bryon J. Wilfert, PC was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Richmond Hill for the Liberal Party from 1997 to 2011. He was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment until the defeat of the Martin government in the 2006 federal election.

Wilfert has Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Toronto, as well as a degree in Public Administration from St. Lawrence College in Kingston. In addition, he is an Accredited Municipal Clerk. He taught History and Political Science at Havergal College in Toronto from 1977 to 1997.

Wilfert was elected as a Richmond Hill councillor in 1985. He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1997 federal election, scoring an easy victory in the Greater Toronto Area riding of Oak Ridges. He was re-elected by an increased majority in the election of 2000, and won another easy victory in his new riding in the 2004 election.

He is generally regarded as being on the fiscally conservative wing of the Liberal Party. He served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance in 2002-03, and was named parliamentary secretary to the Minister of the Environment after the 2004 election. After the election in 2006, Wilfert was appointed to be official opposition critic of Foreign Affairs.