Matthew McCarthy

  

Matthew McCarthy
McCarthy in 2021.
Prime Minister of Manitoba
Incumbent
Assumed office October 5, 2014
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Louis Legault
Leader of the Conservative Party
Incumbent
Assumed office July 30, 2012
Preceded by	Richard Georges
Member of Parliament for Nipissingville (Souris' 3rd riding)
Incumbent
Assumed office September 23, 2008
Preceded by	Ellen Mann
Personal details
Born	(1958-06-03) June 3, 1958 Toscouné, Manitoba
Nationality	Manitoban
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Alexandra Pamela Yvonne (m. 1984)
Children	4 (including Patricia and Lindsay)
Alma mater	Couronner University (BBA) University of Sierra, Berkeley (MBA)
Religion	Protestantism (Evangelical Christian)

Matthew Willard McCarthy (born March 3, 1958) is a Manitoban politician and businessman currently serving as the Prime Minister of Manitoba since 2014. A member of the Conservative Party, McCarthy currently serves as a member of the House of Commons, representing the village of Nipissingville since 2008.

Born and raised in Toscouné, McCarthy attended Couronner University and later the University of Sierra, Berkeley, receiving a master's degree in business administration. In 1988, McCarthy co-founded a investment business in Nipissingville. After a few years of stagnation, his business grew into McCarthy Investments, a major investing firm in Manitoba and a driver of the local economy. His investment company generated a large fortune for McCarthy, who became a millionaire at the age of 34. In 1989, McCarthy made international headlines for reviving the Shirley's chain of restaurants following a series of blunders by the Sierran-based food chain. An active observer of politics, McCarthy donated a number of times to business-oriented candidates, largely from the Conservative Party. In 2008, after much speculation, McCarthy was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative. At the time of his election, he was the most wealthy member of parliament. Following his election, he resigned as CEO of McCarthy Investments, handing the company to his eldest son, Mark McCarthy.

As a member of the House of Commons, McCarthy has supported conservative and economically liberal legislation, though has been characterized as a moderate when compared to his peers. In 2012, McCarthy was narrowly elected as Leader of the Conservative Party following the abrupt resignation of Jean Carnoux. As leader of the Conservatives, McCarthy was considered a secondary opposition leader, with Marcus Gaul of the Liberal Party acting as Leader of the Opposition. Despite being a secondary opposition leader, McCarthy emerged as a leading figure of opposition to the government of Louis Legault of Bloc Manitobain. In 2014, McCarthy led the Conservatives into winning an upset victory in the 2014 federal election, becoming Prime Minister of Manitoba. He is first prime minister in over fifty years to not be the leader of the opposition prior to his ascension, and is the wealthiest prime minister when taking office, having a net worth of $TBD.

Early life and education

Matthew Willard McCarthy was born on March 3, 1958 in Toscouné to John and Catherine McCarthy. At the time of his birth, McCarthy's father was a small businessman, while his mother stayed at home to raise him and his siblings. Both his parents were immigrants; John McCarthy was born in Superior and immigrated to Manitoba in 1950 while Catherine McCarthy (née Sionne) was born in Quebec and fled the country as an infant following the Crimson Spring. McCarthy was born as the second child and son of John and Catherine, having one older brother and three younger sisters. While McCarthy's primary language at home was English, he was taught French by his mother and could speak the language fluently by the age of nine.

McCarthy spent most of his childhood in Toscouné, growing up in the English-majority neighborhood of Watson. He attended Toscouné Primary School and later the Lenard Junior High School before attending the private Cartier School in downtown Toscouné for his high school education. At the Cartier School, McCarthy was involved in a number of sports, including soccer and ice hockey, and participated in student government. During his junior and senior years in high school, McCarthy led a number of business-oriented clubs, and was considered by his teachers a "expert in economics". Following his graduation in 1976, McCarthy attended Couronner University and later the University of Sierra, Berkeley, a master's degree in business administration and a associate's degree in economics.

Business career

In 1988, McCarthy established McCarthy & Partners alongside fellow Berkeley alumni and Manitobans Jack Streep and Philippe DeLuc. McCarthy & Partners was established as a off-shoot of Alberta Capital, a firm McCarthy had previously worked at. McCarthy was selected to run the off-shoot firm for his successes as a financial consultant and reputation amongst trusted clients. McCarthy & Partners was initially based in Nipissingville, though later relocated to Toscouné in order to be geographically closer to the financial center of Manitoba.

McCarthy & Partners engaging in a few success ventures, the firm's finances skyrocketed after the purchase and reorganization of the Sierran-based Shirley's chain of fast food restaurants. The successful revitalization of Shirley's, coupled with other acquisitions and successful investments led to McCarthy & Partners becoming one of the largest investment firms in the world. In 1991, the firm was rebranded as McCarthy Investments after Streep and DeLuc left to pursue other financial endeavors. McCarthy served as chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of McCarthy Investments until 2008, when he resigned from his positions in the company to pursue a career in politics. By the time he had left McCarthy Investments, the company was valued as around $110 billion and had acquired a number of companies, including Shirley's, Styxie Fried Chicken (SFC), Chess Pizza, and the Waco Food Company.

Shirely's

Internationally, McCarthy is best known for leading the revival of the Shirley's chain of fast food restaurants. He was first introduced to Shirley's while attending the University of Sierra, Berkeley, where he frequented consistently. In 1988, after a series of financial losses, public relations blunders, and costumer preference shifts by Walton Mathers Capital, the owners of the Sierran-based chain, Shirley's filed for bankruptcy, closing a number of establishments outside of the company's home province of Kings.

In 1989, McCarthy & Partners acquired 75% of the stock in Shirley's, resulting in McCarthy becoming CEO. He immediately restructured the company's leadership and finances. He oversaw bottom-down changes to management practices and push forwarded an lighter menu, which reprioritized hamburgers, steaks, and breakfast food. In 1991, Shirley's began franchising once again, and later dropped steaks for more uniquely Sierran dishes, such as dessiné and hot boxes. These changes were a huge commercial success and lead to a massive expansion of franchising, seeing a Shirley's restaurant in every province in Sierra. In 1994, Shirley's expanded internationally, opening its first resturaunt outside of Sierra in Seattle, Astoria and later expanding into Superior and Manitoba in 1995, Alaska in 1997, Brazoria in 2000, and the United Commonwealth in 2003.

McCarthy continued to serve as CEO of Shirley's until 2008, when he resigned to enter politics, and was succeeded by George Finkle.

Political career

Pre-career

McCarthy first became involved in politics in 2000, where began actively donating to the campaigns of "business-oriented" political candidates, primarily from the Conservative Party and Bloc Manitoban. In 2001, McCarthy identified himself as a member of the Conservative Party in a interview with the Express Gratuit newspaper. He stated he was liberal conservative and a "free market enthusiast". In the 2004 Conservative Party leadership election, McCarthy endorsed Philippe Michel Marois, campaigning for him at the 2004 Conservative Party of Manitoba National Conference and donating to his leadership campaign.

Beginning in 2005, there was considerable speculation that McCarthy would begin a career in politics. Rumors began circulating in December of 2005, where it was reported that he was actively seeking the Conservative Party nomination to run for a seat in the House of Commons or potentially seeking appointment to the Senate. McCarthy initially denied rumors of a future career in politics, though stated his interest.

House of Commons

Elections

In December of 2007, McCarthy announced his intentions to run in the upcoming 2008 federal elections to represent Nipissingville, Souris's 3rd legislative riding. He secured the Conservative nomination in July of 2008 and was elected to represent the Conservative-leaning district with 56% of the vote. He expanded upon his voting shares ins subsequent elections, earning 58% in 2012, 61% in 2014, 63% in 2018, and 64% in 2022.

Tenure

In 2009, McCarthy proposed the Bill C-30, or Better Business Act. Passed with a majority, the bill established a flat corporate tax of 13%. This flat tax continued to exist until 2012, when the Legault government abolished it. In the same year, McCarthy joined seventy-three of his colleagues in the House demanding Prime Minister Louis Legault recognizing the Armenian Genocide. In 2010, he joined his fellow Conservative members in supporting Bill C-54, which required social media services such as VidStream, Socialnet, and Bubbler to incorporate safety filters in order to avoid children being exposed to "inappropriate and dangerous content" on the internet. The bill was a factor in the development of Vidstream Kids.

In 2011, McCarthy joined his colleagues in calling for a federal recognition of Indigenous People's Day as a national holiday and for greater protections for the First Nation tribes of Manitoba. He co-sponsored Bill C-99, or the Rights of the First Nations Act, which would have expanded the rights of tribal governments if passed. In the same year, McCarthy made national headlines for his role in creating a bi-partisan budget that was passed at the end of the year.

In 2012, McCarthy was elected leader of the Conservative Party following the abrupted resignation of Jean Carnoux, who was later exposed for having multiple extra marital affairs while in office. A member of the centre-right Red Tory faction of the party, he was elected on a campaign of liberal conservatism and economic liberalism. In 2012, he and other Conservative Party officials visited Hong Kong and attended the Hong Kong National Security Conference, where he stressed the importance of defending Hong Kong from Chinese aggression in the wake of border disputes between China and Manchuria.

In 2013, McCarthy created the Conservative Economic Advisory Council, a commission of Conservative Party officials tasked with the creation of a viable economic plan in the event of a Conservative government. McCarthy himself was a member of the council and helped formulate the economic campaign for the Conservatives in later general elections. In the same year, he joined other party leaders in calling for a vote of no confidence in Louis Legault and his government after it was revealed that the government had engaged itself in illicit activities.

Prime Minister of Manitoba

Main article: Premiership of Matthew McCarthy

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Matthew McCarthy

Personal life

Marriage, family, interests, beliefs

While attending Couronner University, McCarthy met and befriended Alexandra Pamela Yvonne. The two began dating in 1980 and were married in 1984. They have four children, including social media content creator and televangelist Patricia McCarthy, businessman Mark McCarthy, and professional pickleball player Lindsay McCarthy. McCarthy is primarily of English and Scottish descent, tracing his heritage to Yorkshire and Aberdeen.

McCarthy is fluent in both English, which is his native language, and French. McCarthy identifies as a faithful Protestant Christian and is a member of the Evangelical Church of Manitoba. He frequents the Evangelical Church of Toscouné with members of his family. He is an avid fan of ice hockey and baseball, being a supporter of the Toscouné Flames and the Toscouné Blue Sox.

Electoral history

Main article: Electoral history of Matthew McCarthy