Bill Domm

William Henry "Bill" Domm (July 24, 1930 – January 8, 2000) was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1993. He was best known for his crusades against the metric system and in favour of capital punishment.

Domm represented the riding of Peterborough, Ontario from the 1979 federal election until his defeat in the 1993 election.

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Domm was the son of a United Church of Canada minister. He was educated at the Ryerson Institute of Technology and became a radio broadcaster in Peterborough.

Domm's campaign against Metric conversion in Canada was most vocal during the final Pierre Trudeau government of 1980 to 1984. In 1983, he and other Tory MPs illegally pumped gas using Imperial measurements at their "Freedom to Measure" gas station. The station was leased by the MPs in hopes of provoking the government into laying charges and thus allowing a legal challenge to mandatory use of metric. The government ignored the station and it closed after a year. When the Progressive Conservatives formed government following the 1984 federal election, Domm became parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs, the government minister responsible for the metrification program. However, while the Metric Commission was disbanded and rules on enforcing metric were loosened, the "metrification" of the country was not reversed.

Domm's lobbying for the death penalty resulted in a free vote being held in the House of Commons in 1988, however the motion to restore capital punishment was defeated.

He was more successful in his campaign for the restoration of Via Rail service on the Toronto-Peterborough-Havelock line. Domm also took stands against bilingualism, abortion and gun control voting against his party on several occasions.

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 1993
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
LiberalPeter Adams 27,575 47.6 +17.3
ReformLen Bangma 13,460 23.2
Progressive ConservativeBill Domm 11,628 20.1 -20.8
New DemocraticMerv Richards 3,072 5.3 -22.2
NationalHerb Wiseman 1,858 3.2
Natural LawSandy Callender 368 0.6
Total valid votes 57,961 100.0
Canadian federal election, 1988
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
Progressive ConservativeBill Domm 22,492 40.9 -11.8
LiberalBarry MacDougall 16,693 30.3 +7.5
New DemocraticGill Sandeman 15,147 27.5 +6.8
LibertarianMike Lantz 277 0.5 -2.4
RhinocerosC. Fibber mcGee 238 0.4 -0.2
GreenGeorge Kerr 208 0.4 0.0
Total valid votes 55,055100.0
Canadian federal election, 1984: Peterborough
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
     Progressive Conservative Bill Domm 27,121 52.69
LiberalBarry MacDougall 11,737 22.80
New DemocraticLinda Slavin 10,648 20.69
LibertarianJohn Hayes 1,479 2.87
RhinocerosWashboard Hank Fisher 309 0.60
GreenSimon Shields 175 0.34
Total valid votes 51,469 100.00
Total rejected ballots 148
Turnout 51,617 76.52
Electors on the lists 67,458
Canadian federal election, 1980: Peterborough
Party Candidate Votes%∆%
     Progressive Conservative Bill Domm 19,417 40.25
LiberalSylvia Sutherland 17,202 35.66
New DemocraticPaul Rexe 10,776 22.34
LibertarianSally Hayes 469 0.97
RhinocerosMark Elson 243 0.50
     Independent Robert J. Norris 69 0.14
Marxist–LeninistRichard Anthony 67 0.14
Total valid votes 48,243 100.00
Total rejected ballots 116
Turnout 48,359 73.16
Electors on the lists 66,097
Parliament of Canada
Preceded by
Hugh Faulkner
Member of Parliament for Peterborough
1979-1993
Succeeded by
Peter Adams

Sources

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