Editing Terry Mercer

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name             = Terry Mercer
| honorific-suffix = 
| image            = 
| imagesize        =

| office           = Whip and Caucus Chair of the<br />[[Progressive Senate Group]] 
| leader           = [[Jane Cordy]]
| predecessor      = Position established
| term_start       = December 12, 2019
| term_end         = May 6, 2022

| office1          = Interim Deputy Leader of the<br />[[Progressive Senate Group]] 
| leader1          = [[Joseph A. Day]] {{small|Interim}}
| predecessor1     = Position established
| successor1       = [[Dennis Dawson]]
| term_start1      = November 14, 2019
| term_end1        = December 11, 2019

| office2          = [[Senate of Canada|Canadian Senator]]<br>from [[North End, Halifax|North End Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]]
| nominator2       = [[Jean Chrétien]]
| appointed2       = [[Adrienne Clarkson]]
| predecessor2     =
| successor2       = 
| term_start2      = November 7, 2003
| term_end2        = May 6, 2022

| birth_name       = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1947|5|6}}
| birth_place      =
| death_date       =
| death_place      =
| nationality      =
| spouse           =
| party               = [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] <small>(until 2014)</small><br>[[Senate Liberal Caucus|Independent Liberal]]<br><small>(2014-2019)</small><br>[[Progressive Senate Group]]<br><small>(2019-present)</small>
| relations        =
| children         =
| residence        =
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       =
| profession       =
| cabinet          = 
| committees       =
| portfolio        = 
| religion         =
| signature        =
| website          =
| footnotes        =
}}
'''Terry M. Mercer''' (born May 6, 1947) is a former [[Senate of Canada|Canadian Senator]] who represented [[Nova Scotia]] from 2003 to 2022.

==Career==
From 1974 to 1978, Mercer worked as Executive Assistant to Nova Scotia's Minister of Labour and Housing. Mercer then acted as an administrator and fundraiser for numerous [[Charitable organization|charitable]] organizations such as the Kidney Foundation of Canada, [[St. John Ambulance]], the Nova Scotia Lung Association, the [[YMCA]] and the Canadian Diabetes Association and is currently Past Chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Foundation for Philanthropy in Canada.

==As Senator==
A long-time fundraiser and organizer for the [[Liberal Party of Canada]], Mercer was National Director of the Liberal Party during much of [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]]'s tenure as party leader. Mercer was appointed to the Senate representing [[Nova Scotia]] by Chrétien in November 2003, shortly before the Prime Minister's retirement. 

In February 2013, Mercer became a subject of criticism for having spent the most out of any senator in the previous year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/meet-terry-mercer-canada-s-most-expensive-senator-1.1157273|title=Meet Terry Mercer, Canada's most expensive senator|website=CTV News Atlantic|access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref>

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader [[Justin Trudeau]] announced all Liberal Senators, including Mercer, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would sit as independents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-removes-senators-from-liberal-caucus-1.2515273|title=Liberal leader says senators not welcome in caucus|date=January 29, 2014|publisher=CBC News|access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> The senators referred to themselves as the [[Senate Liberal Caucus]] even though they were no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.<ref name=expuls>{{cite news|title=Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-to-boot-senators-from-liberal-caucus-in-bid-to-restore-senate-independence/article16567413/|accessdate=January 29, 2014|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=January 29, 2014}}</ref>

With the [[Senate Liberal Caucus]] facing losing official [[Parliamentary group|parliamentary caucus]] status in 2020 with a third of its caucus facing mandatory retirements on their turning age 75, Senator [[Joseph A. Day|Joseph Day]] announced that the [[Senate Liberal Caucus]] had been dissolved and a new [[Progressive Senate Group]] formed in its wake,<ref name="new-senate-can-faction-14nov2019">{{cite news |last1=Tasker |first1=John Paul (J.P.) |title=There's another new faction in the Senate: the Progressive Senate Group |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-faction-progressive-senate-group-1.5358269 |accessdate=November 14, 2019 |publisher=CBC News |date=November 14, 2019}}</ref><ref name="one-time-lib-senators-progressive-senate-group-14nov2019">{{cite news |title=One-time Liberal senators rename themselves as Progressive Senate Group |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/one-time-liberal-senators-rename-themselves-as-progressive-senate-group-1.4685456 |accessdate=November 14, 2019 |agency=The Canadian Press |publisher=CTV News |date=November 14, 2019}}</ref> with the entire membership joining the new group, including Mercer.<ref name="new-senate-can-faction-14nov2019" />

With Senator [[Joseph A. Day|Day]]'s mandatory retirement in January 2020, on December 12, 2019, Senator [[Jane Cordy]] tweeted<ref name="sen-cordy-tweet-12dec2019">{{cite web |last1=Cordy |first1=Jane |title=Thank you to @SenDayNB for his strong leadership during a time of change in the Senate. I wish him well in retirement. I am honoured that my colleagues in the Progressive Senate Group have elected me to represent them as their leader. |url=https://twitter.com/SenatorCordy/status/1205240775308709888 |website=Twitter |accessdate=10 January 2020 |date=12 December 2019}}</ref> that her colleagues in the PSG had selected her as the new leader, ostensibly effective that same date.<ref name="sen-cordy-tweet-12dec2019" /> Additionally, she subsequently announced<ref name="sen-cordy-tweet-2-12dec2019">{{cite web |last1=Cordy |first1=Jane |title=I am very pleased to be working with our new Deputy Leader @dennis_dawson and our Whip/Caucus Chair @SenTMM. We look forward to working collaboratively with all senators to promote progressive policies for all Canadians. |url=https://twitter.com/SenatorCordy/status/1205240776374079488 |website=Twitter |accessdate=10 January 2020 |date=12 December 2019}}</ref> later that day Senator Mercer would be moving into the Whip/Caucus Chair role, that Senator {{sortname|Dennis|Dawson}} would become the new Deputy Leader, and that the interim monikers were being removed at the same time.<ref name="sen-cordy-tweet-2-12dec2019" /> Senator Mercer retired on May 6, 2022, upon reaching the age of 75, as required by the constitution.<ref>{{cite web|title=‘Don’t forget where you come from’: Senator Mercer retires|url=https://sencanada.ca/en/sencaplus/people/don-t-forget-where-you-come-from-senator-mercer-retires/|date=May 6, 2022|work=Senate of Canada|accessdate=May 8, 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=8788}}
* [http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/Senator/mercet Liberal Senate Forum]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Terry}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada senators]]
[[Category:Senate Liberal Caucus]]
[[Category:Progressive Senate Group]]
[[Category:Canadian senators from Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Senate of Canada]]