The first member of Parliament and first federal cabinet minister to graduate from York, David Collenette is well known by his alma mater as a friend and role model for students.
Collenette was first elected in 1974 and subsequently re-elected in 1980, 1993 and 1997. He was appointed transport minister in 1997, where he continued the reorganization of the department, steered the Canada Marine Act through Parliament and began the revitalization of Via Rail.
In 1993, Collenette was appointed the national defence and veteran affairs minister. In this senior position, he oversaw successful Canadian peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the former Yugoslavia, the publication of the 1994 Defence White Paper and set into motion a process to reform and renew the Canadian Armed Forces. In previous parliaments, Collenette served as minister of state (multiculturalism), parliamentary secretary to the president of the Privy Council, government house leader and postmaster general.
Before his 1993 election, Collenette was executive vice-president of Mandrake Management Consultants of Toronto. He has also worked in both the life insurance and plastics industries.