Joseph C. Ben-Ami (born 1962/1963)[1] is a Canadian conservative writer, strategist and organizer. He is a principal consultant with Ditchley Public Affairs, a Canadian-based strategic communications and political marketing firm, and sits on the board of BlueCommittee.Org. Ben-Ami is the former President and CEO of the Arthur Meighen Institute for Public Affairs (formerly the Canadian Centre for Policy Studies),[2] an independent conservative think-tank, and publisher of Canadian Observer, a quarterly magazine that examines culture, politics and public affairs from a conservative perspective. Before joining the Meighen Institute he was the executive director of the Institute for Canadian Values (ICV),[3] and before that he was director of Government Relations and Diplomatic Affairs for B'nai B'rith Canada.[4] Ben-Ami is also a member of the international advisory board of the organization Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation, a US-based Jewish group dedicated to fighting discrimination directed against Christians.

Ben-Ami has held senior positions in several local, provincial and national political and advocacy campaigns. He served as a policy aid to former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and operations director for Stockwell Day,[5] former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Most recently he managed the campaign of Brad Trost[6] for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Ben-Ami is also a conservative television and radio commentator and regular public speaker. He is co-host of The Combat Zone Podcast and lectures on subjects such as civic engagement and leadership.

In 2022, Ben-Ami unsuccessfully ran for Ottawa City Council in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward. He placed fourth behind playwright Sean Devine; real-estate agent James Dean; and brother of outgoing councillor Keith Egli, Myles Egli. Ben-Ami's campaign emphasized fiscal austerity. Ben-Ami also made statements in support of reducing the number of city councillors, and supported Ontario Premier Doug Ford's move to give mayors of large cities executive powers.[7][8] While his campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, Ben-Ami's support was strongest in western portions of the ward, where he placed second to Sean Devine in two polling stations: Knoxdale Public School and Sir Robert Borden High School.[9]

Electoral record

2022 Ottawa municipal election: Knoxdale-Merivale Ward
Candidate Popular vote Expenditures
Votes  % ±%
Sean Devine 4,812 39.20 –
James Dean 2,564 20.89 +1.05
Myles Egli 2,051 16.71 –
Joseph Ben-Ami 1,426 11.62 –
Michael Wood 1,228 10.00 –
Peter Westaway 118 0.96 –
Peter Anthony Weber 77 0.63 -1.99
Total valid votes 12,276 97.47
Total rejected, unmarked and declined votes 318 2.53
Turnout 12,594 45.55
Eligible voters 27,650
Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates.
Sources:

References

  1. ↑ "Lots of door-knocking in Knoxdale-Merivale". CBC News. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  2. ↑ "Tory backers push for 'truly conservative' government" "CTV News". Retrieved August 26, 2017
  3. ↑ "Stephen Harper and the theo-cons" "The Walrus". Retrieved August 26, 2017
  4. ↑ "Meeting Schedule - Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights" "sencanada.ca". Retrieved August 20, 2017
  5. ↑ "Scheer’s Conservative caucus support gives him the advantage, but leadership win not in the bag" "The Hill Times". Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Why Did So Many Tory Hopefuls Stay Until The End? It's Complicated" "HuffPost Canada Edition". Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  7. ↑ @josephbenami (August 9, 2022). "How many councillors does it take to govern a city?" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ @josephbenami (August 11, 2022). "I support the balanced proposals in the Strong Mayor, Building Homes Act" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 October 2022 – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ "2022 Elections Official Results". City of Ottawa. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
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