- David MacDonald (politician)
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Not to be confused with David McDonald (politician).For other people of the same name, see David MacDonald (disambiguation).
David Samuel Horne MacDonald, PC (born August 20, 1936 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island) is a United Church of Canada minister and a former Canadian politician, and author.
David MacDonald was ordained in the United Church by the Maritime Conference on June 11, 1961, and was a minister at Alberton, Tignish, and Cascumpec, Prince Edward Island before going into federal politics.
He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) from the former Prince Edward Island riding of Prince in the 1965 election, and was re-elected in the realigned Egmont riding from 1968 until 1979.[1]
After the Tory victory in the 1979 election, he was appointed Minister of Communications, Minister responsible for the Status of Women and Secretary of State for Canada in the short-lived Cabinet of Prime Minister Joe Clark.
MacDonald lost his seat to Liberal George Henderson in the 1980 election but returned to the House as MP in the Toronto riding of Rosedale in the 1988 election, replacing former Toronto Mayor and PC incumbent David Crombie.
However, he lost his seat again to a Liberal majority government in the 1993 election, this time to Bill Graham. Two other notable candidates ran against MacDonald in this election: future New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton, and magician Doug Henning for the Natural Law Party of Canada.
MacDonald also spent time in Africa between parliamentary duties.
MacDonald had a reputation as a Red Tory (i.e., left-leaning), and subsequently switched his political allegiance to the social democratic NDP. He ran as the NDP candidate in his old riding (now called Toronto Centre-Rosedale) in the 1997 election, but was defeated again by Graham.
On November 25, 1998, The United Church of Canada appointed MacDonald a Special Advisor on residential schools, in light of major lawsuits against the UCC from former students.
Electoral record (partial)
1993 federal election : Rosedale edit Party Candidate Votes % +/- Expenditures Liberal Bill Graham 27,707 49.98 $54,087 Progressive Conservative (x)David MacDonald 12,018 21.68 $60,961 Reform Daniel Jovkovic 7,048 12.71 $25,016 New Democratic Party Jack Layton 5,937 10.71 $44,872 National Martin Lanigan 1,091 1.97 $6,964 Natural Law Doug Henning 839 1.51 $37,086 Green Leslie Hunter 479 0.86 $380 N/A (Christian Freedom) Linda Dale Gibbons 214 0.39 $200 Marxist-Leninist Steve Rutchinski 61 0.11 $205 Abolitionist Y. Patrice d'Audibert-Garcien 43 0.08 $0 Total valid votes 55,437 100.00 Total rejected ballots 491 Turnout 55,928 61.71 Electors on the lists 90,630 Source: Thirty-fifth General Election, 1993: Official Voting Results, Published by the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada. Financial figures taken from official contributions and expenses provided by Elections Canada.
Notes
- ^ Parliament of Canada, Parliamentarian File: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/parlinfo/files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=3dca74f6-5eb5-4526-befa-b79d37632453&Language=E&Section=FederalExperience
External links
- David MacDonald (politician) - Parliament of Canada biography
- United Church of Canada's appointment as Special Advisor for Residential Schools
Parliament of Canada Preceded by
J. Watson MacNaught, LiberalMember of Parliament from Prince
1965–1968Succeeded by
Riding abolishedPreceded by
Riding CreatedMember of Parliament from Egmont
1968–1980Succeeded by
George Henderson, LiberalPreceded by
David Crombie, Progressive ConservativeMember of Parliament from Toronto Centre
1988–1993Succeeded by
Bill Graham, LiberalPolitical offices Preceded by
Marc LalondeMinister responsible for the Status of Women
4 June 1979–2 March 1980Succeeded by
Lloyd AxworthySecretaries of State of Canada Langevin · Aikins · Christie · Scott · Aikins · O'Connor · Mousseau · Chapleau · Patterson · Costigan · Dickey · Montague · Ouimet (acting) · Daly (acting) · Tupper · Scott · Murphy · Roche · Coderre · Blondin · Patenaude · Sévigny (acting) · Meighen · Burrell · Sifton · Drayton (acting) · Monty · Copp · Foster · Murphy (acting) · Lapointe · Perley · Rinfret · Cahan · Rinfret · Lapointe · Casgrain · McLarty · Martin · Gibson · Bradley · Pickersgill · Pinard · Fairclough · Courtemanche · Balcer · Dorion · Balcer · Halpenny · Pickersgill · Lamontagne · LaMarsh · Connolly · Marchand · Pelletier · Faulkner · Roberts · MacDonald · Fox · Regan · Joyal · McLean · B. Bouchard · Crombie · L. Bouchard · Weiner · de Cotret · Landry11The department was eliminated in 1993 when the government was reorganized. The position of Secretary of State for Canada was not legally eliminated until 1996 when its remaining responsibilities were assigned to other cabinet positions and departments, particularly the newly created position of Minister of Canadian Heritage.1The offices of Minister of Communications, and Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship were abolished and the office of Minister of Canadian Heritage came in force July 12, 1996.Categories:- 1936 births
- Living people
- People from Charlottetown
- Ministers of the United Church of Canada
- Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Ontario
- Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Prince Edward Island
- Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
- Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs
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