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Don Davies

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Don Davies
New Democratic Party critic for Finance
Assumed office
April 5, 2024
Leader
Member of Parliament
for Vancouver Kingsway
Assumed office
October 14, 2008
Preceded byDavid Emerson
Personal details
Born (1963-01-16) January 16, 1963 (age 61)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Political partyNew Democratic Party
Residence(s)Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Alberta
ProfessionLawyer

Don Davies MP (born January 16, 1963) is a Canadian federal member of Parliament (MP) for the New Democratic Party, representing the riding of Vancouver Kingsway since his election in the 2008 federal election. On April 5, 2024, Davies was appointed the NDP critic for Finance.[1]

Life and career

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Davies was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Alberta.[2] After gaining admission to the Alberta Bar, Davies was employed as a researcher at the Alberta Legislature and then executive assistant for policy and communications to Ray Martin, leader of the Official Opposition of Alberta from 1989 to 1991.[2]

Davies and his family moved to Vancouver in 1991. In 1992 he became the director of Legal Services for Teamsters Canada (Local 31), a position he held until his election to the House of Commons in 2008. In this capacity, Davies represented workers and the union at arbitration panels and before both provincial and federal labour tribunals.[2]

Davies also served on numerous public bodies to improve occupational health and safety and deliver more efficient regulatory systems in the transportation sector. He was chair of the Mount Pleasant Parent Advisory Council and serves as secretary-treasurer of the Meridian Cultural Society, providing public space for childcare, church and cultural events.[2]

Davies has been active with many community organizations, including Tools for Peace, Vancouver Co-op Radio, Lawyers for Social Responsibility, La Quena Cooperative, and the Dickens Community Group.[2] He has also been a local hockey coach, and enjoys playing the violin.

A long-time resident of the Kensington neighbourhood in the Vancouver Kingsway riding, Davies is married to Sheryl Palm, a speech language pathologist at Vancouver Children's Hospital. They have three children and a granddaughter.[2]

Federal politics

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Davies was first elected during the 2008 federal election. He received 15,933 votes, winning the riding by almost 3,000 votes over his nearest competitor. Davies was re-elected in the 2011 election, receiving over 50 percent of the votes cast and winning by 10,300 votes over his nearest competitor. In 2015, he was re-elected for his third term, receiving 46 percent of the vote and leading his nearest competitor by over 8,000 votes. Davies was re-elected in the 2019 federal election, obtaining 49 percent of the vote, and leading his nearest competitor by over 11,000 votes. This makes him the longest-serving MP in the history of the Vancouver Kingsway riding and the first MP to ever win the riding four times.[3]

In the 40th Parliament, Davies served as NDP critic for Public Safety and National Security, vice-chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security and deputy critic for Western Diversification. In the 41st Parliament, Davies served as Official Opposition critic for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and vice-chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and then as Official Opposition critic for International Trade, deputy critic for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and vice-chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade.[2] A member of a number of parliamentary groups, he serves on the executives of the Canada–China, Canada–Philippines, and Canada–Europe Parliamentary Associations, and is a Canadian parliamentary delegate to the Council of Europe.[2]

In the 42nd Parliament, Davies introduced more private member's legislation than any other MP in Canada.[4] This legislation included bills to establish universal pharmacare, a national school nutrition program, and free tuition for students with diverse needs. In the 43rd Parliament, Davies was re-appointed to the Health portfolio. He serves on the Standing Committee on Health and was appointed to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. Davies maintained a stance against the extradition of Meng Wanzhou since her arrest in Vancouver in 2018, claiming political interference in the case by U.S. president Donald Trump.[5][6]

Electoral record

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2021 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Kingsway
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Don Davies 20,994 52.28 +3.19 $101,431.44
Liberal Virginia Bremner 11,022 27.45 +4.37 $47,586.74
Conservative Carson Binda 5,456 13.59 −6.35 $7,752.14
Green Farrukh Chishtie 1,575 3.92 −2.14 $295.30
People's Jeremy MacKenzie 868 2.16 +1.19 $2,013.80
Communist Kimball Cariou 175 0.44 −0.22 $0.00
Marxist–Leninist Donna Petersen 68 0.17 −0.04 $0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 40,158 99.20 $108,601.94
Total rejected ballots 324 0.80
Turnout 40,482 54.07 −4.6
Eligible voters 74,873
Source: Elections Canada[7]
2019 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Kingsway
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Don Davies 21,680 49.09 +3.35 $96,884.11
Liberal Tamara Taggart 10,194 23.08 −4.73 $96,618.31
Conservative Helen Quan 8,804 19.94 −1.08 none listed
Green Lawrence Taylor 2,675 6.06 +2.81 none listed
People's Ian Torn 427 0.97 $3,869.88
Communist Kimball Cariou 292 0.66 −0.32 none listed
Marxist–Leninist Donna Peterson 91 0.21 +0.03 $0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 44,163 99.00
Total rejected ballots 446 1.00 −0.03
Turnout 44,609 58.67 −4.65
Eligible voters 76,039
New Democratic hold Swing +4.04
Source: Elections Canada[8][9]
2015 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Kingsway
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Don Davies 20,763 45.74 −4.38
Liberal Steven Kou 12,625 27.81 +11.16
Conservative Jojo Quimpo 9,538 21.01 −7.09
Green Catherine Moore 1,476 3.25 −0.52
Libertarian Matt Kadioglu 468 1.03 +0.44
Communist Kimball Cariou 445 0.98 +0.51
Marxist–Leninist Donna Petersen 81 0.18 +0.01
Total valid votes/Expense limit 100.00%     $203,203.67
Total rejected ballots 471
Turnout 45,867 64.41 +6.31
Eligible voters 71,206
Source: Elections Canada[10][11]
2011 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Kingsway
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Don Davies 23,457 50.08 +14.88%
Conservative Trang Nguyen 13,157 28.09 +.66%
Liberal Wendy Yuan 7,796 16.64 −12.38%
Green Louise Boutin 1,860 3.97 −2.73%
Libertarian Matt Kadioglu 275 0.59 −11.0%
Communist Kimball Cariou 220 0.47 −24.3%
Marxist–Leninist Donna Peterson 78 0.17 −47.6%
Total valid votes/Expense limit 100.00%
2008 Canadian federal election: Vancouver Kingsway
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Don Davies 15,933 35.20% +1.7% $81,501
Liberal Wendy Yuan 13,164 29.02% −14.4% $79,758
Conservative Salomon Rayek 12,419 27.43% +8.64% $70,829
Green Doug Warkentin 3,031 6.7% +3.87% $3,478
Libertarian Matt Kadioglu 309 0.68% +0.09% --
Communist Kimball Cariou 291 0.64% +0.29% $391
Marxist–Leninist Donna Peterson 149 0.33% +0.19%
Total valid votes/Expense limit 45,296 100.00% $84,758
Total rejected ballots 328
Turnout 45,624

References

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  1. ^ "NDP announces new critic portfolios ahead of next election". Canada's NDP. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "About Don". Don Davies Vancouver Kingsway. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  3. ^ Kurucz, John (October 21, 2019). "NDP's Don Davies makes history as longest-serving MP for Vancouver-Kingsway". Vancouver Courier. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  4. ^ Aiello, Rachel. "Meet NDP MP Don Davies, the MP with the most private members' bills introduced in the House and zero chance of passing one". www.hilltimes.com. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  5. ^ Zimonjic, Peter; Kapelos, Vassy (December 21, 2018). "Jagmeet Singh rejects his own MP's call to halt extradition of Huawei executive to U.S." CBC News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Nuttall, Jeremy (January 20, 2020). "Meng Wanzhou extradition case tainted by U.S. political interests, says NDP MP at Chinese consulate event". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Confirmed candidates — Vancouver Kingsway". Elections Canada. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  8. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  10. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Vancouver Kingsway, 30 September 2015
  11. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
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