Canadian senator (1941?2020)
David P. Smith
|
---|
|
|
In office
June 25, 2002 ? May 16, 2016
|
Appointed by
| Jean Chretien
|
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|
In office
1980?1984
|
Preceded by
| Sam Wakim
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Bill Attewell
|
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|
|
Born
| David Paul Smith
(
1941-05-16
)
May 16, 1941
Toronto
,
Ontario
, Canada
|
---|
Died
| February 26, 2020
(2020-02-26)
(aged 78)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
|
---|
Political party
| Liberal
(until 2014)
Independent Liberal
(2014-present)
|
---|
Spouse
| Heather Forster Smith
|
---|
Cabinet
| Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) (August 12, 1983 - September 16, 1984)
|
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|
David Paul Smith
,
PC
QC
(May 16, 1941 ? February 26, 2020) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and
senator
.
Municipal politics
[
edit
]
Smith was an
alderman
on
Toronto
City Council
in the 1970s. He served a period as deputy mayor and president of city council. He ran for
Mayor of Toronto
in 1978, but was defeated by
John Sewell
in a three-way split. Smith became a backroom lobbyist for developers and was instrumental in helping
Art Eggleton
defeat Sewell in 1980.
Member of Parliament
[
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]
After his defeat in municipal politics, Smith ran for and was elected to the
House of Commons of Canada
in the
1980 election
as the
Liberal
Member of Parliament
(MP) for the
riding
of
Don Valley East
in a suburb of Toronto.
In 1982, he became Deputy
Government House Leader
, and joined the
Canadian Cabinet
in 1983 as
Minister of State
for Small Businesses and Tourism. Smith was appointed to the same position when
John Turner
became
Prime Minister of Canada
in 1984. Smith was defeated in the subsequent
1984 election
.
Out of parliament
[
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]
Smith returned to the legal profession and served as Chairman Emeritus of Dentons LLP, one of Canada's largest law firms.
[1]
In the 1990s, he worked as a senior backroom adviser to Liberal leader
Jean Chretien
and played a leading role in the party's election campaigns.
Senate career
[
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]
A Chretien loyalist, Smith was appointed to the
Senate
in 2002 and was outspoken in his support for Chretien against attempts by
Paul Martin
to force the Prime Minister to retire. After Martin became Liberal leader, Smith urged party unity.
He was a key backer of former
Liberal leadership
candidate
Michael Ignatieff
. He was later appointed by Liberal leader
Stephane Dion
to serve as party's National Campaign Co-Chair with
Mark Marissen
and
Nancy Girard
.
On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader
Justin Trudeau
announced all Liberal Senators, including Smith, were removed from the Liberal caucus and would continue to sit as independents.
[2]
The senators referred to themselves as the
Senate Liberal Caucus
even though they were no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus.
[3]
Smith retired from the Senate upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 on May 16, 2016.
[4]
Volunteering
[
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]
Smith also served on the cabinet of the capital campaign of
Tyndale University College and Seminary
in Toronto.
[5]
Death
[
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]
He died in February 2020, at the age of 78, due to cardiac complications.
[6]
Electoral record
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Biography from Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP law firm. (undated)
- ^
"Justin Trudeau removes senators from Liberal caucus | CBC News"
.
- ^
"Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise"
.
Globe and Mail
. January 29, 2014
. Retrieved
January 29,
2014
.
- ^
Joyal, Serge (July 2003).
Protecting Canadian Democracy: The Senate You Never Knew
. McGill-Queen's University Press.
ISBN
978-0-7735-2619-8
. Retrieved
2007-03-15
.
- ^
Lloyd Mackey,
Tyndale Launches Capital Campaign
,
Canadian Christianity.com
, June 5, 2008.
- ^
LLP, Dentons Canada.
"The Honourable David P. Smith, P.C., Q.C., has passed away"
.
www.newswire.ca
. Retrieved
2020-02-27
.
External links
[
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]