David Walker (Canadian politician)
Encyclopedia
David Walker is a Canadian
politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1988 to 1997, as a member of the Liberal Party
.
Walker was born in Sudbury, Ontario
. He holds a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Carleton University
(1970), a Master of Arts
from Queen's University (1974), and a Ph.D.
from McMaster University
(1976). He was a professor of Political Science
at the University of Winnipeg
in Manitoba
from 1974 to 1988, and was also an adjunct professor at the University of Manitoba
from 1977 to 1988. Walker was a partner in Walker-Zimmerman Consultants from 1978 to 1985, and served as president of West-Can Consultants Ltd. from 1978 to 1993. From 1985 to 1987, he was research director for the Angus Reid
polling firm.
He campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
in the 1977 provincial election
, but finished second against former Progressive Conservative
leader Sidney Spivak
in the upscale constituency of River Heights. Walker worked as campaign manager to Liberal candidate Lloyd Axworthy
in the 1979
and 1984 federal elections
(Globe and Mail, 30 April 1979 and 24 August 1984), and worked as an adviser to Axworthy on Via Rail
issues in the early 1980s (Globe and Mail, 10 January 1985).
Dream" (1979), and the co-author of "Livable Winter Cities" (1986), "Living Within our Means: The Role of Voluntary Associations" (1986) and "Canadian Municipalities and Conditions of Fiscal Austerity in International Perspective" (1987). He chaired a Task Force of Native Employment in Manitoba in 1980, and a Via Rail
task force in 1983-84.
He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1988 federal election
, defeating New Democratic Party
incumbent Cyril Keeper
in Winnipeg North Centre
. Walker was the first Liberal candidate ever to win this riding, following sixty-seven years of representation by democratic socialist parties. The Progressive Conservative Party
won a majority government
in this election, and Walker served for the next five years as a member of the Official Opposition.
Walker was the co-leader of Paul Martin
's bid to become Liberal Party leader in 1990 (Toronto Star, 3 June 1990). He also worked campaign manager for the Manitoba Liberal Party
in the 1990 provincial election
(Globe and Mail, 12 September 1990).
The Liberals won a majority government in the 1993 election
, and Walker was re-elected with a convincing victory over former provincial cabinet minister Maureen Hemphill
. He served as parliamentary secretary
to Finance Minister
Paul Martin
from 1993 to 1996, when he was promoted to become chairman of the standing committee on industry (Winnipeg Free Press, 5 March 1996). He was defeated in the 1997 election
, narrowly losing to NDP candidate Pat Martin
.
Walker returned to his consulting business after leaving the House of Commons (Globe and Mail, 20 March 1999). He also worked on Paul Martin's second leadership bid in the early 2000s (National Post, 16 July 2001).
In 2000, he was appointed as chief federal negotiator for a Framework Agreement Initiative with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
concerning issues of aboriginal self-government.http://www.manitobachiefs.com/history/faiupdate01.html
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
from 1988 to 1997, as a member of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
.
Walker was born in Sudbury, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He holds a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
(1970), a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Queen's University (1974), and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
(1976). He was a professor of Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Winnipeg
University of Winnipeg
The University of Winnipeg is a public university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada that offers undergraduate faculties of art, business and economics, education, science and theology as well as graduate programs. The U of W's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged...
in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
from 1974 to 1988, and was also an adjunct professor at the University of Manitoba
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
from 1977 to 1988. Walker was a partner in Walker-Zimmerman Consultants from 1978 to 1985, and served as president of West-Can Consultants Ltd. from 1978 to 1993. From 1985 to 1987, he was research director for the Angus Reid
Angus Reid
Angus Reid is an offensive lineman for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Reid went to Simon Fraser University and played for the Simon Fraser Clan. He began his career with the Montreal Alouettes but was traded, along with a 5th round draft pick, to BC for Adriano Belli...
polling firm.
He campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba and the lieutenant governor form the Legislature of Manitoba, the legislature of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly in provincial general elections, all in single-member constituencies with first-past-the-post...
in the 1977 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1977
The Manitoba general election of October 11, 1977 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 33 seats out of 57...
, but finished second against former Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
leader Sidney Spivak
Sidney Spivak
Sidney Spivak was a Manitoba politician. He was a Cabinet Minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin, Walter Weir and Sterling Lyon, and was himself leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 1971 to 1975.Spivak was born to a Jewish family in Winnipeg, and was educated at...
in the upscale constituency of River Heights. Walker worked as campaign manager to Liberal candidate Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
in the 1979
Canadian federal election, 1979
The Canadian federal election of 1979 was held on May 22, 1979 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 31st Parliament of Canada. It resulted in the defeat of Liberal Party of Canada after 11 years in power under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Joe Clark led the Progressive...
and 1984 federal elections
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
(Globe and Mail, 30 April 1979 and 24 August 1984), and worked as an adviser to Axworthy on Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
issues in the early 1980s (Globe and Mail, 10 January 1985).
Books
Walker is the author of "Great WinnipegWinnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
Dream" (1979), and the co-author of "Livable Winter Cities" (1986), "Living Within our Means: The Role of Voluntary Associations" (1986) and "Canadian Municipalities and Conditions of Fiscal Austerity in International Perspective" (1987). He chaired a Task Force of Native Employment in Manitoba in 1980, and a Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
task force in 1983-84.
He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, defeating New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
incumbent Cyril Keeper
Cyril Keeper
Cyril Keeper is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1980 to 1988, serving as a member of the New Democratic Party....
in Winnipeg North Centre
Winnipeg North Centre
Winnipeg North Centre was a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented by a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 2004...
. Walker was the first Liberal candidate ever to win this riding, following sixty-seven years of representation by democratic socialist parties. The Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
won a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
in this election, and Walker served for the next five years as a member of the Official Opposition.
Walker was the co-leader of Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
's bid to become Liberal Party leader in 1990 (Toronto Star, 3 June 1990). He also worked campaign manager for the Manitoba Liberal Party
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
in the 1990 provincial election
Manitoba general election, 1990
The Manitoba general election of September 11, 1990 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservative Party, which took 30 out of 57 seats...
(Globe and Mail, 12 September 1990).
The Liberals won a majority government in the 1993 election
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
, and Walker was re-elected with a convincing victory over former provincial cabinet minister Maureen Hemphill
Maureen Hemphill
Maureen Hemphill was a Manitoba politician. She served in the cabinet of NDP Premier Howard Pawley, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the party's leadership in 1988....
. He served as parliamentary secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to Finance Minister
Minister of Finance (Canada)
The Minister of Finance is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible each year for presenting the federal government's budget...
Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
from 1993 to 1996, when he was promoted to become chairman of the standing committee on industry (Winnipeg Free Press, 5 March 1996). He was defeated in the 1997 election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, narrowly losing to NDP candidate Pat Martin
Pat Martin
Patrick "Pat" Martin is a Canadian politician. He has been a member of the Canadian House of Commons since 1997, representing the riding of Winnipeg Centre for the New Democratic Party.-Career:...
.
Walker returned to his consulting business after leaving the House of Commons (Globe and Mail, 20 March 1999). He also worked on Paul Martin's second leadership bid in the early 2000s (National Post, 16 July 2001).
In 2000, he was appointed as chief federal negotiator for a Framework Agreement Initiative with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is an organization of First Nations leaders in Manitoba, Canada. Its current Grand Chief is Ron Evans of the Norway House Cree Nation.-External links:*...
concerning issues of aboriginal self-government.http://www.manitobachiefs.com/history/faiupdate01.html