Dawn Black
Encyclopedia
Dawn Black is a politician in British Columbia
, Canada
.
Born Dawn Whitty, Black became involved in politics from a young age, she became an assistant to New Democratic Party
Member of Parliament
Pauline Jewett
.
in the 1988 federal election
, succeeding the retiring Jewett. As an MP, one of her most notable achievements was proposing a private members bill that made December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, a permanent day of remembrance and action against violence against women. She also led the opposition to the Tories' anti-abortion measure and proposed an anti-stalking
measure, which was later adopted by Parliament.
, she lost her seat to Reform Party
candidate Paul Forseth
. She lost to him again in the 1997 election
, but defeated Forseth in the 2006 election
. Black was the NDP's defence critic.
of the 39th Parliament Black asked Gordon O'Connor
, then Minister of National Defence
, to renegotiate the prisoner transfer agreement with the Afghan government. O'Connor refused saying "Mr. Speaker, we have no intention of redrafting the agreement. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent are charged with ensuring that prisoners are not abused. There is nothing in the agreement that prevents Canada from determining the fate of prisoners so there is no need to make any change in the agreement."
Black was prominent on the issue, which eventually saw the resignation of Gordon O'Connor and the negotiation of a new transfer agreement.
, aiming to succeed ailing NDP MLA Chuck Puchmayr
in New Westminster. She stated she would remain in federal office long enough to draft a private member's bill
restricting the use of civilian armoured vehicles, a significant issue in a city dealing with gang violence. Following her departure from federal politics, she was handily elected to the BC Legislature.
said “With Dawn’s record of service as an elected official and her deep roots within the party, she’s the right choice to lead the party and the caucus before the new leader takes on”.
Black said after the nomination: "I've done a lot of tough things in my life - I've traveled to Afghanistan...The challenge is to prove to British Columbians that we're working together. Everybody made a commitment today to expose the broken promises of the Liberal government."
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
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...
.
Born Dawn Whitty, Black became involved in politics from a young age, she became an assistant to 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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Pauline Jewett
Pauline Jewett
Pauline Jewett, was a Canadian Member of Parliament.Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, she received a BA and a MA from Queen's University and a Ph.D in political science from Harvard University in 1949...
.
Member of Parliament
She was elected as the MP for New Westminster—BurnabyNew Westminster—Burnaby
New Westminster—Burnaby was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997.This riding was created in 1987 from parts of Burnaby and New Westminster—Coquitlam ridings...
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 ....
, succeeding the retiring Jewett. As an MP, one of her most notable achievements was proposing a private members bill that made December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, a permanent day of remembrance and action against violence against women. She also led the opposition to the Tories' anti-abortion measure and proposed an anti-stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
measure, which was later adopted by Parliament.
Elections
In the 1993 electionCanadian 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...
, she lost her seat to Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
candidate Paul Forseth
Paul Forseth
Paul Eugene Forseth is a Canadian politician, who was a Member of Parliament for British Columbia from 1993 to 2006.He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for New Westminster—Burnaby in the 1993 federal election, as a member of the Reform Party of Canada, defeating New Democrat Member of...
. She lost to him again 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...
, but defeated Forseth in the 2006 election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
. Black was the NDP's defence critic.
Afghan issues
On April 5, 2006, during the first question periodQuestion Period
Question Period, known officially as Oral Questions occurs each sitting day in the Canadian House of Commons. According to the House of Commons Compendium, “The primary purpose of Question Period is to seek information from the Government and to call it to account for its actions.”-History:The...
of the 39th Parliament Black asked Gordon O'Connor
Gordon O'Connor
Gordon James O'Connor, is a retired Brigadier-General, businessman, lobbyist, and current Canadian Member of Parliament and the Minister of State and Chief Government Whip....
, then Minister of National Defence
Minister of National Defence (Canada)
The Minister of National Defence is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces....
, to renegotiate the prisoner transfer agreement with the Afghan government. O'Connor refused saying "Mr. Speaker, we have no intention of redrafting the agreement. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent are charged with ensuring that prisoners are not abused. There is nothing in the agreement that prevents Canada from determining the fate of prisoners so there is no need to make any change in the agreement."
Black was prominent on the issue, which eventually saw the resignation of Gordon O'Connor and the negotiation of a new transfer agreement.
Move to provincial politics
In March 2009 she announced she would step down as MP in order to run for the BC NDP in the upcoming BC provincial electionBritish Columbia general election, 2009
The 39th British Columbia general election was held on May 12, 2009 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BC Liberal Party formed the government of the province prior to this general election under the leadership of Premier Gordon Campbell...
, aiming to succeed ailing NDP MLA Chuck Puchmayr
Chuck Puchmayr
Charles "Chuck" Puchmayr is a former Canadian politician, who was an MLA for New Westminster in British Columbia from 2005 to 2009. He is a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party....
in New Westminster. She stated she would remain in federal office long enough to draft a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
restricting the use of civilian armoured vehicles, a significant issue in a city dealing with gang violence. Following her departure from federal politics, she was handily elected to the BC Legislature.
Interim Leader of the BC NDP
Black was unanimously nominated by the provincial caucus to be the interim leader of the BC NDP on January 19, 2011. The Provincial Council ratified the decision one day later. NDP President Moe SihotaMoe Sihota
Munmohan Singh "Moe" Sihota is a former Canadian broadcaster and politician.He was born in Duncan, British Columbia and attended St. George's Boys School, Vancouver, on scholarship...
said “With Dawn’s record of service as an elected official and her deep roots within the party, she’s the right choice to lead the party and the caucus before the new leader takes on”.
Black said after the nomination: "I've done a lot of tough things in my life - I've traveled to Afghanistan...The challenge is to prove to British Columbians that we're working together. Everybody made a commitment today to expose the broken promises of the Liberal government."