Malcolm Allen (politician)
Encyclopedia
Malcolm Allen is a Canadian
politician. He has represented the riding of Welland
in the Canadian House of Commons
since 2008 as a member of the New Democratic Party
. He currently serves as Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food
in the Shadow Cabinet
of the Official Opposition (Canada)
.
, Scotland
, immigrated to Canada as a child in 1963. His father, a shipwright came over to Canada to work at the Collingwood
shipyards. He would later to transfer to the Port Weller Drydocks
located on the Welland Canal
where Allen’s family would settle.
Allen holds an undergraduate degree
in history
and political science
from Brock University
(graduated in 1983). An electrician
by trade, he served on the Executive Board
of CAW
local 199 from 1996 to 2000 as Recording Secretary and from 2000 to 2008 as Financial Secretary
.
In 2004, Allen travelled to Africa
to oversee the clearing of landmine sites and the construction of women’s co-ops as part of the Canadian Autoworkers, Canada Social Justice Fund committee.
In 2007 Allen spearheaded the creation of Genesis Court, a non-profit
affordable housing complex
with support services that would help people who were at risk to turn their lives around. Through the planning stages of Genesis court it would eventually become part of the Bethlehem Housing and Support Services organization, which includes Bethlehem Place.
Allen was also a member of the Pelham Library Board, the Golden Horseshoe Social Action Committee and the Niagara Health Coalition.
Town Council
from 2003 to 2008 representing Ward 1.
In 2006, he served as the town’s deputy mayor. He also chaired the Municipal Corporate Services Committee and served on it for five years.
Alf Kiers and the Liberal
incumbent, John Maloney.
During the 40th Parliament Allen served as the critic for Skills, Training and Apprenticeships and Food Safety and the deputy critic for Agriculture and Food Security (Canadian Food Inspection Agency
). He also served for a period as New Democrat Caucus chair
.
Allen was re-elected on May 2, 2011, beating Conservative Leanna Villella by over 1000 votes. Allen was one of 103 New Democrats elected, a record for the party and the first time in their history serving as the Official Opposition
. Allen is currently the Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food
in Jack Layton's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)
.
annual Poppy Campaign by eliminating the GST
from the purchase of poppies and poppy wreathes. The taxing of poppies was estimated to cost Legions about $780,000 a year. The money raised by the legions in the Poppy Campaign is used for important services like dental care, replacing broken roofs, supporting meals-on-wheels programs and more. After almost a full year of pressure, both the Provincial Liberal Government and Federal Conservative Government finally agreed to remove each of their portions of the new HST (formerly PST and GST) from the poppy purchases. Canada's Legions now have approximately $780,000 more a year to operate their services.
who presented him with a petition containing over 1,700 signatures asking for the government to create legislation
to prevent Karla Homolka
, who was involved in French's murder, from receiving a pardon
. Under the law at the time, Homolka would have been eligible to apply for a pardon in the summer of 2010.
Allen introduced a Private Member's Bill
that would have effectively fast tracked the portion of Bill C-23 (An Act to Amend The Criminal Records Act). This would have prevented the pardon, and allowed for proper debate of the remaining portion of the bill. When there was hesitation of the Government and Official Opposition
sides to go through with Allen's Private Members Bill, he immediately offered it to the government to ensure that the right thing was done. It is because of this pressure that Allen was able to successfully negotiate a deal with Conservative Public Safety Minister Vic Toews
to split the Bill C-23 into two bills and was able to fast-track the new Bill C-23a which barred Homolka from receiving a pardon. The bill was passed on the final sitting day of the House of Commons 2010 Winter Session, and Homolka did not receive a pardon.
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 has represented the riding of Welland
Welland (electoral district)
Welland is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1988, and since 2004. Its population in 2006 was 112,875....
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...
since 2008 as a member of the 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...
. He currently serves as Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, also referred to as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies governing agriculture production, farming income, research and development, inspection, and the regulation of animals...
in the Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
of the Official Opposition (Canada)
Official Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
.
Early life and career
Allen, born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, immigrated to Canada as a child in 1963. His father, a shipwright came over to Canada to work at the Collingwood
Collingwood, Ontario
Collingwood is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is situated on Nottawasaga Bay at the southern point of Georgian Bay.-History:...
shipyards. He would later to transfer to the Port Weller Drydocks
Port Weller Drydocks
Port Weller Drydocks is a shipbuilder located on the Welland Canal at the Lake Ontario entrance.Founded in 1946, the two drydocks are located on the east side of the canal in Port Weller, Ontario...
located on the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
where Allen’s family would settle.
Allen holds an undergraduate degree
Undergraduate degree
An undergraduate degree is a colloquial term for an academic degree taken by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. It is usually offered at an institution of higher education, such as a university...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and 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...
from Brock University
Brock University
Brock University is a comprehensive university located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Brock offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs that include co-op and other experiential learning opportunities to an enrolment of over 17,000 full-time students.The enabling legislation is...
(graduated in 1983). An electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
by trade, he served on the Executive Board
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of CAW
Canadian Auto Workers
The Canadian Auto Workers is one of Canada's largest and highest profile social unions. While rooted in Ontario's large auto plants of Windsor, Brampton, Oakville, St...
local 199 from 1996 to 2000 as Recording Secretary and from 2000 to 2008 as Financial Secretary
Financial secretary
Financial secretary is an administrative and executive government position within the governance of a State, corporation, private or public organization, small group or other body with financial assets....
.
In 2004, Allen travelled to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
to oversee the clearing of landmine sites and the construction of women’s co-ops as part of the Canadian Autoworkers, Canada Social Justice Fund committee.
In 2007 Allen spearheaded the creation of Genesis Court, a non-profit
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
affordable housing complex
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
with support services that would help people who were at risk to turn their lives around. Through the planning stages of Genesis court it would eventually become part of the Bethlehem Housing and Support Services organization, which includes Bethlehem Place.
Allen was also a member of the Pelham Library Board, the Golden Horseshoe Social Action Committee and the Niagara Health Coalition.
Pelham municipal politics
Allen served on the PelhamPelham, Ontario
The Town of Pelham is located in the centre of Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada.The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering waterway that flows into the Niagara River. To the west is the township of West Lincoln, to the east the city of Welland, and to the north the...
Town Council
Town council
A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
from 2003 to 2008 representing Ward 1.
In 2006, he served as the town’s deputy mayor. He also chaired the Municipal Corporate Services Committee and served on it for five years.
Member of Parliament
Allen was first elected to the House of Commons on October 14, 2008 to the 40th Parliament, defeating ConservativeConservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
Alf Kiers and the Liberal
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...
incumbent, John Maloney.
During the 40th Parliament Allen served as the critic for Skills, Training and Apprenticeships and Food Safety and the deputy critic for Agriculture and Food Security (Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a science based regulatory agency that is dedicated to the safeguarding of food, animals, and plants, which enhance the health and well-being of Canada's people, environment and economy...
). He also served for a period as New Democrat Caucus chair
Caucus chair
A caucus chair is a person who chairs the meetings of a caucus. Often, the caucus chair is assigned other duties as well.-Commonwealth Nations:...
.
Allen was re-elected on May 2, 2011, beating Conservative Leanna Villella by over 1000 votes. Allen was one of 103 New Democrats elected, a record for the party and the first time in their history serving as the Official Opposition
Official Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
. Allen is currently the Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
The Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, also referred to as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies governing agriculture production, farming income, research and development, inspection, and the regulation of animals...
in Jack Layton's Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)
The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 39th Canadian parliament is listed below. Members are drawn from the Liberal Party of Canada, and most are members of their parliamentary caucus...
.
Poppy Bill
In November 2009, Allen introduced a private members bill intended to support the Royal Canadian Legion’sRoyal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
annual Poppy Campaign by eliminating the GST
Goods and Services Tax (Canada)
The Goods and Services Tax is a multi-level value added tax introduced in Canada on January 1, 1991, by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and his finance minister Michael Wilson. The GST replaced a hidden 13.5% Manufacturers' Sales Tax ; Mulroney claimed the GST was implemented because the MST...
from the purchase of poppies and poppy wreathes. The taxing of poppies was estimated to cost Legions about $780,000 a year. The money raised by the legions in the Poppy Campaign is used for important services like dental care, replacing broken roofs, supporting meals-on-wheels programs and more. After almost a full year of pressure, both the Provincial Liberal Government and Federal Conservative Government finally agreed to remove each of their portions of the new HST (formerly PST and GST) from the poppy purchases. Canada's Legions now have approximately $780,000 more a year to operate their services.
Opposition to Homolka pardon
In May 2010, Allen met with Talin French-Doyle, niece of Kristen FrenchKristen French
Kristen Dawn French was a Canadian Catholic school girl and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder.-Biography:...
who presented him with a petition containing over 1,700 signatures asking for the government to create legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
to prevent Karla Homolka
Karla Homolka
Karla Leanne Homolka, also known as Karla Leanne Teale , is a Canadian serial killer. She attracted worldwide media attention when she was convicted of manslaughter following a plea bargain in the 1991 and 1992 rape-murders of two Ontario teenage girls, Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French, as well as...
, who was involved in French's murder, from receiving a pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. Under the law at the time, Homolka would have been eligible to apply for a pardon in the summer of 2010.
Allen introduced 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...
that would have effectively fast tracked the portion of Bill C-23 (An Act to Amend The Criminal Records Act). This would have prevented the pardon, and allowed for proper debate of the remaining portion of the bill. When there was hesitation of the Government and Official Opposition
Official Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
sides to go through with Allen's Private Members Bill, he immediately offered it to the government to ensure that the right thing was done. It is because of this pressure that Allen was able to successfully negotiate a deal with Conservative Public Safety Minister Vic Toews
Vic Toews
Victor "Vic" Toews, PC QC MP is a Canadian politician. He has represented Provencher in the Canadian House of Commons since 2000, and currently serves in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Minister of Public Safety. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from...
to split the Bill C-23 into two bills and was able to fast-track the new Bill C-23a which barred Homolka from receiving a pardon. The bill was passed on the final sitting day of the House of Commons 2010 Winter Session, and Homolka did not receive a pardon.