Ian Waddell

Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Ian Gardiner Waddell Template:Post-nominals (November 21, 1942Template:SpndMarch 15, 2021) was a Canadian politician, author and filmmaker. He served in the House of Commons of Canada from 1979 to 1993, and in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2001.

Early life and career

Waddell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on November 21, 1942.<ref name="Parlinfo">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His family immigrated to Canada when he was five.<ref name="TVO">Template:Cite web</ref> His father, Jack, worked as an electrician; his mother, Isabel, was employed as a waitress.<ref name="UBC RBSC">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Macleans801006">Template:Cite web</ref> The family moved to the suburbs of Toronto, initially staying in Scarborough, and later moved to Etobicoke.<ref name="Macleans801006"/> He studied history at the University of Toronto (UofT), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1963.<ref name="UTalum">Template:Cite web</ref> After receiving a teaching diploma from the Ontario College of Education that same year, he taught at Western Tech in Toronto.<ref name="Macleans801006"/><ref name="Torch">Template:Cite book</ref> He then returned to UofT to study law, graduating with an LLB in 1967.<ref name="UTalum"/> Later he studied at the London School of Economics (LSE), from which he received a master's degree in international law.<ref name = bcleg>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="MemoryBC">Template:Cite web</ref>

Critical of the Law Society of Upper Canada, Waddell moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he articled at McTaggart, Ellis and Company.<ref name="Macleans801006"/><ref name="Torch"/> He worked as assistant city prosecutor for the City of Vancouver from 1971 to 1972, and then as a criminal defence lawyer.<ref name = bcleg/> Later, as Legal Director at Community Legal Assistance Society, he was counsel on the first successful consumer class action in Canada.<ref name="MemoryBC"/><ref name="bio">Template:Cite web</ref> He went on to be counsel to Justice Tom Berger's landmark Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry (1974–1977),<ref name="TVO"/><ref name="MemoryBC"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> before becoming partner at DeCario & Waddell.<ref name="bio"/>

Political career

Waddell supported the Liberal Party of Canada in his youth; he joined the Liberal club during his time at UofT, and chauffeured party leader Lester Pearson during the 1962 federal election campaign.<ref name="Macleans801006"/><ref name="Torch"/> During his time at LSE, he became convinced of the merits of social democracy, and with the realization that the British Columbia Liberal Party had a more conservative stance, he came to support the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP), canvassing for that party's candidates during the 1969 provincial election.<ref name="Torch"/>

Waddell won the nomination as a New Democratic Party candidate in 1977,<ref name="Macleans801006"/> and ran for that party in the 1979 federal election, contesting the riding of Vancouver Kingsway. He won the seat with 45% of the vote, beating incumbent Liberal candidate Simma Holt, and was re-elected Member of Parliament (MP) for that riding in the 1980 and 1984 federal elections.<ref name="Parlinfo2">Template:Cite web</ref> He served as NDP's energy critic at the time of the National Energy Program, before covering other portfolios such as economic development, employment, fisheries and communications.<ref name="Parlinfo"/>

During the patriation of the Canadian constitution, Waddell participated in drafting Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and Section 92A of the Constitution Act, 1867;<ref name="TVO"/><ref name="BCGov131211">Template:Cite web</ref> the former provides constitutional protection to the indigenous and treaty rights of indigenous peoples in Canada, while the latter gave provinces greater control over non-renewable natural resources.<ref name="Constitution Act, 1867">The Constitution Act, 1867, 30 & 31 Victoria (U.K.), c. 3, http://canlii.ca/t/ldsw retrieved on March 14, 2019.</ref>

With the dissolution of Vancouver Kingsway, Waddell instead contested the newly established riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam in the 1988 federal election. He was elected MP for that riding,<ref name="Parlinfo3">Template:Cite web</ref> and served as NDP's justice critic in the 34th Canadian Parliament.<ref name="Parlinfo"/> Following the resignation of Ed Broadbent as federal NDP leader in 1989, Waddell joined in the leadership race;<ref name="Macleans890911">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he placed sixth in the first ballot before withdrawing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He sought re-election in Port Moody—Coquitlam in the 1993 federal election, but came in third with 21% of the vote, ending his 14-year career as MP.<ref name="Parlinfo3"/><ref name=cbc04>Template:Cite web</ref>

As a BC NDP candidate in the 1996 provincial election, Waddell was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia to represent the riding of Vancouver-Fraserview, winning by 380 votes.<ref name="CBC130403">Template:Cite news</ref> He was appointed Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture in February 1998 by Premier Glen Clark.<ref name = bcleg/> As minister, Waddell was responsible for the first Olympic bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, beating out well financed Calgary and political favourite Quebec City.<ref name="MemoryBC"/> He brought in a film tax credit, which created a billion dollar film industry in BC.<ref name="DeRosa">Template:Cite news</ref> He subsequently served as Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks under Ujjal Dosanjh from November 2000 to April 2001.<ref name = bcleg/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He lost the Vancouver-Fraserview seat to Liberal candidate Ken Johnston in the 2001 provincial election.<ref name="CBC130403"/>

In the 2004 federal election, Waddell ran for re-election to Parliament in the reconstituted district of Vancouver Kingsway, losing to Liberal candidate David Emerson.<ref name="Parlinfo4">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At this time, Waddell came out as bisexual.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"Waddell comes out". Xtra!, March 18, 2004.</ref> In a rematch between the two in the 2006 federal election, Waddell once again lost to Emerson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After politics

After leaving politics, Waddell worked as a consultant in environmental, governmental and aboriginal affairs.<ref name="bio"/><ref name="hilltimes"/> He was given the honorary title of Queen's Counsel in December 2013 for his exceptionally meritorious contribution to law.<ref name="BCGov131211"/> He also became a documentary film producer, winning the Best Producer Award in the 2016 Beverly Hills Film Festival alongside Dylan Playfair, Kyle McCachen and Robert Lang for their film The Drop: Why Young People Don't Vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Waddell released the political mystery novel A Thirst to Die For in 2002, and published his political memoir Take the Torch in 2018.<ref name="hilltimes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He died on March 15, 2021, at his home in Vancouver from a heart condition at the age of 78.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=DeRosa/><ref name="CBC obit">Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• Jack Woodward

External links

• Template:Canadian Parliament links
• Ian Waddell's Website