View source for David Swann

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{about||the American politician|David J. Swann}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2009}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    =
| name                = David Swann
| honorific-suffix    =
| image               = David Swann - April 12, 2010.jpg
| alt                 = 
| caption             = Swann in 2010
| order               =
| office              = [[Leader of the Opposition (Alberta)|Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta]]
| term_start          = December 15, 2008
| term_end            = September 10, 2011
| predecessor         = [[Kevin Taft]]
| successor           = [[Raj Sherman]]
| office1             = Leader of the [[Alberta Liberal Party]]
| status1             = Interim
| term_start1         = February 1, 2015
| term_end1           = June 4, 2017
| predecessor1        = [[Raj Sherman]]
| successor1          = [[David Khan (politician)|David Khan]]
| term_start2         = December 12, 2008
| term_end2           = September 10, 2011
| predecessor2        = [[Kevin Taft]]
| successor2          = [[Raj Sherman]]
| office5             = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly#Canada|Member]] of the [[Legislative Assembly of Alberta]] for [[Calgary-Mountain View]]
| term_start5         = November 22, 2004
| term_end5           = April 16,2019
| predecessor5        = [[Mark Hlady]]
| successor5          = [[Kathleen Ganley]]
| birth_name          = David Richard Swann<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadianlatinonewspaper.com/Past%20Editions/2005/MAY_2005.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-09-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021175859/http://www.canadianlatinonewspaper.com/Past%20Editions/2005/MAY_2005.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-21 }}</ref>
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1949|06|19}}
| birth_place         = [[Taber, Alberta|Taber]], [[Alberta]], Canada<ref>[http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=a7a54145-18a4-42db-8327-80278bcebbf7 Canada.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109013436/http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=a7a54145-18a4-42db-8327-80278bcebbf7 |date=2012-11-09 }}</ref>
| nationality         =
| party               = [[Alberta Liberal Party|Liberal]]
| spouse              = Laureen
| children            =
| residence           =
| alma_mater          = [[University of Alberta]]<br />[[University of Calgary]]
| occupation          =
| profession          = {{hlist|Politician|[[medical doctor]]}}
| signature           = David Swann Signature 2.svg
| website             = {{URL|www.davidswann.ca}}
}}

'''David Richard Swann''' (born June 19, 1949)<ref>{{cite web|title=David Swann's Birthday Party |url=http://www.albertaliberal.com/index.php/alp/news/david_swanns_birthday_party/more |website=Alberta Liberal Party |access-date=24 March 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011164147/http://www.albertaliberal.com/index.php/alp/news/david_swanns_birthday_party/more |archive-date=October 11, 2012 }}</ref> is a Canadian [[Doctor of Medicine|medical doctor]] and politician. He was the leader of the [[Alberta Liberal Party]] and [[Leader of the Opposition (Alberta)|Leader of the Opposition]] in the Alberta Legislature from December 2008 until resigning as party leader in September 2011. He returned as [[Interim leader (Canada)|interim leader]] of the Alberta Liberal Party on February 1, 2015, following the resignation of [[Raj Sherman]]<ref>{{cite web|title=David Swann chosen as interim leader of Alberta Liberals|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/david-swann-chosen-as-interim-leader-of-alberta-liberals-1.2939733|publisher=CBC News|access-date=1 February 2015|date=1 February 2015}}</ref> and led the party through the [[2015 Alberta general election|2015 provincial election]].

Swann is, to date, the last Liberal elected to the Alberta Legislature.

== Family and early life ==
Swann was born in [[Taber, Alberta]], and was raised in a middle-class family on the edge of downtown [[Calgary]]. His father, Richard Swann, was head of oil and gas exploration for Canadian Fina for many years, before that company was sold to Petro Canada. His mother Margaret was an active volunteer while raising him and his four siblings.

His summers as a child were spent in the countryside and mountains of Alberta. As he grew up, he worked on farms, at gas plants and hospitals to finance his education.

Swann attended [[Western Canada High School]] before entering the [[University of Alberta]] in Edmonton in 1967. While at the U of A, he was a member of the Golden Bears Basketball team that went to the national basketball finals in 1969. He is still a sports fan and considers himself an outdoorsman; Swann is a regular runner, biker, hiker and canoeist.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=515014295 Facebook.com]</ref>

After graduating in Family Medicine in 1975, Swann worked in mission hospitals in South Africa for three years, where he met his future wife, Laureen Ross, also a doctor. There he discovered the deep connection between medicine and politics firsthand. He was deeply affected by the human rights abuses of apartheid, particularly the killing of [[Steve Biko]], who lived near the mission where he worked.

Swann and his wife returned to Canada in 1979, were married and settled in [[Pincher Creek]] for seven years. This is where their three children were born, and where he participated in a private medical practice with four other physicians.<ref>[http://www.davidswann.ca/about-david/ Davidswann.ca] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201020955/http://www.davidswann.ca/about-david/ |date=2011-02-01 }}</ref>

In 1984, he began specialty training in Public Health (Prevention) and, after graduating in 1989, co-ordinated a primary health care project for the [[University of Calgary]] in the Philippines. After returning to Canada, he joined the Alberta Association of Medical Health Officers, becoming their president in 2000 while serving as Medical Officer of Health for Palliser Health and Headwaters Health regions.

In 2002, the Alberta Society of Health Officers passed a resolution calling for real government action on climate change and reductions to air pollution. Swann supported this resolution, the government fired him from his position with Palliser Health within days. This led to widespread condemnation of the Alberta Environment Minister, [[Lorne Taylor]], who had influenced Health Chairman Len Mitzel to terminate him.<ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kyoto-views-get-medical-officer-fired-1.308761 CBC.ca]</ref>

Under intense public pressure, the Palliser Board was forced to offer Swann his job back. He declined, instead making humanitarian trips to Iraq, then returning to Alberta to run in the 2004 provincial election.<ref>[http://www.albertaliberal.com/leader.php Albertaliberal.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224161627/http://www.albertaliberal.com/leader.php |date=2011-02-24 }}</ref>

== Political career ==
Swann entered electoral politics as a candidate for the [[Alberta Liberal Party|Alberta Liberals]]. He was elected to the Alberta Legislature in the [[2004 Alberta general election|Alberta general election]] on 22 November 2004. Along with [[Harry B. Chase]], and [[Dave Taylor (Canadian politician)|Dave Taylor]], Swann was part of a re-emergence of provincial Liberals in Calgary which had been completely held by the [[Alberta Progressive Conservatives|Progressive Conservatives]]. During his first term Swann was environment critic and also served as deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Resources and Environment and as a member of the Private Bills Committee and the Standing Committee on Health.<ref>[https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=18 Assembly.ab.ca]</ref>  Swann was re-elected in the [[2008 Alberta general election|March 3, 2008 election]].

Party leader [[Kevin Taft]] resigned following the election in which the party last almost half of its seats. Swann won the subsequent [[2008 Alberta Liberal Party leadership election|2008 Alberta Liberal leadership election]] on 13 December 2008, defeating [[Dave Taylor (Canadian politician)|Dave Taylor]] and [[Mo Elsalhy]].<ref>[https://archive.today/20120728002036/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081213/swann_alberta_081212/20081213?hub=Canada CTV.ca]</ref> During his tenure as leader the party continued to suffer from resignations and internal divisions which contributed to it falling to third place in the polls behind the [[Wildrose Alliance]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://daveberta.ca/2011/01/swanns-song-liberal-leader-david-swann-expected-to-resign/|title = Swann's song: Liberal leader david swann expected to resign. – daveberta.ca – Alberta Politics| date=31 January 2011 }}</ref> On 1 February 2011, he announced his resignation as leader with effect after the spring session of the Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/David+Swann+will+step+down+Alberta+Liberal+leader/4204565/story.html |title=David Swann will step down as Alberta Liberal leader |last=Fekete |first=Jason |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=1 February 2011 |access-date=24 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110308203857/http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/David+Swann+will+step+down+Alberta+Liberal+leader/4204565/story.html |archive-date=8 March 2011 }}</ref> He resigned without having led the party through a general election; however, four years later, Swann was given the opportunity to lead the party through an election campaign when party leader [[Raj Sherman]] suddenly resigned weeks before the [[2015 Alberta general election|2015 provincial election was called]] and Swann was appointed interim leader. In the course of the campaign, Swann's Liberals faced an unexpected surge by the [[Alberta New Democratic Party]] under its new leader, [[Rachel Notley]], which threatened to cut into Liberal support, as well as a resurgent Wildrose Party which also resulted in pressure on Liberal supporters to [[strategic voting|strategically vote]] for the more moderate Progressive Conservatives in order to block the more right wing [[Wildrose Party]] from forming government.{{fact|date=October 2023}}

The 2015 election resulted in the defeat of the Progressive Conservatives after 44 years in power and the election of the first NDP government in Alberta history. The Liberals under Swann received 4% of the popular vote, less than half their result in the 2012 election. Only Swann retained his seat becoming the sole Liberal MLA elected, down from 5 Liberal seats.<ref>{{cite news|title=Alberta election: NDP wins majority, ending 44 years of PC rule|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/alberta-election-ndp-wins-majority-ending-44-years-of-pc-rule/|access-date=5 May 2015|date=5 May 2015}}</ref>

== Advocacy ==
Swann has advocated for many causes related to peace and development, human rights and social justice and has worked with organizations such as Physicians for Global Survival, Amnesty International, and Doctors Without Borders.<ref>[http://www.davidswann.ca/global-peace-initiatives/ David Swann Global Peace Initiatives] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721023746/http://www.davidswann.ca/global-peace-initiatives/ |date=2012-07-21 }} Retrieved 6 Nov 2012</ref>
Swann has been a vocal supporter of farm workers' rights and regularly campaigns for occupational health and safety laws for Alberta's agricultural sector.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/liberal-mla-asks-chip-giant-to-boycott-alberta-potatoes-until-child-labour-laws-reformed|title=MLA asks chip giant to boycott Alberta potatoes until child labour laws reformed|work=National Post|date=24 August 2012|access-date=10 June 2024}}</ref> Swann is the current interim spokesperson for [[Extinction Rebellion]] Calgary.<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate activists' plan more action after public critique of 'energy war room' removed downtown |url=https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/climate-activists-plan-more-action-after-public-critique-of-energy-war-room-removed-downtown |website=Calgary Herald |language=en-CA}}</ref>

== Electoral history ==
=== 2004 Alberta general election ===
{{2004 Alberta general election/Calgary-Mountain View}}

=== 2008 Alberta general election ===
{{2008 Alberta general election/Calgary-Mountain View}}

=== 2012 Alberta general election ===
{{2012 Alberta general election/Calgary-Mountain View}}

=== 2015 Alberta general election ===
{{2015 Alberta general election/Calgary-Mountain View}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons|David Swann|David Swann}}
* [https://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_contact&rnumber=21&leg=28 Biography for Dr. David Swann on the website of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]
* [http://www.davidswann.ca/ David Swann website]
* [http://www.albertaliberal.com/swann David Swann on Alberta Liberal Party website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416180309/http://www.albertaliberal.com/swann |date=16 April 2014 }}

{{Alberta Liberal Party}}
{{ABLOpp}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swann, David}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Activists from Calgary]]
[[Category:Alberta Liberal Party MLAs]]
[[Category:Canadian environmentalists]]
[[Category:Physicians from Alberta]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Alberta Liberal Party]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the United Church of Canada]]
[[Category:People from Taber, Alberta]]
[[Category:Politicians from Calgary]]
[[Category:University of Alberta alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta]]
[[Category:Canadian public health doctors]]
[[Category:Tax resisters]]
[[Category:Western Canada High School alumni]]