Linda Duncan

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Linda Duncan
MP
File:Linda Duncan 2015.jpg
Duncan in May 2015
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Edmonton—Strathcona
Assumed office
October 14, 2008
Preceded by Rahim Jaffer
Personal details
Born Linda Francis Duncan
(1949-06-25) June 25, 1949 (age 75)
Edmonton, Alberta
Political party New Democratic Party
Profession Lawyer, environmental consultant

Linda Francis Duncan, MP (born June 25, 1949) is a Canadian lawyer and politician, currently serving as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Edmonton—Strathcona in Alberta. A New Democrat, Duncan was the only non-Conservative MP from Alberta from the 2008 election until the 2015 election. Prior to her election, she ran unsuccessfully in the same riding in 2006.

Before politics, Duncan practiced as an environmental lawyer, working in Edmonton until 1987 when she moved to Ottawa to work for Environment Canada. She also spent time in Whitehorse working as an assistant deputy in the Yukon government, and in Montreal working in NAFTA's Commission for Environmental Cooperation. She also served on the Sierra Legal Defence Fund's Board of Directors.

Early life and career

Linda Duncan was born in Edmonton on June 25, 1949. Her father, Darcy Duncan, a second-generation lawyer, supported the family which included a brother, a younger sister and an older sister, along with their mother.[1] She grew up in the south side of Edmonton.[2] She attended the University of Alberta, graduating from their law school. With an interest in environmental law she passed upon the opportunity to join a law firm and founded the Environmental Law Centre in 1982 to assist Albertans concerned with environmental and natural resources law.[2]

In 1987, Duncan was recruited by the federal Minister of Environment to establish a new enforcement unit at Environment Canada. After a year in Ottawa, she move onto Whitehorse where she worked as the assistant deputy Minister for Renewable Resources in the Yukon government. She moved to Montreal after she accepted a position helping lead the enforcement department of NAFTA's Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Through projects by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank she helped establish environmental law enforcement systems in Jamaica, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. During this time, in the 1990s, she earned a Master of Laws from Dalhousie Law School and taught several courses. Following the death of her father and two sisters she moved back to Edmonton in 1999.[1][2]

On the local level, in addition to her work at the Environmental Law Centre in Edmonton, she worked on projects with the Edmonton Social Planning Council, Alberta's Clean Air Strategic Alliance, and the Canadian Council on Human Resources for the Environment Industry. She served on the Board of Directors the Sierra Legal Defence Fund from 2001 to 2007. Her family has had a cottage at Wabamun Lake since her youth and she has participated on the Lake Wabamun Enhancement and Protection Association. Acting as their vice-president during the August 2005 CN Rail oil spill she was interviewed in the media on behalf of the land owners and lake users.[1] With the association and the Sierra Legal Defence Fund she helped make a submission to the United Nations Environment Programme noting Canada was not enforcing the legally-binding Heavy Metals Protocol, making specific reference to high levels of mercury being released from coal-fired power plants.[3]

Politics

For the 39th Canadian federal election, in January 2006, Duncan ran as the New Democratic Party candidate for the riding of Edmonton-Strathcona. The contest was expected to be close so in the final days of the campaign the party shifted resources there and the party leader, Jack Layton, traveled the riding, his second visit during the campaign.[4][5] Nevertheless, incumbent Conservative Rahim Jaffer won the riding over Duncan by almost 5,000 votes.

On January 19, 2007, Duncan accepted the NDP nomination in Edmonton-Strathcona, by acclamation, to again seek election to Parliament in the 40th Canadian federal election.[6] The election campaign began in September 2008. To make environmental protection an election issue, Duncan and Jack Layton flew over the tar sands area noting environmentally damaging practices.[7] Duncan made support for public health care, enforcement of environmental laws, and driving the economy with 'green jobs' priorities in her campaign.[8] She drew upon support from a large volunteer network built since the last election and strategic voting from Liberal supporters.[9] With the polls showing a close race, incumbent Conservative candidate launched an attack ad against Duncan.[10] On election night, October 14, the results showed Jaffer as the leader, by 1,000 votes with over half the polls reporting.[11] Jaffer delivered his victory speech around 10 p.m. and several people were calling the election a win for Jaffer.[12][13][14] However, late polls, which included residences around the University of Alberta, put Duncan ahead.[15] Following a few days of silence and after his fiancee, fellow Conservative Member of Parliament Helena Guergis, flew to Edmonton and quietly married him, Jaffer conceded defeat to Duncan.[16] With a 463-vote margin, Duncan became the only non-Conservative MP in Alberta.

File:Edmonton-Strathcona MP Linda Duncan.jpg
Linda Duncan at the Alberta Legislature participating in a rally organized by RETA against the Heartland Transmission project

During the ensuing 40th Canadian Parliament Duncan was appointed to the position of NDP critic on the Environment. In the Parliament's aborted first session she strongly opposed the government's proposed fiscal update, especially the proposed changes to pay equity claims, four-year wage cap, and suspension of the right to strike for federal employees.[17] She supported the proposed coalition government and condemned the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, for labeling the coalition government as "treasonous" and "criminal".[18][19] When Parliament resumed in January 2009, Duncan sat as a member of the House Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. She supported Ecojustice and the Sierra Club's lawsuit against the government's waiver of federal environmental assessment reviews on infrastructure projects arguing that it required an act of Parliament, rather than the Conservative government's Order in Council.[20] She vocally supported the opposition's Corporate Accountability of Mining, Oil and Gas Corporations in Developing Countries Act that would hold Canadian companies accountable in Canadian courts for human rights and environmental abuses committed in other countries.[21] Duncan introduced three bills into during the second and third sessions: the first proposing that the third Friday of February be declared National Hockey Day,[22] the second establishing an Environmental Bill of Rights,[23] and the third would have amended the Criminal Code to restrict the use of hand-held telecommunications devices while driving.[24] On a private member's bill to abolish the federal gun registry, Linda Duncan was the only MP from Alberta who voted against abolishing the gun registry.

Duncan was re-elected, with over 50% of the vote in Edmonton—Strathcona, to 41st Canadian Parliament. She introduced one piece of legislation, a private member bill titled National Literacy Policy Act (Bill C-327) which received first reading on October 5, 2011, but did not advance from there. The bill would have required the government adopt a policy for promoting literacy in Canada and take measures to enact the policy.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Mission Canadian M.P. Mark Warawa and Linda Duncan fill out Observation forms at a Polling Station in Lviv on 2014 Ukrainian Parliamentary Election Day

In 2014, Linda Duncan introduced an Act to establish a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, Bill C-634, "whose provisions apply to all decisions that emanate from a federal source or are related to federal land or a federal work or undertaking".[25]

Duncan spoke at a Jack Layton memorial on August 24, 2012. The event was billed as "Dear Jack" and she was joined by several other prominent figures.[26]

After the 2015 election, Duncan was appointed the NDP critic for Transport in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[27]

Electoral history

Canadian federal election, 2006: Edmonton—Strathcona
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Conservative Rahim Jaffer 22,009 41.71 +2.31 $75,063
New Democratic Linda Duncan 17,153 32.51 +8.71 $53,478
Liberal Andy Hladyshevsky 9,391 17.80 −11.21 $76,923
Green Cameron Wakefield 3,139 5.95 −0.54 $755
Progressive Canadian Michael Fedeyko 582 1.10 – $0.0
Marijuana Dave Dowling 390 0.74 −0.33 $0.0
Marxist–Leninist Kevan Hunter 106 0.20 −0.01 $16
Total valid votes 52,770 100.00
Total rejected ballots 148 0.28 −0.03
Turnout 52,918 70.6 +3.9
Canadian federal election, 2008: Edmonton—Strathcona
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Linda Duncan 20,103 42.58 +10.07 $71,669
Conservative Rahim Jaffer 19,640 41.60 −0.11 $81,597
Liberal Claudette Roy 4,279 9.06 −8.74 $72,953
Green Jane Thrall 3,040 6.44 +0.49 $3,801
Marxist–Leninist Kevan Hunter 147 0.31 +0.11
Total valid votes/Expense limit 47,209 99.79   $82,492
Total rejected ballots 99 0.21 −0.07
Turnout 47,308 65.4 −5.2
Canadian federal election, 2011: Edmonton—Strathcona
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Linda Duncan 26,093 53.55 +10.97 $84,389
Conservative Ryan Hastman 19,762 40.55 −1.05 $78,272
Liberal Matthew Sinclair 1,372 2.82 −6.24 $15,741
Green Andrew Fehr 1,119 2.30 −4.14 $43
Independent Kyle Murphy 206 0.42 – $2,005
Marxist–Leninist Kevan Hunter 91 0.19 −0.12
Independent Christopher White 87 0.18 – $880
Total valid votes/Expense limit 48,730 100.00
Total rejected ballots 124 0.25 +0.04
Turnout 48,854 68.76 +3.3
Canadian federal election, 2015: Edmonton Strathcona
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Linda Duncan 24,446 43.96 -9.75 –
Conservative Len Thom 17,395 31.28 -9.04 –
Liberal Eleanor Olszewski 11,524 20.73 +17.87 –
Green Jacob K. Binnema 1,278 2.30 -0.04 –
Libertarian Malcolm Stinson 311 0.56 – –
Pirate Ryan Bromsgrove 201 0.36 – –
Rhinoceros Donovan Eckstrom 133 0.24 – –
Independent Chris Jones 116 0.21 – –
Independent Andrew Schurman 107 0.19 – –
Marxist–Leninist Dougal MacDonald 93 0.17 -0.02 –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 55,604 100.00   $207,119.13
Total rejected ballots 217 0.39 –
Turnout 55,821 73.29
Eligible voters 76,160
New Democratic hold Swing -0.35
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Source(s)

References

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  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, Bill C-634, 2014, <https://openparliament.ca/bills/41-2/C-634/> Retrieved on 8 April 2015.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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