Nicholas Simons is a
Canadian politician. He is a
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of
British Columbia, representing the riding of
Powell River-Sunshine Coast
Powell River-Sunshine Coast is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.
Demographics
Member of Legislative Assembly
Election results
, -
, -
, NDP
, Nicholas Simons
, alig ...
since 2005, and member of the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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.
Early life and career
Simons grew up in
Montreal, with his musician father
Jan Simons
Jan Simons (11 November 1925 – 7 May 2006) was a Canadian baritone, music teacher and administrator. Complementing a vocal performance career in Canada in the 1950s and 1960s, he was a member of the faculty of music at McGill University in Mo ...
teaching at
McGill University.
He studied criminology at university, graduating with a bachelor's degree from
University of Ottawa and master's degree from
Simon Fraser University.
Before entering politics, Simons worked as a child-protection social worker for the
Ministry for Children and Family Development, as a financial assistance worker, and as the crime prevention coordinator for the
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...
. He has been a consultant for the federal, Northwest Territories and First Nations governments in areas of law reform and child welfare.
He served as the executive director of health and social development for the Sechelt Nation from 1997 until 2005. In this role he oversaw health, child welfare, alcohol and drugs, financial assistance and justice programs. He also negotiated funding for innovative preventative health and social services.
Politics
Simons was a candidate for the
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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in the
2004 federal election, running in the riding of
West Vancouver–Sunshine Coast. While he finished third,
the experience convinced him to run as a candidate for the
British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP) in the
provincial election the following year, in which he was elected
MLA for
Powell River-Sunshine Coast
Powell River-Sunshine Coast is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.
Demographics
Member of Legislative Assembly
Election results
, -
, -
, NDP
, Nicholas Simons
, alig ...
. He was re-elected in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
and
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
.
He is one of four openly
gay members of the
provincial legislature
In South Africa, a provincial legislature is the legislative branch of the government of a province.'' Chapter 6: Provinces'', Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The provincial legislatures are unicameral and vary in size from 30 ...
.
In the legislature, Simons has served as chair of the Caucus Social Policy Committee, critic for Tourism, Sport and the Arts, and as critic for the
Ministry for Children and Family Development.
He is rumoured to be one of thirteen provincial caucus members who forced the resignation of
Carole James from her position as leader of the BC NDP. James announced her resignation on December 6, 2010, after consulting with a group of caucus members opposed to her continued leadership. Simons declared his candidacy in the
subsequent leadership race on January 5, 2011,
but withdrew on April 7 and threw his support behind
John Horgan.
On November 26, 2020 he was appointed Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. With the announcement of
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
David Eby's new cabinet on December 7, 2022, Simons was replaced in that role by
Sheila Malcolmson, and was instead named NDP caucus chair.
Electoral record
Personal life
Simons is a
cellist
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...
, whose musical credits include several tracks on
Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...
's 2004 album ''
Siren Song of the Counter Culture''.
Simons and Vancouver mayor
Gregor Robertson both perform on country-punk musician Slim Milkie's 2010 album ''Silverado'';
Milkie, whose real name is Scott Scobbie, is Simons' partner.
References
External links
Profile on the website of the Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaProfile on the website of the British Columbia NDP Caucus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, Nicholas
British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs
Canadian people of German descent
Gay politicians
Canadian LGBT people in provincial and territorial legislatures
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Canadian cellists
21st-century Canadian politicians
New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
University of Ottawa alumni
Simon Fraser University alumni