Wayne Easter (born June 22, 1949) is a former

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician who represented the riding of Malpeque,

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

from 1993 to 2021.

Before politics

Born in

North Wiltshire North Wiltshire was a Districts of England, local government district in Wiltshire, England, between 1974 and 2009, when it was superseded by the unitary area of Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by a me ...

, the son of A. Leith Easter and Hope MacLeod, he was educated at the Charlottetown Rural High School and the

Nova Scotia Agricultural College Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) was a publicly owned Canadian university college (founded 14 February 1905 and administered within the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture) located at Bible Hill, Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Agricultur ...

. Easter received an honorary doctorate of law from

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

in 1988 for his work and contribution to agriculture and social activism on a national and international level. He was awarded the Governor General's Canada 125 Medal in 1992 for community service. In 1970, he married Helen Arleighn Laird. Easter operated a dairy, beef and grain farm near North Wiltshire. He is a former president of the National Farmers Union. Wayne and his wife Helen live in

and have two grown children.

Federal politics

Easter served as a member of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

, representing the electoral district of Malpeque in the province of

from 1993 to 2021. Easter entered federal politics in 1993 when he was elected as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Malpeque, P.E.I. He was re-elected in 1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, and 2019. He served in

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a retired Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. He served as Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, leader of t ...

's Cabinet as

Solicitor General of Canada The Solicitor General of Canada () was a position in the Canada, Canadian The Ministry, ministry from 1892 to 2005. The position was based on the Solicitor General for England and Wales, Solicitor General in the Great Britain, British system and wa ...

from 2002–2003. He also served as Parliamentary Secretary to the

Minister of Fisheries and Oceans The minister of fisheries () is the minister of the Crown responsible for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The minister is a member of the King's Privy Council for Canada and the Canadian Cabinet ...

from 1997–1999, and to the

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food The minister of agriculture and agri-food () is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit C ...

, with a special emphasis on rural development from 2004–2006. From 2006 to 2014, Easter has served several critic roles. He was the critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food and the

Canadian Wheat Board The Canadian Wheat Board () was a marketing board for wheat and barley in Western Canada. Established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935, its operation was governed by the Canadian Wheat Board Act as a mandatory producer marketing syste ...

from 2006–2011,

International Trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...

from 2011–2013, and Liberal Party critic for

Public Safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensu ...

from 2013–2015. Easter held the position of Co-Chair for the Canada- U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Association, and also held the position of Chair for the Government of Canada Legislators Finance Committee.

Electoral record

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easter, Wayne 1949 births Liberal Party of Canada MPs Living people Members of the 26th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Prince Edward Island Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the United Church of Canada Nova Scotia Agricultural College alumni Politicians from Queens County, Prince Edward Island Solicitors general of Canada 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada