David Christopherson (born October 5, 1954) is a

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 A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. From 2004 until 2019, he represented the riding of Hamilton Centre in the

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. He previously served in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1990 to 2003, and was a

cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

in the provincial government of

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

. Christopherson is a member of the

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Early life and career

Christopherson was born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

. He is self-educated, having dropped out of

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

in the ninth grade. A voracious reader, he is a particular fan of books on politics. He began working with International Harvester in Hamilton at age 19, and remained with the company for eleven years. He was active with the

United Auto Workers The United Auto Workers (UAW), fully named International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and sou ...

union, becoming plant chairman in 1978 and president of the Local 525 in 1979. Christopherson campaigned in Hamilton East in the 1984 federal election, finishing second against Liberal candidate

Sheila Copps Sheila Maureen Copps (born November 27, 1952) is a former Canadian politician who also served as the sixth deputy prime minister of Canada from November 4, 1993, to April 30, 1996, and June 19, 1996, to June 11, 1997. Her father, Victor Copps, ...

. He was elected to Hamilton, Ontario City Council the following year for the city's fourth ward, and re-elected in 1988. Christopherson became chairman of Hamilton's licensing committee, and made a concerted effort to reform the city's notorious regulatory practices. He developed a reputation on as a hard worker, and was one of three councillors to decline a pay increase in 1988. Christopherson was also a constituency assistant for NDP Member of Parliament (MP) Ian Deans in the mid-1980s. He sought the NDP nomination for Hamilton Mountain after Deans's retirement in 1986, but lost to Marion Dewar.

Provincial politics

Government backbencher

Christopherson was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1990 provincial election, defeating Liberal

Lily Oddie Munro in Hamilton Centre as the NDP won a majority government across the province. He was chair of caucus and parliamentary assistant to Provincial Treasurer Floyd Laughren from 1990 to 1992.

Cabinet minister

Christopherson was respected by all parties for his legislative work ethic and contributions to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, and was widely considered as one of the most skilled backbenchers in the government caucus. There was little surprise when he was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Correctional Services on September 23, 1992, notwithstanding that Hamilton already had three representatives in cabinet. Christopherson's portfolio was extremely challenging, and was described by one journalist as "one of the worst jobs in government". The Correctional Services ministry had previously been damaged by reports of sexual abuse and intimidation involving staff at Ontario jails and training centres, and Christopherson was required to enact substantial internal reforms. He supported former NDP leader

Stephen Lewis Stephen Henry Lewis (born November 11, 1937) is a Canadian politician, public speaker, broadcaster, and diplomat. He was the Canadian ambassador to the United Nations in the 1980s and was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democr ...

's recommendations on race relations in the criminal justice system, and made efforts to address racism in Ontario prisons. On February 3, 1993, Christopherson was given additional cabinet responsibilities as Solicitor General of Ontario. This was also a difficult portfolio, and Christopherson has since acknowledged that relations between the Rae government and Ontario police services were extremely tense when he entered the ministry. He has been credited with improving this situation, winning the respect of many in the police community. Julian Fantino, then an executive member of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, commented that there was "marked improvement" in relations following Christopherson's appointment.Richard Brennan, "Street smarts", ''Hamilton Spectator'', 28 December 1994, B3. Christopherson allowed semi-automatic weapons to be issued to officers in late 1993. This was supported by many in the police service, but was criticized by some in the legal community on the grounds that the new weapons were not safer than the .38 models they replaced. Christopherson also introduced new guidelines for targeting

hate crime Hate crime (also known as bias crime) in criminal law involves a standard offence (such as an assault, murder) with an added element of bias against a victim (individual or group of individuals) because of their physical appearance or perceived ...

s, and mandated stricter standards for police investigations of spousal assault. Early in 1995, he announced that police would soon be given the right to warn the general public about sex offenders released into residential neighbourhoods. In May 1994, Christopherson introduced a pilot project to reduce illegal gun ownership in Ontario. For a three-month period, Ontarians were permitted to turn over illegal or unwanted firearms to the police without risking prosecution for illegal possession. The policy was endorsed by the police community. After three months, the ministry announced that 1,000 pistols and revolvers, 2,000 rifles and shotguns and over 150,000 rounds of ammunition had been turned over to the police. In addition to his official cabinet portfolios, Christopherson was also responsible for articulating the Rae government's strategy for the proposed Red Hill Creek Expressway in Hamilton. Although he had previously opposed the project for environmental and other reasons, Christopherson argued in 1994 that a scaled-back four-lane highway would be the "best possible compromise" under the circumstances. The Rae government approved the plan, although it was later rejected by the succeeding ministry. Christopherson was widely respected for his abilities in cabinet, and often won praise from members of the opposition. Progressive Conservative Bob Runciman credited him for his competence and managerial skills, while Liberal Tim Murphy described him as "the best of a bad bunch". He served until the defeat of the Rae government in 1995.

Opposition member

The Rae government was defeated in the 1995 election, falling to only seventeen seats out of 130. Christopherson, still personally popular, was narrowly re-elected for Hamilton Centre. He served in the next legislature as NDP critic for labour issues and the Workers' Compensation Board. Rae resigned as party leader in 1996, and there was considerable media speculation that Christopherson would run to succeed him. ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' journalist Thomas Walkom indicated that he would be a powerful candidate on the centrist wing of the party, and would likely win the support of pro-Rae trade unions such as the Steelworkers. He decided against running and gave his support to Howard Hampton, the eventual winner. Christopherson was a prominent supporter of Hamilton's amalgamation with neighbouring municipalities in the late 1990s. The policy, which was supported by some members of all three major parties, was enacted by the Progressive Conservative government of

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...

in 2000. Christopherson considered leaving politics to run for the leadership of the

Ontario Federation of Labour Ontario is the southernmost province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it is home to 38.5% of the country's population, and is the second-largest province by ...

in 1997, but ultimately declined. The Hamilton Centre riding was eliminated by redistribution in 1996, and Christopherson chose to contest the expanded riding of Hamilton West for the 1999 provincial election against incumbent Progressive Conservative Lillian Ross. He was re-elected, and became one of only nine New Democrats returned to the reduced 103-seat legislature. He served as his party's Finance and Labour Critic, and was appointed as House Leader. He considered campaigning for Mayor of Hamilton in 2000, but reluctantly declined. Christopherson resigned as NDP House Leader in 2001, amid rumours of a rift with Hampton. He continued to serve as his party's critic for Consumer and Business Services and the Management Board of Cabinet, and was a deputy speaker in the legislature from 2001 to 2003.

Mayoral campaign

Christopherson did not seek re-election to the legislature in 2003. He instead campaigned for mayor of Hamilton in that year's municipal campaign. He promised to reform the city's disclosure laws, requiring municipal politicians to declare their assets, debts and holdings. He also spoke out against plans to build an incinerator in the city for waste disposal. He was supported by two teachers' unions and the city firefighters' union, as well as by Liberal MPP Dominic Agostino from Hamilton East. Initially considered the frontrunner, he was ultimately defeated by rival candidate Larry Di Ianni. Hamilton's amalgamation with the more right-leaning suburbs was a factor, as was Christopherson's opposition to a revised Red Hill Expressway.

Federal politician

Christopherson returned to political life a few months later, defeating Liberal cabinet minister Stan Keyes to win the Hamilton Centre riding in the 2004 federal election. The Liberal Party won a minority government, and Christopherson served as NDP critic for cities, community infrastructure, labour and steel policy in the 38th parliament. He was part of a

delegation that observed presidential elections in

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in late 2004. He was re-elected in the 2006 federal election with an increased majority, as the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

won a minority government nationally. In May 2006, he called for the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

rather than the government to investigate a leak of the

Auditor General An auditor general, also known in some countries as a comptroller general or comptroller and auditor general, is a senior civil servant charged with improving government accountability by auditing and reporting on the government's operations. Freq ...

's report into the Canadian gun registry. Christopherson suspected that someone connected to the government may have been responsible for the leak, given its "self-serving" nature. He has also criticized the previous Liberal government for allowing billions in unpaid tax monies to remain uncollected. Christopherson was re-elected to his federal seat again in the 2008 federal election, and the 2011 federal election. Christopherson is often described as a pragmatic politician. He once said that he has never been a "hard-line ideologue", but "the NDP is where I'm most comfortable." He was appointed Defence Critic for the NDP after Jack Layton's death, and appointed one of the three deputy leaders, by Layton's successor Thomas Mulcair. After the 2015 federal election, Christopherson was appointed as the NDP's critic for the Planning and Priorities Committee and for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Christopherson was involved in the so-called ' Elbowgate' political confrontation on 18 May 2016. Video of the floor of the House of Commons appears to show the MP moving from side to side impeding the path of Conservative whip, Gord Brown MP.

Planned retirement

On July 5, 2018, Christopherson announced his plan to retire at the end of the

42nd Canadian Parliament The 42nd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019, with the membership of its lower chamber, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2015 federal election held on Octob ...

, and to not seek re-election in the 2019 federal election. "It has been my distinct honour to have served as the councillor for Ward 4, the Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton Centre and now as the federal Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre," Christopherson wrote in his statement. "I truly love our city and the people who call it home. To have earned the trust and confidence of the people of Hamilton for so many years is truly humbling and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to join with so many dedicated people working to help build a stronger, more fair and diverse community."

Electoral record

, - !rowspan="2" colspan="2", Candidate !colspan="3", Popular vote , - ! Votes ! % ! ±% , - , style="background-color:#FF0000;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Larry DiIanni , style="text-align:right;" , 70,539 , style="text-align:right;" , 50.92% , style="text-align:right;" , - , - , style="background-color:#FF7F00;" , , style="text-align:left;" , David Christopherson , style="text-align:right;" , 54,298 , style="text-align:right;" , 39.20% , style="text-align:right;" , - , - , style="background-color:#2F9C95;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Dick Wildeman , style="text-align:right;" , 4,462 , style="text-align:right;" , 3.22% , style="text-align:right;" , - , - , style="background-color:#939F5C;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Michael Peters , style="text-align:right;" , 3,270 , style="text-align:right;" , 2.36% , style="text-align:right;" , - , - , style="background-color:#8DB600;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Tom Murray , style="text-align:right;" , 2,881 , style="text-align:right;" , 2.08% , style="text-align:right;" , - , - , style="background-color:#69359C;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Michael Baldasaro , style="text-align:right;" , 2,569 , style="text-align:right;" , 1.85% , style="text-align:right;" , +0.75% , - , style="background-color:#ff1493;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Matt Jelly , style="text-align:right;" , 510 , style="text-align:right;" , 0.37% , style="text-align:right;" , - , - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , Total votes , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 139,902 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 37.97% , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , , - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , Registered voters , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 368,480 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 100% , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan="6" , Note: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.
Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" , Sources: , - !rowspan="2" colspan="2", Candidate !colspan="3" , Popular vote , - ! Votes ! % ! ±% , - , style="background-color:#FF0000;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Geraldine Copps (incumbent) , style="text-align:right;" , 8,174 , style="text-align:right;" , 69.38% , style="text-align:right;" , ''n/a'' , - , style="background-color:#FF7F00;" , , style="text-align:left;" , David Christopherson (incumbent) , style="text-align:right;" , 8,055 , style="text-align:right;" , 68.38% , style="text-align:right;" , ''n/a'' , - , style="background-color:#002E63;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Bob Fanjoy , style="text-align:right;" , 2,319 , style="text-align:right;" , 19.67% , style="text-align:right;" , ''n/a'' , - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , Total votes , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 11,787 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , Note 1 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , , - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , Registered voters , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 28,764 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , 40.90% , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , n/a , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan="6" , Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.
Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.
Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" , Sources: Benedetti, Paul. "Clean campaign for a dirty job in Ward 4", ''The Hamilton Spectator'',
November 15, 1988, Metro, B2. , - !rowspan="2" colspan="2", Candidate !colspan="2", Popular vote !rowspan="2", Yes check

Elected? , - ! Votes ! % , - , style="background-color:#FF0000;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Geraldine Copps , style="text-align:right;" , 5,992 , style="text-align:right;" , 48.33% , style="text-align:center;" , Yes check

, - , style="background-color:#FF7F00;" , , style="text-align:left;" , David Christopherson , style="text-align:right;" , 4,958 , style="text-align:right;" , 40% , style="text-align:center;" , Yes check

, - , style="background-color:#f6cca4;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Don Gray (incumbent) , style="text-align:right;" , 3,069 , style="text-align:right;" , 24.75% , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#a4cff6;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Vince Scott (incumbent) , style="text-align:right;" , 2,883 , style="text-align:right;" , 23.25% , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#30ad5d;" , , style="text-align:left;" , John Ellis , style="text-align:right;" , 2,373 , style="text-align:right;" , 19.14% , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#3d30ad;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Gaspare Bonomo , style="text-align:right;" , 878 , style="text-align:right;" , 7.08% , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#9c1e59;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Larry Wheaton , style="text-align:right;" , 535 , style="text-align:right;" , 4.32% , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="background-color:#c1c4b8;" , , style="text-align:left;" , Bob Fanjoy , style="text-align:right;" , 289 , style="text-align:right;" , 2.33% , style="text-align:right;" , , - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , Total votes , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="1" , 12,398 , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , , - , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="2" , Registered voters , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" , , style="text-align:right;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="1" , , style="text-align:left;background-color:#FFFFFF;" colspan="1" , , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan="6" , Note 1: Each ward elected two aldermen and percentages are specific to each candidate, not for the overall total.
Note 2: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.
Note 3: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. , - , style="text-align:left;" colspan="13" , Sources: Wilson, Paul. "That old Copps magic still works", ''Hamilton Spectator'',
November 13, 1985, A7. All federal election information is taken from

Elections Canada Elections Canada () is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering elections in Canada, Canadian federal elections and Referendums in Canada, referendums. History Elections Canada is an agency of the Parliament of Canada, and reports ...

. All provincial election information is taken from

Elections Ontario Elections Ontario () is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario responsible for the administration of provincial elections and referendums. It is charged with the implementation and enforcement of the ''Election Act'' ( R.S.O ...

. The 2003 municipal election results are taken from official results provided by the City of Hamilton, availabl
here
Italicized expenditures refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. The 1999 provincial expenditure entries are taken from official candidate reports as listed by Elections Ontario. The figures cited are the Total Candidate's Campaign Expenses Subject to Limitation, and include transfers from constituency associations.

References

External links

*
David Chistopherson, page on NDP websiteHow'd They Vote?: David Christopherson's voting history and quotes
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christopherson, David 1954 births Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario New Democratic Party MPs Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Hamilton, Ontario city councillors Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Trade unionists from Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario