Gordon S. Earle (born February 27, 1943) 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. Earle is a member of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

and a former member of 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 riding of

Halifax West Halifax West () is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1979. Its population in 2021 was 111,944. Demographics ''According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2023 r ...

from 1997 to 2000. Earle is the first black Member of Parliament elected from Nova Scotia.

Career

Earle was a senior public servant, he was the first employee of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. He served as Chief Human Rights Officer and assistant to the

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and as Ombudsman of Manitoba. While in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, Earle was the NDP critic of

Multiculturalism Multiculturalism is the coexistence of multiple cultures. The word is used in sociology, in political philosophy, and colloquially. In sociology and everyday usage, it is usually a synonym for ''Pluralism (political theory), ethnic'' or cultura ...

, Citizenship and Immigration, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, National Defence, and

Veterans Affairs Veterans' affairs is an area of public policy concerned with relations between a government and its communities of military veterans. Some jurisdictions have a designated government agency or department, a Department of Veterans' Affairs, Minist ...

. Earle lost his seat in the

2000 Canadian federal election The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 37th Canadian Parliament, 37th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal ...

. In the 2004 federal election, Earle ran in the riding of South Shore—St. Margaret's, in which a small part of the old Halifax West, in which he resided, had been moved under

redistricting Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each ten-year census. The U.S. Constitution in Art ...

. He was defeated by the incumbent,

Conservative 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 civiliza ...

Gerald Keddy Gerald Gordon Keddy (born February 15, 1953) is a Canadian politician. Keddy is a former Christmas tree grower, and offshore drill operator and was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015, first sitting with the Progressive Conservative Party o ...

, coming third. He ran again in the 2006 federal election, again losing to Keddy, but improving his vote total and placing second.Riding history for South Shore—St. Margaret's (2003– ) from the

Library of Parliament The Library of Parliament () is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada. The main branch of the library sits at the rear of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The library survived th ...

Earle ran against Keddy for a third time in the 2008 federal election, losing by less than one thousand votes. Earle again contested the riding in the 2011 federal election losing to Keddy.

Personal life

Earle is a

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

with a black belt in

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

. He founded the Hammonds Plains Karate Club.

Electoral record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Gordon 1943 births Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia New Democratic Party MPs Ombudsmen in Canada Black Nova Scotians Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Black Canadian politicians 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

Career

Personal life

Electoral record

See also

References