James William Gouk (April 15, 1946 – May 27, 2025) was a Canadian politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1993 to 2006.

Biography

Born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Gouk began his political career out west as an alderman in Castlegar, British Columbia. Gouk would enter federal politics in 1993 when he was elected into 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 ...

. In the

1993 Canadian federal election The 1993 Canadian federal election was held on October 25, 1993, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons of the 35th Canadian Parliament, 35th Parliament of Canada. Considered to be a major political realignment, it ...

he was elected in

Kootenay West—Revelstoke Kootenay West—Revelstoke was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997. This riding was created in 1987 from Kootenay West riding. It was eliminated in ...

with the

Reform Party of Canada The Reform Party of Canada () was a right-wing populism, right-wing populist and conservative List of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada that existed from 1987 to 2000. Reform was founded as a Western Canada- ...

. In the

1997 Canadian federal election The 1997 Canadian federal election was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons of the 36th Canadian Parliament, 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien' ...

he was elected out of the

West Kootenay—Okanagan British Columbia Southern Interior (formerly known as Southern Interior, Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan and West Kootenay—Okanagan) was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in the provinces and territories of Canada, provi ...

riding. 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 ...

, Gouk was elected after joining the

Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 2000 to 2003. The Canadian Alliance was the new name of the ...

from the Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan riding. He was elected a fourth time in the

2004 Canadian federal election The 2004 Canadian federal election was held on June 28, 2004, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority but was able to continue ...

in the riding of Southern Interior, this time for the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...

. An

air traffic controller An Air traffic controller (ATC) is a person responsible for the coordination of traffic in their assigned airspace. Typically stationed in area control centers or control towers, they monitor the position, speed, and altitude of aircraft and c ...

, businessman and

realtor Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agent ...

, he had been an opposition critic of Transport, Public Works and Government Services, Labour, and

Via Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...

before retiring from politics at the dissolution of parliament prior to the 2006 federal election. Gouk died on May 27, 2025, after a three-year battle with cancer.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouk, Jim 1946 births 2025 deaths Canadian Alliance MPs Conservative Party of Canada MPs Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia People from Castlegar, British Columbia Politicians from Toronto Reform Party of Canada MPs Air traffic controllers 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada