Peter Stoffer
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Peter Arend Stoffer (born January 6, 1956) 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, who represented the riding of Sackville—Eastern Shore or its redistributed equivalents from the 1997 election until his defeat in the 2015 election. 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 ...
, Stoffer served as the Official Opposition Critic for Veterans Affairs after his party became the official opposition after the 2011 election. Stoffer is a grassroots politician who is a strong advocate for Canadian military veterans and their service needs. He has been an advocate of
Third Way The Third Way is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by advocating a varying synthesis of Right-wing economics, right-wing economic and Left-wing politics, left-wing so ...
policies championed by
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
. He was affiliated with the internal party reform group NDProgress that successfully pushed the NDP to adopt a '
one member, one vote "One man, one vote" or "one vote, one value" is a slogan used to advocate for the principle of equal representation in voting. This slogan is used by advocates of democracy and political equality, especially with regard to electoral reforms like ...
' system to choose its leader, and which has called for limits on union influence within the party. Stoffer was alleged to have attempted to force kisses on a staffer in 2006 and 2009, in allegations made public in 2018. Stoffer denied any wrongdoing and stated that he never intended to "...insult or demean or belittle any person...".


Early life

Stoffer was born in
Heerlen Heerlen (; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the f ...
,
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 1956 and emigrated with his family to Canada the same year. His father worked in the
coal mines Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
, but after the mines closed down in 1956, Stoffer's family decided to move to Canada. His father became a mail carrier, his mother was a nurse and later they ran a group home for disabled youth. Stoffer is a former airline customer service agent and active union member who was also vocal on environmental issues.


Federal politics

In the 1997 election, Stoffer won his seat, Sackville—Eastern Shore, by 39 votes. Subsequently, however, he increased his margin of victory, in the 2004 election, his plurality was over 6,000 votes. In 2006, he took 53 per cent of the vote, the second placed candidate was over 12,000 votes behind. He was the only
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 ...
NDP Member of Parliament elected in 1997 to have retained his seat, other than McDonough. Stoffer represented the redistributed riding of Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore after the 2000 election. After the 2004 election, he was re-elected as an MP in an electoral district again renamed to Sackville—Eastern Shore. During the 2003 NDP leadership convention, Stoffer was the campaign co-chair to Lorne Nystrom, a former long serving NDP MP from
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
. Days before the leadership convention, Stoffer let it be known to the media that his second ballot intention was to move to support
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
MP Bill Blaikie. At the convention,
Toronto city councillor Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...
Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian politician and academic who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on T ...
was elected on the first ballot.


MP under Layton

Stoffer has been critical of MPs who
cross the floor In some parliamentary systems (e.g., in Canada and the United Kingdom), politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a political party different from the one they were initially elected under. I ...
and has repeatedly introduced a private member's bill banning floor-crossing by Members of Parliament. His proposal, requiring MPs who leave their party to either resign and contest a by-election or sit as independents, was included in a list of demands issued by NDP leader Jack Layton in October 2005, in exchange for continued NDP support of the Liberal minority government. After David Emerson's controversial decision to cross the floor, he has revived this idea. In 2006 Stoffer withdrew his own
private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...
aimed at preserving Canada's neglected heritage
lighthouses A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark ...
, in order to support similar legislation, Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act introduced by Conservative Senator Pat Carney. In the federal election of 2008, Stoffer received 24,290 votes or 61.5 per cent of the total votes cast. He was more than 16,000 votes ahead of the candidate in second place. In 2010, ''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
'' magazine named him "Most Collegial" in its annual Parliamentarians of the Year awards. This was the second consecutive year that Stoffer received the award, which is voted on by fellow MPs.Maclean's
Most Collegial: Peter Stoffer — Canada — Macleans.ca (2009)


MP under Mulcair

In 2012, Stoffer attracted controversy when he called Conservative MP Rob Anders "a complete dickhead" following comments Anders made insinuating that NDP leader Thomas Mulcair helped hasten the death of former NDP leader
Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian politician and academic who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on T ...
. Stoffer apologized to Anders the next day, calling his comments unparliamentary. In 2013, Stoffer was named Canada's Parliamentarian of the Year by his peers in the seventh annual survey of Canada's 305 sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of ''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
'' in partnership with
Historica Canada Historica Canada is a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to promoting the country's history and citizenship. All of its programs are offered bilingually and reach more than 28 million Canadians annually. A registered national charitabl ...
and '' L'Actualité'', and is designed to honour the public service of Canada’s parliamentarians. In January 2015, Stoffer declared his support for a
Maritime Union Maritime Union () is a proposed political union of the three Maritime provinces of Canada – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island – to form a single new province.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", ...
,
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 New Brunswick, saying that a union would lower the cost of government services by standardizing laws and regulations. Stoffer was the Official Opposition Critic for Veterans' Affairs. He is a former critic for Fisheries and Oceans, Shipbuilding, Seniors, Amateur Sport, Canada Post Corporation, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and National Defence. In
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
on
Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...
, Stoffer has been consistently voted "Most Fun MP to work for" by '' The Hill Times'' newspaper, and is known for the "All Party, Party" – a non-partisan fundraiser for various charities.


Out of the Commons

Stoffer was defeated in the 2015 election as the
Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
swept all the Atlantic Canada ridings. After his defeat, Stoffer proposed a number of changes for the NDP, including changing its name to the "Democratic Party," disaffiliating the federal and provincial NDP parties, and removing the influence of the
Canadian Labour Congress The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC ( or ), is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian trade union, labour unions are affiliated. History Formation The CLC was founded on April 23, 1956, thro ...
on the party.


Personal life

Stoffer lives in Fall River, Nova Scotia with his wife Andrea, his two daughters (Jasmin and Amber) and his dogs Angel and Buddy. On May 6, 2015, Stoffer was invested by the Dutch as a Knight of the
Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...
.


Electoral record


References


External links


Peter Stoffer's Homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stoffer, Peter 1956 births Living people Dutch emigrants to Canada Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia New Democratic Party MPs Politicians from Heerlen People from Sackville, Nova Scotia 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada