David Northcott

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David Northcott is a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. In the federal election of 2004, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the federal riding of Winnipeg Centre.

Northcott has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia, and a Certificate of Applied Management from the University of Manitoba.

Northcott has been an anti-poverty activist in the city of Winnipeg for several years. He was a co-founder of the Winnipeg Harvest Food Bank in 1984, and has served as its executive coordinator until 2004. Northcott was also a founder of the Canadian Association of Food Banks, and has served on the board of the National Anti-Poverty Organization. For his efforts in this field, he has been named a member of the Order of Manitoba.

Northcott was one of the "star candidates" selected by Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin to run in the 2004 federal election. Like fellow "star candidate" Glen Murray, however, his attempt at achieving national office proved unsuccessful -- he was defeated by fellow anti-poverty activist Pat Martin of the social-democratic New Democratic Party. Northcott received 9285 votes, or about 35% of the total cast. Had he won, Northcott might have emerged as a leading spokesman for the left wing of the Liberal Party.

Northcott worked as the Executive Director for Palliative Care and Hospice Manitoba until he returned to Winnipeg Harvest in May, 2006, where he resumed his role as Executive Co-ordinator.