Joe Comartin

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Joseph J. Comartin
Joe Comartin

Member of Parliament
for Windsor—Tecumseh
Incumbent
Assumed office 
2000
Preceded by Rick Limoges

Born December 26, 1947 (1947-12-26) (age 60)
Stoney Point, Ontario
Political party New Democratic Party
Spouse Maureen Comartin
Residence Windsor
Profession lawyer, managing director

Joseph J. "Joe" Comartin (born December 26, 1947 in Stoney Point, Ontario) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. Comartin joined the New Democratic Party in 1969.

A civil litigation lawyer based in Windsor, Ontario, Comartin enjoyed strong support from local union members when he ran for a seat in the House of Commons, but narrowly lost in the 1997 general election and in a 1999 by-election.

He won the seat in the 2000 election, becoming the first federal NDP candidate to win a seat in Ontario in ten years (Mike Breaugh of Oshawa had been the last to win in a 1990 by-election ). He was re-elected in the 2004 election and the 2006 election.

Comartin stood as a candidate in the leadership of the NDP in 2003, and finished fourth.

He is currently the party's critic for Justice and Public Security. Comartin has been an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq.

Following his vote in favor of Same-sex marriage in Canada in June 2005, Comartin was disciplined by Ronald Fabbro, the Roman Catholic bishop of London, Ontario, barring him from acting as a Catholic marriage counsellor until he has a "change of mind" on the use of the word marriage to describe same-sex unions.


[edit] Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 1997
Party Candidate Votes
     Liberal Shaughnessy Cohen 16,496
     New Democratic Party Joe Comartin 14,237
     Reform Harold Downs 5,899
     Progressive Conservative Bruck Easton 4,253
     Green Timothy Dugdale 357
     Marxist-Leninist Dale Woodyard 115

By-election: On Mrs. Cohen's death:


By-election on 12 April 1999
Party Candidate Votes
     Liberal Rick Limoges 13,891
     New Democratic Party Joe Comartin 13,800
     Progressive Conservative Bruck Easton 2,074
     Reform Scott Cowan 1,956
     Unknown John Turmel 106


Canadian federal election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes
     New Democratic Party Joe Comartin 17,001
     Liberal Rick Limoges 16,600
     Canadian Alliance Phillip Pettinato 5,639
     Progressive Conservative Bruck Easton 1,906
     Green Stephen Lockwood 390
     Marxist-Leninist Dale Woodyard 95
Canadian federal election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
     New Democrat COMARTIN, Joe 20,037 41.85%
     Liberal LIMOGES, Rick 16,219 33.88%
     Conservative FUSCHI, Rick 9,827 20.53%
     Green POWLES, Elizabeth 1,613 3.37%
     Marxist-Leninist CHESNIK, Laura 182 0.38%
Canadian federal election, 2006
Party Candidate Votes %
     New Democrat COMARTIN, Joe 22,646 44.6%
     Liberal EASTON, Bruck 13,412 26.4%
     Conservative FUSCHI, Rick 12,852 25.3%
     Green PLUARD, Catherine 1,644 3.2%
     Marxist-Leninist CHESNIK, Laura 193 0.4%

[edit] External links

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by
first member, riding created in 2003
Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh
2004-present
Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by
Rick Limoges
Member of Parliament for Windsor—St. Clair
2000-2004
Succeeded by
riding abolished in 2003
Persondata
NAME Comartin, Joe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH December 26, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Stoney Point, Ontario, Canada
DATE OF DEATH living
PLACE OF DEATH
Languages