Ian Deans
| Ian Deans | |
|---|---|
 | |
| MP for Hamilton Mountain | |
| In office February 18, 1980 – September 5, 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Duncan Beattie |
| Succeeded by | Marion Dewar |
| MPP for Wentworth | |
| In office October 17, 1967 – February 1, 1979[1] | |
| Preceded by | Donald William Ewen |
| Succeeded by | Colin Isaacs |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 16, 1937 Kilmarnock, Scotland |
| Political party | New Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Diane Deans |
| Residence | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Occupation | Firefighter, Draftsman |
| Religion | United Church of Canada |
Ian Deans (born August 16, 1937) is a Canadian politician.
Background
Born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, Deans moved to Canada as a youth and found work as a firefighter.
Provincial politics
He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the 1967 provincial election representing the Hamilton-area riding of Wentworth.
In 1970, Deans broke with most of his colleagues by expressing support for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's implementation of the War Measures Act during the FLQ Crisis.
In 1978, he ran in the Ontario NDP leadership convention to succeed Stephen Lewis. Deans' earlier support for the War Measures Act became a point of contention and he recanted his position saying he was wrong and had regretted it ever since.[2] Initially projected to be the frontrunner, he lost by less than 200 votes to Michael Cassidy. Deans resigned from the legislature the next year.
Federal politics
Deans moved to federal politics and won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons during the 1980 federal election representing Hamilton Mountain.
He served as House Leader for the New Democratic Party during the illness of Stanley Knowles, and became official House Leader following the 1984 federal election.
In the fall of 1986, he surprised colleagues by accepting a job from Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney as an administrator in the public service sector.
Later life
In 2007, Deans returned to politics and was acclaimed as the federal NDP's candidate in Brant. However, due to the onset of Parkinson's disease, he dropped out of the race and moved back to Hamilton and said in an interview that he may run in the Hamilton Municipal Election in 2010 if his Parkinson's hasn't progressed any farther.[3]
On September 2, 2010, Deans announced he would be running for mayor of Hamilton in the 2010 Municipal Election. He was quoted as saying, " the current city council 'a laughing stock' that has made it impossible to sell anything to do with Hamilton."[4] At the last minute, he changed his mind, withdrew from the Mayoral race and ran instead for the position of Ward 2 (Downtown) Councillor in a field of 20 candidates after the incumbent councillor, Bob Bratina, decided to run for Mayor. Deans finished in eighth place with 231 votes (3%).[5]
References
- ↑ http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_detail.do?locale=en&ID=556
- ↑ "Deans out front, but Cassidy close" by Norman Webster, The Globe and Mail, 4 February 1978
- ↑ Newman, Mark. "Ian Deans considers comeback." Hamilton Mountain News, July 11, 2008, Local News.
- ↑ Newman, Mark. "The Return of Ian Deans", Stoney Creek News, September 2, 2010, Local News.
- ↑ "Municipal election results". Hamilton Spectator. October 26, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2012.