Charlie Angus
Encyclopedia
Charles Joseph Angus MP (born November 14, 1962) is a Canadian
writer, broadcaster, musician, and politician. Angus entered electoral politics in 2004 as the successful New Democratic Party
candidate in the Ontario riding of Timmins—James Bay
. He was the NDP parliamentary critic for Canadian Heritage
from 2004 to 2007, and was additionally critic for Agriculture from 2004 to 2006. In 2007 he became the critic for Public Works and Treasury Board, as well as the NDP spokesman for digital issues such as copyright
and internet neutrality.
, Ontario
. He began his career as community activist in Toronto
. He was also a musician in the punk rock
band L'Étranger
with Andrew Cash
, and later in the more folk
-oriented Grievous Angels
. He and his wife also ran a homeless
shelter
in the city.
In 1990, he moved to Cobalt
with his family. Grievous Angels continued as a band, and quickly became a cultural institution in Northern Ontario
. In 1995, Angus and his wife Brit Griffin
also launched HighGrader
, a magazine devoted to Northern Ontario life and culture. He has also authored a number of books, notably on regional history, and made a name for himself as an activist in the controversy around shipping Toronto's garbage to Adams Mine
, a plan to which Angus and many residents of the area were opposed.
In 1999, he was awarded the Jackie Washington Award by the Northern Lights Festival Boréal
in Sudbury for his outstanding contributions to Northern Ontario culture.
In 2004, Angus sought and won the NDP nomination in Timmins—James Bay, and won election to the Canadian House of Commons
in the 2004 federal election
by less than 600 votes. He was re-elected in the 2006 federal election
with a majority, over six thousand votes ahead of Liberal challenger Robert Riopelle.
Angus is a progressive, social justice-oriented member of the Roman Catholic Church
and supporter of the Catholic Worker Movement
. Until his federal election, he was a separate school
board trustee. He was also a longtime columnist for the Catholic New Times
, and wrote an admiring biography of Father Les Costello
, the celebrated Toronto Maple Leafs
player who left professional hockey to become a Catholic priest in Timmins.
He has worked extensively on community development
projects with Canadian First Nations
, working as a negotiator and consultant for the Algonquin Nation of Quebec. He also played a prominent role in calling national attention to the Kashechewan
crisis of 2005.
In 2005, Angus' own priest confronted him, and threatened to deny him Holy Communion if he voted with the government and his party to legalize same-sex marriage
by Act of Parliament. Angus stood his ground and was denied communion.
Angus' treatment provoked widespread public reaction both from those who supported the church's stance, and those who supported Angus.
Angus's fifth book, Cage Call, a photo documentary with photographer Louie Palu, was released in 2007 as part of an award from Portland-based PhotoLucida.
In 2006, after just two years as a Member of Parliament, the Toronto Star
selected Angus as one of the ten most effective opposition MPs. He also won "Best Constituent Representative" at the 2007 Maclean's
Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.
Angus voted against a bill to abolish the Canadian Firearms Registry in September 2010. Although the registry is unpopular with many of his constituents, Angus voted against its abolition based on supporting evidence provided by police. He subsequently introduced a private member's bill
to reform the registry.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
writer, broadcaster, musician, and politician. Angus entered electoral politics in 2004 as the successful New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
candidate in the Ontario riding of Timmins—James Bay
Timmins—James Bay
Timmins—James Bay is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 84,001....
. He was the NDP parliamentary critic for Canadian Heritage
Department of Canadian Heritage
The Department of Canadian Heritage, or simply Canadian Heritage |department]] of the Government of Canada with responsibility for policies and programs regarding the arts, culture, media, communications networks, official languages , status of women, sports , and multiculturalism...
from 2004 to 2007, and was additionally critic for Agriculture from 2004 to 2006. In 2007 he became the critic for Public Works and Treasury Board, as well as the NDP spokesman for digital issues such as copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and internet neutrality.
Life and career
Angus was born in TimminsTimmins
Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He began his career as community activist in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He was also a musician in the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band L'Étranger
L'Étranger (band)
L'Étranger was a Canadian punk rock band in the early 1980s. Named for the novel L'Étranger by Albert Camus, the band played a politically-minded brand of punk music that drew on both Clash influences and the band members' social justice-oriented Roman Catholic faith...
with Andrew Cash
Andrew Cash
Andrew Cash is a Canadian singer-songwriter and a Member of Parliament for the Toronto-area Davenport electoral district. He grew up in Toronto, where he befriended future MP, Charlie Angus, and along with Angus founded the Toronto punk band L'Étranger. In the late 1990s, he also became a...
, and later in the more folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-oriented Grievous Angels
Grievous Angels
Grievous Angels were a Canadian alternative country band, active from 1986 to 2004. The band's primary member was singer-songwriter Charlie Angus, who entered electoral politics in 2004 as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay....
. He and his wife also ran a homeless
Homelessness in Canada
Homelessness in Canada has grown in size and complexity in recent years. While historically known as a crisis only of urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, and Montreal, the increasing incidence of homelessness in the suburbs is necessitating new services and resources.The demographic...
shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
in the city.
In 1990, he moved to Cobalt
Cobalt, Ontario
Cobalt is a town in the district of Timiskaming, province of Ontario, Canada, with a population of 1,223 In 2001 Cobalt was named "Ontario's Most Historic Town" by a panel of judges on the TV Ontario program Studio 2, and in 2002 the area was designated a National Historic Site.-History:Silver was...
with his family. Grievous Angels continued as a band, and quickly became a cultural institution in Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a region of the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron , the French River and Lake Nipissing. The region has a land area of 802,000 km2 and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it contains only about 6% of the population...
. In 1995, Angus and his wife Brit Griffin
Brit Griffin
Brit Griffin is a Canadian journalist. She is best known as the publisher of HighGrader, a magazine she cofounded with her husband, musician and politician Charlie Angus....
also launched HighGrader
HighGrader
HighGrader is a Canadian magazine.It was launched in 1995 by musician Charlie Angus and his wife, Brit Griffin, as a venue for journalism relating to rural lifestyle and culture in Northern Ontario....
, a magazine devoted to Northern Ontario life and culture. He has also authored a number of books, notably on regional history, and made a name for himself as an activist in the controversy around shipping Toronto's garbage to Adams Mine
Adams Mine
Adams Mine is an abandoned open pit iron ore mine located in the Boston Township of the District of Timiskaming, south of Kirkland Lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the Canadian Shield....
, a plan to which Angus and many residents of the area were opposed.
In 1999, he was awarded the Jackie Washington Award by the Northern Lights Festival Boréal
Northern Lights Festival Boréal
Northern Lights Festival Boréal is an annual folk festival in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's oldest music festival, in continuous operation since 1972...
in Sudbury for his outstanding contributions to Northern Ontario culture.
In 2004, Angus sought and won the NDP nomination in Timmins—James Bay, and won election to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
by less than 600 votes. He was re-elected in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
with a majority, over six thousand votes ahead of Liberal challenger Robert Riopelle.
Angus is a progressive, social justice-oriented member of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and supporter of the Catholic Worker Movement
Catholic Worker Movement
The Catholic Worker Movement is a collection of autonomous communities of Catholics and their associates founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. Its aim is to "live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ." One of its guiding principles is hospitality towards those on...
. Until his federal election, he was a separate school
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
board trustee. He was also a longtime columnist for the Catholic New Times
Catholic New Times
Catholic New Times was a Canadian Catholic magazine founded in 1976 by social activists Mary Jo Leddy, Fr. Jim Webb SJ, Fr. Tom McKillip, Fr. Bud Smith SFM, Sr. Margaret Ordway IBVM and a collective of twelve people....
, and wrote an admiring biography of Father Les Costello
Les Costello
Fr. Lester John Thomas Costello was a Canadian ice hockey player and Catholic priest.He was born in South Porcupine, Ontario, a neighbourhood of Timmins, and played hockey as a teenager, eventually joining Toronto's St. Michael's Majors in the 1940s, winning two Memorial Cups with the team in 1945...
, the celebrated Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
player who left professional hockey to become a Catholic priest in Timmins.
He has worked extensively on community development
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
projects with Canadian First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
, working as a negotiator and consultant for the Algonquin Nation of Quebec. He also played a prominent role in calling national attention to the Kashechewan
Kashechewan First Nation
The Kashechewan First Nation is a Cree First Nation located near James Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The community is located on the northern shore of the Albany River. Kashechewan First Nation is one of two communities that were established from Old Fort Albany in the 1950s...
crisis of 2005.
In 2005, Angus' own priest confronted him, and threatened to deny him Holy Communion if he voted with the government and his party to legalize same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage in Canada
On July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
by Act of Parliament. Angus stood his ground and was denied communion.
Angus' treatment provoked widespread public reaction both from those who supported the church's stance, and those who supported Angus.
Angus's fifth book, Cage Call, a photo documentary with photographer Louie Palu, was released in 2007 as part of an award from Portland-based PhotoLucida.
In 2006, after just two years as a Member of Parliament, the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
selected Angus as one of the ten most effective opposition MPs. He also won "Best Constituent Representative" at the 2007 Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.
Angus voted against a bill to abolish the Canadian Firearms Registry in September 2010. Although the registry is unpopular with many of his constituents, Angus voted against its abolition based on supporting evidence provided by police. He subsequently introduced a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
to reform the registry.
Works
- We Lived a Life and Then Some with Brit Griffin, Sally Lawrence, and Rob Moir. Between the Lines. 1996. ISBN 1896357067
- Industrial Cathedrals of the North, with Louie Palu and Marguerite Andersen. Between the Lines. 1999. ISBN 1896357180
- Mirrors of Stone: Fragments from the Porcupine Frontier, with Louie Palu. Between the Lines. 2001 ISBN 1896357490
- Les Costello: Canada's Flying Father. Novalis. 2005. ISBN 2895076316
- Cage Call, with Louie Palu. Photolucida. 2007. ISBN 978-1-934334-02-7