Keith Martin
Encyclopedia
Keith P. Martin, PC
, is a physician who was the Member of Parliament
for the riding of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca
from 1993 to 2011.
, UK
and grew up in Toronto
. He attended Neil McNeil Catholic High School, alma mater of John Candy (actor) and Brad Park (hockey player). He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Doctorate of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science with high distinction. He currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia
and Ottawa, Ontario. He practiced emergency and family practice from 1987 to 2005. He also did two terms as a doctor in a rural region of South Africa during the Mozambique war.
He was first elected in 1993
as a member of the Reform Party of Canada
for the riding of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. However, unlike most Reformers, he was socially liberal, and he often clashed with Reform's conservative leaders. He is conservative on economic issues but is socially liberal. When the Reform Party was folded into the Canadian Alliance
, he sought the party leadership
, but finished fourth with 2% of the vote. Despite his ideological differences, he did not join the dissidents who briefly left the party in 2001-02 to protest the leadership of Stockwell Day
.
In both 2009 and 2010, political commentator Rex Murphy
, from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
's The National, recognized Martin as the most underrated politician in the House of Commons.
On April 17, 2002, he caused a controversy as he attempted to remove the ceremonial mace from the table of the Clerk of the House to express outrage at the parliamentary process. He was found to be in contempt
and not allowed to retake his seat until he had apologized to the House from the Bar. The reason for his actions was as a result of the an amendment moved by MP John Maloney to withdraw Martin's Private Members' Bill C-344 (An Act to amend the Contraventions Act) and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
(marijuana), and to have the subject matter referred to the Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs.
In January 2004, after the Canadian Alliance merged with the centre-right Progressive Conservative Party
to form the Conservative Party of Canada
, Martin announced he would not join the new party. He sat as an independent for the remainder of the 37th Parliament, but ran as a Liberal in the 2004 election
. He was re-elected, and served as the Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of National Defence
. Martin was subsequently re-elected in the 2006
and 2008
federal elections. He has served in many shadow cabinet positions including foreign affairs, health and international development. He has taken leadership roles in many areas including: global health, domestic health, foreign affairs, conservation and the environment and human rights
On November 9, 2010, Martin announced that he would not run in the next election, stating that "Canada's institutions need new blood and new ideas.". He has been an outspoken critic of the decline in democracy in parliament and the increasing disempowerment of Members of Parliament.
From 1996 to 2000 he had his own nationally syndicated television program on current events called Beyond Politics. Martin is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons' Advisory Committee on International Initiatives. And he currently sits on the board for the Science Pages Advisory Group.
He is the founder of several global health and conservation initiatives. He is Founder and Chair of the first all Party International Conservation Caucus. In 2010, he founded the International Conservation Forum, a website that increases awareness and facilitiates action on key conservation issues through the use of social media and the publication of the online magazine, The Horn.
He started CanadaAID, an online resource that connects those that help people in Canada and abroad with individuals interested in supporting their activities. Martin also started the Canadian Physicians Overseas Program. This is a website that helps to connect medical personnel who wish to volunteer overseas to provide care and build capacity with medical institutions in developing countries. Martin has organized several relief efforts to ship urgent medical supplies to areas in crisis.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, is a physician who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the riding of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca
Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca
Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca is a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988.-Demographics:-Geography:It initially consisted of:...
from 1993 to 2011.
Life and career
Martin was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and grew up 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 attended Neil McNeil Catholic High School, alma mater of John Candy (actor) and Brad Park (hockey player). He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Doctorate of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science with high distinction. He currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
and Ottawa, Ontario. He practiced emergency and family practice from 1987 to 2005. He also did two terms as a doctor in a rural region of South Africa during the Mozambique war.
He was first elected in 1993
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
as a member of the Reform Party of Canada
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
for the riding of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. However, unlike most Reformers, he was socially liberal, and he often clashed with Reform's conservative leaders. He is conservative on economic issues but is socially liberal. When the Reform Party was folded into the Canadian Alliance
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...
, he sought the party leadership
Canadian Alliance leadership elections
The Canadian Alliance, a conservative political party in Canada, held two leadership elections to choose the party's leader. The first was held shortly after the party's founding in 2000, and the second was held in 2002...
, but finished fourth with 2% of the vote. Despite his ideological differences, he did not join the dissidents who briefly left the party in 2001-02 to protest the leadership of Stockwell Day
Stockwell Day
Stockwell Burt Day, Jr., PC, MP is a former Canadian politician, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is a former cabinet minister in Alberta, and a former leader of the Canadian Alliance. Day was MP for the riding of Okanagan—Coquihalla in British Columbia and the president of...
.
In both 2009 and 2010, political commentator Rex Murphy
Rex Murphy
Rex Murphy is a Canadian commentator and author, primarily on Canadian political and social matters.Murphy was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland, 105 kilometres west of St. John's and is the second of five children of Harry and Marie Murphy...
, from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
's The National, recognized Martin as the most underrated politician in the House of Commons.
On April 17, 2002, he caused a controversy as he attempted to remove the ceremonial mace from the table of the Clerk of the House to express outrage at the parliamentary process. He was found to be in contempt
Contempt
Contempt is an intensely negative emotion regarding a person or group of people as inferior, base, or worthless—it is similar to scorn. It is also used when people are being sarcastic. Contempt is also defined as the state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace, and an open disrespect or willful...
and not allowed to retake his seat until he had apologized to the House from the Bar. The reason for his actions was as a result of the an amendment moved by MP John Maloney to withdraw Martin's Private Members' Bill C-344 (An Act to amend the Contraventions Act) and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act is Canada's federal drug control statute. Passed in 1996 by the Chrétien government, it repeals the Narcotic Control Act and Parts III and IV of the Food and Drug Act and establishes eight Schedules of controlled substances and two Classes of precursors...
(marijuana), and to have the subject matter referred to the Special Committee on the Non-Medical Use of Drugs.
In January 2004, after the Canadian Alliance merged with the centre-right Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
to form the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
, Martin announced he would not join the new party. He sat as an independent for the remainder of the 37th Parliament, but ran as a Liberal in the 2004 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...
. He was re-elected, and served as the Parliamentary Secretary
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Minister of National Defence
Minister of National Defence (Canada)
The Minister of National Defence is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces....
. Martin was subsequently re-elected in the 2006
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:...
and 2008
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
federal elections. He has served in many shadow cabinet positions including foreign affairs, health and international development. He has taken leadership roles in many areas including: global health, domestic health, foreign affairs, conservation and the environment and human rights
On November 9, 2010, Martin announced that he would not run in the next election, stating that "Canada's institutions need new blood and new ideas.". He has been an outspoken critic of the decline in democracy in parliament and the increasing disempowerment of Members of Parliament.
From 1996 to 2000 he had his own nationally syndicated television program on current events called Beyond Politics. Martin is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons' Advisory Committee on International Initiatives. And he currently sits on the board for the Science Pages Advisory Group.
He is the founder of several global health and conservation initiatives. He is Founder and Chair of the first all Party International Conservation Caucus. In 2010, he founded the International Conservation Forum, a website that increases awareness and facilitiates action on key conservation issues through the use of social media and the publication of the online magazine, The Horn.
He started CanadaAID, an online resource that connects those that help people in Canada and abroad with individuals interested in supporting their activities. Martin also started the Canadian Physicians Overseas Program. This is a website that helps to connect medical personnel who wish to volunteer overseas to provide care and build capacity with medical institutions in developing countries. Martin has organized several relief efforts to ship urgent medical supplies to areas in crisis.