Kevin Deveaux
Encyclopedia
Kevin Deveaux is a Canadian lawyer and an international expert on parliament
who currently works for the United Nations
as the senior global adviser on parliaments and their development. He served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly
(MLA) for the constituency of Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage
in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
. He was first elected in 1998 and was re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2006. He also worked for the the National Democratic Institute in promoting good governance, transparent and accountable parliaments and effective political parties.
, Nova Scotia
. The youngest of five children, he attended school in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
and Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
, graduating from Cole Harbour District High School
in 1984. His Father, Eugene "Jeep" Deveaux was the municipal councillor for the community for 24 years, from 1972 to 1996.
From 1984 to 1986, Deveaux attended St. Mary's University, studying for a Bachelor of Commerce
. Prior to finishing his degree, he was accepted at Osgoode Hall Law School
and graduated from York University
in 1989. Among other noted professors, Deveaux was taught by Louise Arbour
.
for the Ontario Ministry of Labour he prosecuted corporations that violated the Occupational Health and Safety Act. He also represented workers before administrative tribunals commissioned under the Employment Standards Act.
In 1992, Deveaux returned to Nova Scotia
where he worked first with the City of Halifax, and then with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice as a Crown Attorney
. From 1993 to 1996, he worked with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour as a Legislation and Policy Review Officer. In that position, he worked with labour and management in drafting the new Occupational Health and Safety Act.
In 1995, Deveaux was selected to work with the United Nations International Labour Organization in China
. He worked in Beijing
with the Chinese Government, employers and unions
to draft workplace protection legislation. From 1996 until his election in 1998, Deveaux worked with the Nova Scotia Workers' Adviser Program, representing injured workers.
(NDP) MLAs elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
in the first minority parliament in the history of Nova Scotia. During his second term, Deveaux was appointed Deputy Speaker in the House of Assembly.
Deveaux was re-elected in 2003 during the second minority government in Nova Scotia history. He was appointed House Leader
for the Official Opposition. In 2006, Deveaux was re-elected for the fourth time and continued his role as House Leader
for the Official Opposition.
During his terms in office, Deveaux was the NDP critic (shadow minister) for Justice, Acadian Affairs, Education, Finance and the Treasury and Policy Board.
(NDI) offices in Kosovo
, Cambodia
, Egypt
and Iraq
. There he drafted parliamentary rules of procedure and legislation, including the Kosovo Access to Information Act, and provided consultations and advice to MPs and senior government officials. He was Head of Mission for elections observations in Palestine in 2005.
On January 24, 2007, Deveaux announced he was resigning his position as an NDP MLA to accept an appoint with the United Nations
in Vietnam
as the Senior Technical Adviser to the National Assembly of Vietnam
.
In August 2008, Deveaux was appointed Parliamentary Development Policy Adviser to the United Nations Development Programme
based in New York City
. He is responsible for the Global Programme for Parliamentary Stregthening (GPPS), a project that provides support to parliaments in Africa and the Arab states. In addition, Deveaux provides technical advice to the more than 65 parliaments in countries where UNDP has projects with those national parliaments, including the parliaments of Guyana
, Bangladesh
, Pakistan
, Bhutan
, Cambodia
and Turkmenistan
. Since the Arab Spring
of 2011 Deveaux has worked extensively in the Arab region in support of the development of political parties, constituent assembly
and parliaments in Tunisia
, Egypt
, Jordan
, Lebanon
and Iraq
.
Deveaux has also been instrumental in the creation of social media
portals which promote parliamentary development and the political empowerment of women - namely, Agora, a web portal developed by UNDP, NDI, the World Bank
, the European Commission
and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
(International IDEA); and the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics
(iKNOW Politics) website, which promotes the participation of women in the political process.
Deveaux and his wife live in Eastern Passage with their two children.
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
who currently works for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
as the senior global adviser on parliaments and their development. He served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
(MLA) for the constituency of Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage
Cole Harbour-Eastern Passage
Cole Harbour—Eastern Passage is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.Its current Member of the Legislative Assembly is Becky Kent of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party....
in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
Nova Scotia House of Assembly
The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...
. He was first elected in 1998 and was re-elected in 1999, 2003 and 2006. He also worked for the the National Democratic Institute in promoting good governance, transparent and accountable parliaments and effective political parties.
Early life
Deveaux was born in HalifaxCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. The youngest of five children, he attended school in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia
Eastern Passage is a Canadian urban community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.Located at the southeastern edge of Halifax Harbour, fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Eastern Passage derives its name from the narrow strait separating the mainland from McNabs Island and Lawlor Island, both...
and Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
Cole Harbour is a Canadian suburban community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the hometown of Sidney Crosby.-Geography:...
, graduating from Cole Harbour District High School
Cole Harbour District High School
Cole Harbour District High School is a Canadian public school in the Cole Harbour area just east of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It is operated by the Halifax Regional School Board , and is an International Baccalaureate world school, offering the Diploma program.-History:Cole Harbour Disrtict High is...
in 1984. His Father, Eugene "Jeep" Deveaux was the municipal councillor for the community for 24 years, from 1972 to 1996.
From 1984 to 1986, Deveaux attended St. Mary's University, studying for a Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
. Prior to finishing his degree, he was accepted at Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
and graduated from York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in 1989. Among other noted professors, Deveaux was taught by Louise Arbour
Louise Arbour
Louise Arbour, is the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal for Ontario and a former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda...
.
Law
In 1989, after completing law school, Deveaux articled with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General at the Ministry of Labour Legal Services Branch, between 1989 and 1990 and continued to work at that location until 1992. As a Crown AttorneyCrown attorney
Crown Attorneys or Crown Counsel are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.Crown Attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Criminal Code of Canada...
for the Ontario Ministry of Labour he prosecuted corporations that violated the Occupational Health and Safety Act. He also represented workers before administrative tribunals commissioned under the Employment Standards Act.
In 1992, Deveaux returned to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
where he worked first with the City of Halifax, and then with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice as a Crown Attorney
Crown attorney
Crown Attorneys or Crown Counsel are the prosecutors in the legal system of Canada.Crown Attorneys represent the Crown and act as prosecutor in proceedings under the Criminal Code of Canada...
. From 1993 to 1996, he worked with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour as a Legislation and Policy Review Officer. In that position, he worked with labour and management in drafting the new Occupational Health and Safety Act.
In 1995, Deveaux was selected to work with the United Nations International Labour Organization in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He worked in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
with the Chinese Government, employers and unions
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
to draft workplace protection legislation. From 1996 until his election in 1998, Deveaux worked with the Nova Scotia Workers' Adviser Program, representing injured workers.
Politics
In 1998, Deveaux was one of 19 New Democratic PartyNew 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...
(NDP) MLAs elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
Nova Scotia House of Assembly
The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...
in the first minority parliament in the history of Nova Scotia. During his second term, Deveaux was appointed Deputy Speaker in the House of Assembly.
Deveaux was re-elected in 2003 during the second minority government in Nova Scotia history. He was appointed House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
for the Official Opposition. In 2006, Deveaux was re-elected for the fourth time and continued his role as House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
for the Official Opposition.
During his terms in office, Deveaux was the NDP critic (shadow minister) for Justice, Acadian Affairs, Education, Finance and the Treasury and Policy Board.
Parliamentary Development
In 2001 Deveaux began his first assignment in the field of international democratic governance. Between 2001 and 2006 he worked for the National Democratic Institute for International AffairsNational Democratic Institute for International Affairs
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs is an organization created by the United States government by way of the National Endowment for Democracy to channel grants for furthering democracy in developing nations. It was founded in 1983, shortly after the U.S. Congress created...
(NDI) offices in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. There he drafted parliamentary rules of procedure and legislation, including the Kosovo Access to Information Act, and provided consultations and advice to MPs and senior government officials. He was Head of Mission for elections observations in Palestine in 2005.
On January 24, 2007, Deveaux announced he was resigning his position as an NDP MLA to accept an appoint with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
as the Senior Technical Adviser to the National Assembly of Vietnam
National Assembly of Vietnam
The Constitution of Vietnam recognizes the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as "the highest organ of state power." The National Assembly, a 493-member unicameral body elected to a five-year term, meets twice a year...
.
In August 2008, Deveaux was appointed Parliamentary Development Policy Adviser to the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is responsible for the Global Programme for Parliamentary Stregthening (GPPS), a project that provides support to parliaments in Africa and the Arab states. In addition, Deveaux provides technical advice to the more than 65 parliaments in countries where UNDP has projects with those national parliaments, including the parliaments of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
. Since the Arab Spring
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...
of 2011 Deveaux has worked extensively in the Arab region in support of the development of political parties, constituent assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
and parliaments in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Deveaux has also been instrumental in the creation of social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
portals which promote parliamentary development and the political empowerment of women - namely, Agora, a web portal developed by UNDP, NDI, the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance is an international organization based in Stockholm. Its task is to support democracy around the world.- Aims :...
(International IDEA); and the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics
International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics
The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics is an online workspace designed to serve the needs of elected officials, candidates, political party leaders and members, researchers, students and other practitioners interested in advancing women in politics.- Goals :iKNOW Politics’ goal...
(iKNOW Politics) website, which promotes the participation of women in the political process.
Deveaux and his wife live in Eastern Passage with their two children.