Kerry Diotte

Kerry Diotte
MP
MP's file photo
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Edmonton Griesbach
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded by Riding Established
Edmonton City Councillor
In office
October 26, 2010 – October 29, 2013
Preceded by Ward Established
Succeeded by Mike Nickel
Constituency Ward 11
Personal details
Born (1956-02-26) February 26, 1956
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada
Political party Conservative
Residence Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Alma mater Carleton University
Occupation Journalist

Kerry Thomas Diotte MP (born February 26, 1956) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Edmonton Griesbach in the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election. He is a former member of the Edmonton City Council.

Early life and career

Diotte was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada on February 26, 1956. He was educated at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.

Diotte was been employed at the Edmonton Sun from 1985 until October 2009 where he worked as Legislature bureau chief, as well as a copy editor, reporter, and assignment editor. Prior to that, he worked for the Calgary Sun and newsmagazines, including Alberta Report and Maclean's. He has also worked for a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation affiliate where he was an on-camera television reporter. For many years, Diotte was president of the Edmonton chapter of the Canadian Association of Journalists and a national director of the organization. He resigned those positions to campaign for a city council seat in the 2010 Edmonton municipal election.[1]

2004 police sting

On November 18, 2004, seven members of the Edmonton Police Service targeted Diotte along with then-police commission chairman Martin Ignasiak in a controversial undercover drunk-driving operation at an Edmonton bar, the Overtime Broiler & Taproom. Police were staked out in anticipation of catching the two men driving home drunk, but both took cabs home.

Subsequent legal proceedings produced evidence, including police radio conversations from that night, showing officers set up the operation because they were upset by Diotte's newspaper columns about policing, including criticism of photo radar operations. After an internal police investigation exonerated the officers involved in the unwarranted would-be sting, then-police chief Fred Rayner was fired from his position by the Edmonton Police Commission.

In September 2008, Alberta's Law Enforcement Review Board ruled a senior police officer abused his power by targeting Diotte because the law enforcement official was frustrated by the columnist's viewpoints on police matters. The panel decided there was "no credible evidence" to suggest Diotte would drive drunk when leaving the November 18, 2004 function and noted the journalist has no criminal record.[2] In the decision, the panel chair wrote: "Mr. Diotte had the right, without fear of police reprisal, to freedom of speech, which includes the freedom to write critical articles about policing in his community."[3]

Political career

Diotte ran for city council in the 2010 Edmonton municipal election, winning Ward 11 with 44.3% of the vote.[1]

On May 16, 2013, Diotte announced his candidacy for Mayor of Edmonton.[4] He lost with 15% of the vote.[5]

On February 26, 2014, Diotte announced his intention to seek the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in the new federal riding of Edmonton Griesbach.[6] Diotte won the nomination election on December 6, 2014.[7] In the 2015 election, Diotte won the seat, defeating his closest opponent by almost 3,000 votes.[8][9][10]

On September 15, 2016, Kerry Diotte was appointed deputy critic of Urban Affairs in Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose’s shadow cabinet.[11]

On February 23, 2016, Diotte apologized for participating in a "juvenile" game of Bingo during Question Period.[12]

Diotte is a member of the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations in the 42nd Parliament.[13]

Kerry Diotte sponsored private member’s bill C-306, An Act to establish a Crimean Tatar Deportation ("Sürgünlik") Memorial Day and to recognize the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars in 1944 as an act of genocide. This bill sought to recognize the mass deportations of Crimean Tatars in 1944 by the Soviet regime as genocide and establish May 18 as a day of commemoration.[14] Bill C-306 was defeated at second reading.[15]

Kerry Diotte was appointed Deputy Shadow Cabinet Minister for Public Services and Procurement in Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer’s shadow cabinet.[16]

Electoral history

Edmonton mayoral election, 2013[17]
CandidateVotes%
Don Iveson132,16262.2
Karen Leibovici41,18219.4
Kerry Diotte32,91715.5
Joshua Semotiuk2,5961.2
Gordon Ward2,2481.1
Kristine Acielo1,2920.6
Canadian federal election, 2015: Edmonton Griesbach
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
ConservativeKerry Diotte19,15739.96–12.55$93,048.30
New DemocraticJanis Irwin16,30934.02–3.45$150,799.22
LiberalBrian Gold10,39721.69+15.11$14,575.14
GreenHeather Workman1,1292.35–1.08$1,404.61
LibertarianMaryna Goncharenko4150.87–$150.44
MarijuanaLinda Northcott2790.58––
RhinocerosBun Bun Thompson1440.30––
Marxist–LeninistMary Joyce1120.23––
Total valid votes/Expense limit 47,942100.00 $214,842.90
Total rejected ballots 2890.60–
Turnout 48,23160.03–
Eligible voters 79,980
Conservative hold Swing –4.55
Source: Elections Canada[18][19]

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Sault native wins seat on Edmonton city council". The Sault Star. October 21, 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  2. ↑ Alberta Law Enforcement Review Board decision 002-008
  3. ↑ Kleiss, Karen (September 6, 2008). "Officer faces suspension for Overtime sting; Journalist targeted by senior EPS member for 'reasons other than law enforcement'". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  4. ↑ "Councillor Kerry Diotte running for mayor". Global News. May 16, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  5. ↑ "Don Iveson elected Edmonton's next mayor". CBC News. October 21, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  6. ↑ "Kerry Diotte takes a run at federal politics". CBC News. February 26, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  7. ↑ "Diotte wins federal Conservative nomination". Edmonton Journal. December 10, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  8. ↑ "Edmonton Griesbach goes to Conservative Kerry Diotte, dashing NDP's hope in Janis Irwin". Edmonton Journal. October 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  9. ↑ "Conservative Kerry Diotte wins in Edmonton Griesbach". Global News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  10. ↑ "Conservatives elected in five of eight Edmonton ridings". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  11. ↑ "Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet as of September 15, 2016". Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  12. ↑ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/kerry-diotte-sorry-for-juvenile-tweet-about-liberal-buzz-word-bingo-1.3460245
  13. ↑ "REGS - Home". www.parl.ca. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  14. ↑ "LEGISinfo - Private Member's Bill C-306 (42-1)". www.parl.ca. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  15. ↑ "Vote Details". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  16. ↑ "Team". Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  17. ↑ City of Edmonton (October 24, 2013). "2013 Official Elections Results" (PDF). Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  18. ↑ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Edmonton Griesbach (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  19. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External sources

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