Nick Whalen
| Nick Whalen MP | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for St. John's East | |
|
Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 6, 1973 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Noble |
| Alma mater |
McGill University Queen's University |
| Profession | lawyer, engineer, patent agent |
Nicholas Julian Whalen MP (born June 6, 1973) is a Canadian Liberal politician, who was elected to represent the riding of St. John's East in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election.[1][2]
Early life and career
Whalen's father, Norman Whalen, was president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party in the 1980s, and managed Clyde Wells' 1989 election victory.[3]
He attended Queen's University's engineering school, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field, followed by McGill University law school.[4]
Whalen practised law at the law firm McInnes Cooper, specializing in energy law, intellectual property, and corporate and commercial law. He was also, at the time of his election, the only qualified patent agent, and worked with a number of charitable organizations. He had previously served as the local Liberal Party treasurer.
Federal politics
Whalen's election in St. John's East over the popular NDP incumbent, Jack Harris was considered one of the biggest surprises of the 2015 election.[5]
In October 2016, Whalen responded to comments over Twitter by Earle McCurdy about the protests opposing the Lower Churchill Project over concerns of methylmercury being spilled into Lake Melville. Whalen responded by tweeting that the methylmercury levels should be monitored and people should compensate when levels are high by eating less fish. Whalen later issued an apology for that comment.[6]
Electoral record
| Canadian federal election, 2015 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Nick Whalen | 20,974 | 46.73 | +38.96 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Jack Harris | 20,328 | 45.29 | -25.36 | – | |||
| Conservative | Deanne Stapleton | 2,938 | 6.55 | -13.90 | – | |||
| Green | David Anthony Peters | 500 | 1.11 | -0.02 | – | |||
| Communist | Sean Burton | 140 | 0.31 | – | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 44,880 | 100.0 | $198,664.41 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 111 | 0.25 | –0.06 | |||||
| Turnout | 44,991 | 68.69 | +10.84 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 65,499 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | +32.16 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[7][8] | ||||||||
References
- ↑ http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/2016-01-04/article-4394011/20-Questions-with-Nick-Whalen/1
- ↑ "Liberals sweep all 7 N.L. ridings in federal election". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ↑ "Just who is Nick Whalen?". The Telegram. St. John's. October 20, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ↑ Nick Whalen Biography, Liberal.ca.
- ↑ "Just who is Nick Whalen?". The Telegram. St. John's. October 20, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
- ↑ MacEachern, Daniel; Barry, Garrett (October 24, 2016). "Newfoundland MP Nick Whalen apologizes for 'eat less fish' comment on methylmercury issue". CBC News. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — St. John's East (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
- ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
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