Stephen Woodworth (politician)
| Stephen Woodworth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Kitchener Centre | |
|
In office October 14, 2008 – October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Redman |
| Succeeded by | Raj Saini |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 5, 1954 Kitchener, Ontario |
| Political party | Conservative (2008-present), Liberal (1988) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Stephen Woodworth (born January 5, 1954) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Kitchener Centre in the House of Commons of Canada for the Conservative Party of Canada in the 40th and 41st parliaments (2008-2015).
Life and career
Woodworth was born in Kitchener, Ontario. He attended Wilfrid Laurier University and then received a law degree from the University of Western Ontario. He was called to the bar in 1979 and set up a legal practice in Waterloo, which moved in 1993 to Kitchener. He ran unsuccessfully in the 1988 federal election as a Liberal in the riding of Waterloo.[1]
Woodworth has participated in anti-abortion protests[2] and, in December 2011, called for a national debate regarding fetal rights.[3]
Prior to his election to parliament he served as a Catholic school board trustee from 1994 to 2003 in Kitchener. During this time he worked to ban public health nurses in high schools because of fears that they might discuss contraception as part of providing necessary medical care. [4]
A private members motion (Motion 312) introduced by Woodworth received a one-hour debate on April 26, 2012, with a second hour of debate on September 21.[5] The bill would have created a special committee to examine the legal definition of when a fetus becomes a human being,[6] though Woodworth conceded he was unlikely to get the support needed to move the initiative forward.[7]
Electoral record
| Canadian federal election, 2015: Kitchener Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Raj Saini | 25,504 | 48.8 | +16.51 | – | |||
| Conservative | Stephen Woodworth | 15,872 | 30.4 | -9.96 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Susan Cadell | 8,680 | 16.6 | -5.33 | – | |||
| Green | Nicholas Wendler | 1,597 | 3.1 | -1.48 | – | |||
| Libertarian | Slavko Miladinovic | 515 | 1.0 | – | – | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Julian Ichim | 112 | 0.2 | +0.02 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 52,280 | 100.0 | $209,331.18 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 292 | – | – | |||||
| Turnout | 52,572 | 68.45 | +5.32 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 76,797 | |||||||
| Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +13.24 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[8][9] | ||||||||
| Canadian federal election, 2011: Kitchener Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Stephen Woodworth | 21,119 | 42.39 | +5.70 | – | |||
| Liberal | Karen Redman | 15,592 | 31.30 | -4.64 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Peter Thurley | 10,742 | 21.56 | +3.48 | $38,822.94 | |||
| Green | Byron Williston | 1,972 | 3.95 | +1.06 | – | |||
| Independent | Alan Rimmer | 199 | 0.39 | -0.08 | – | |||
| Communist | Martin Suter | 93 | 0.19 | -0.09 | – | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Mark Corbiere | 92 | 0.18 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 49,809 | 100.00 | $87,274.51 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 209 | 0.42 | +0.01 | |||||
| Turnout | 50,018 | 63.13 | +6.10 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 79,232 | – | – | |||||
| Canadian federal election, 2008: Kitchener Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Stephen Woodworth | 16,480 | 36.69 | +4.56 | $75,291 | |||
| Liberal | Karen Redman | 16,141 | 35.94 | -7.32 | $74,745 | |||
| New Democratic | Oz Cole-Arnal | 8,152 | 18.08 | -0.35 | $26,622 | |||
| Green | John Bithell | 3,818 | 8.51 | +2.89 | $2,612 | |||
| Independent | Amanda Lamka | 215 | 0.47 | – | ||||
| Communist | Martin Suter | 127 | 0.28 | -0.26 | $373 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 44,933 | 100.00 | $84,756 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 183 | 0.41 | -0.05 | |||||
| Turnout | 45,091 | 57.03 | -7.67 | |||||
| Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +5.94 | ||||||
| Canadian federal election, 1988: Waterloo | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Walter McLean | 26,949 | 45.11 | –11.24 | ||||
| Liberal | Stephen Woodworth | 21,715 | 36.35 | +11.78 | ||||
| New Democratic | Scott Piatkowski | 10,418 | 17.44 | –0.71 | ||||
| Libertarian | Rita Huschka-Sprague | 663 | 1.11 | +0.18 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 59,745 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | –11.51 | ||||||
References
- ↑ Candidate profile from CBC.ca
- ↑ Harper, Tim (May 12, 2011). "Both sides on abortion debate search for Commons allies". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
- ↑ Galloway, Gloria (December 21, 2011). "Tory call to revisit rights-of-unborn law fuels abortion debate". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ↑ https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-school-trustees-insist-moral-principles-are-high-priority
- ↑ "MPs denounce motion to study when life begins". CBC News. 26 April 2012.
- ↑ "Abortion debate to be held in House of Commons in April". Vancouver Province. 13 March 2012.
- ↑ Galloway, Gloria. "The Globe and Mail - Tory MP concedes 'abortion' motion lacks support". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Kitchener Centre, 30 September 2015
- ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates