Chris Charlton

Last updated

Chris Charlton
Chris Charlton.jpg
Charlton in September 2006
Member of Parliament
for Hamilton Mountain
In office
January 23, 2006 –August 4, 2015

Chris Charlton (born July 4, 1963) is a German-born, retired Canadian politician from the City of Hamilton, Ontario. As a New Democrat, she served as the member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain from 2006 until 2015.

Contents

Background

Charlton was born in Dortmund, Germany and immigrated to Canada with her parents in 1975. She attended the University of Western Ontario for undergraduate studies and then McMaster University to pursue a master's degree in Political Science. During this time, she became active with the New Democratic Youth club on campus. [1] Soon after, Bob Rae and the New Democrats came to power in Ontario, and Charlton received a job as a political advisor with the government, where her husband, Brian Charlton (whom she married in 1992), was a cabinet minister. The Progressive Conservatives defeated Rae's government in the 1995 provincial election.

Politics

At the time the Hamilton Mountain New Democrats held their nomination meeting to declare a candidate to run against Beth Phinney in 1997, Charlton had become a Teaching Assistant at U of T and had nearly completed her studies. [2] Though only 33 at the time, she had already served as an advisor to Bob Rae's government, and went unopposed in the nomination. [3] On election night, she placed 4th out of 6 candidates, which would be the lowest she would ever poll in an election campaign.

Over the course of the next 9 years, she would run in the 1999 provincial election and the 2003 provincial election, the Hamilton municipal election of 2000 and two federal elections in 1997 and 2004.

Just prior to the 2006 election, she was the Director of Community Relations with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada, [4] but resigned her position to stand again, this time against Ward 7 Councillor Bill Kelly, who she attempted to unseat in the Hamilton municipal election of 2000. Charlton won that race by a 6-point margin, and retook the riding for the New Democrats after 17 years of Liberal representation.

In 2008, Charlton faced another former Ward 7 councillor, Terry Anderson of the Conservatives and local lawyer Tyler Banham of the Liberals. Despite an aggressive internet campaign on behalf of the Liberals, [5] the race became a New Democrat-Conservative match, which saw Charlton increase voter support despite a lower voter turnout than in 2006.

Charlton announce on December 5, 2014 that she was not going to run for re-election in the next federal election in a year's time, after almost a decade in parliament and 25 years in politics. [6]

In the 2009 Ontario New Democratic Leadership race, Charlton officially endorsed Andrea Horwath for leader, who would win the position on the third ballot. [7]

Electoral history

Federal

2011 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
New Democratic Chris Charlton25,57347.2+3.4%
Conservative Terry Anderson17,94633.1+2.4%
Liberal Marie Bountrogianni8,79516.2-4%
Green Stephen Brotherston1,5082.8-2.7%
Total valid votes54,264–-10.9%
Total rejected ballots261
Turnout– %
2008 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
New Democratic Chris Charlton22,79643.7+6.4%
Conservative Terry Anderson16,01030.7+3.5%
Liberal Tyler Banham10,53120.2-11.7%
Green Stephen Brotherston2,8845.5+2.9%
Total valid votes52,221–-10.9%
Total rejected ballots293
Turnout– %
2006 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
New Democratic Chris Charlton21,86937.3%
Liberal Bill Kelly18,69731.9%
Conservative Don Graves15,91527.2%
Green Susan Wadsworth1,5102.6%
Christian Heritage Stephen Downey4580.8%
Marxist–Leninist Paul Lane1310.2%
Total valid votes58,580
2004 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes
Liberal Beth Phinney 18,548
New Democratic Chris Charlton17,552
Conservative Tom Jackson15,590
Green Jo Pavlov1,378
Marxist–Leninist Paul Lane214
1997 Canadian federal election
PartyCandidateVotes
Liberal Beth Phinney 21,128
Progressive Conservative John Smith8,877
Reform Richard F. Gaasenbeek8,154
New Democratic Chris Charlton7,440
Canadian Action Christopher M. Patty374
Marxist–Leninist Iqbal Sumbal146

Provincial

2003 Ontario general election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Marie Bountrogianni 23,52451.79+11.54
New Democratic Chris Charlton12,01726.464.05
Progressive Conservative Shakil Hassan8,63719.02-15.58
Family Coalition Eleanor Johnson7481.65+0.75
Green Selwyn Inniss4941.09+0.13
1999 Ontario general election
PartyCandidateVotes%
Liberal Marie Bountrogianni 19,07640.25
Progressive Conservative Trevor Pettit 16,39734.6
New Democratic Chris Charlton10,62222.41
Green Kelli Gallagher4560.96
Family Coalition Jim Enos4260.9
Natural Law Bob Danio2610.55
Independent Rolf Gerstenberger1590.34

Municipal

Summary of the November 13, 2000 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Seven Councillor Election
CandidatePopular vote
Votes%±%
Bill Kelly (incumbent)10,48260.83%+-%
Chris Charlton6,01134.88%n/a
Mark Allan Whittle7404.29%+-%
Total votes17,233100%
Registered voters39,37743.76
Note: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.
Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates.
Sources: "Expressway, balance sheet weigh heavy in Ward 7", October 30, 2003 Thursday Final Edition, LOCAL; Pg. A08, 948 words

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References

  1. ↑ "A campaign to put more women on the ballot", Dana Brown, May 26, 2007 Saturday Final Edition, LOCAL; Pg. A12, 1192 words
  2. ↑ "Charlton seeks federal NDP nod", January 21, 1997 Tuesday Final Edition, LOCAL NEWS; Pg. A4, 168 words
  3. ↑ Another Charlton will run on Mountain, February 6, 1997 Thursday Final Edition, LOCAL NEWS; Pg. A5, 261 words, Lee Prokaska
  4. ↑ "Perseverance pays off; NDP's Charlton, Marston finally make it", Wade Hemsworth, January 25, 2006 Wednesday Final Edition, LOCAL; Pg. A06, 386 words
  5. ↑ Charlton off to Ottawa for a second term; Hamilton Mountain, October 15, 2008 Wednesday, LOCAL; Pg. A06, 413 words, Jackson Hayes
  6. ↑ "Chris Charlton won't run for Hamilton Mountain MP again". CBC News. December 5, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Andrea Horwath's Home Page". www.andreahorwath.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
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