Dan Albas (born December 1, 1976) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
politician, who was elected to the
House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
in the
2011 election. He represents the electoral district of
Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola
Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola is a federal electoral district in British Columbia. It encompasses a portion of British Columbia formerly included in the electoral districts of Okanagan—Coquihalla (66%), Kelowna—Lake Country (25%) ...
as a member of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
. In the
41st Canadian Parliament, Albas was appointed to the
Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and introduced one piece of legislation, a private members bill called ''An Act to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (interprovincial importation of wine for personal use)'' which would allow individuals to import wine from another province for the purpose of personal consumption.
Background
Born in 1976, Dan Albas's family moved to Penticton when he was three years old. With his two sisters, he was raised in mostly in Penticton by a father who worked as a lawyer and was active in conservative politics and a mother who worked as a social worker.
[ The family spent a short time living in ]Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale area ...
, but moved to Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
to seek medical treatment after an accident left Dan with severe burns over much of his body. They moved back to Penticton where Albas attended Penticton Secondary School
Penticton Secondary School (Pen High or PSS) is a high school located in Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. PSS is operated by School District 67 Okanagan Skaha. It is one of two secondary schools in Penticton and one of three in the school di ...
and Okanagan University College
Okanagan University College (OUC) was a public, post-secondary educational institution (c. 1990 to 30 June 2005) based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. It evolved from Okanagan College (1965 to c. 1990), and the college's predecessor, the B ...
. He worked as a martial arts instructor and in the late-1990s he opened his own martial arts studio, Kick City Martial Arts (later renamed Premier Martial Arts). In 2005 his studio held a fund-raiser in which pledges were taken by students who would break boards with martial arts moves in support of a Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
-related charity. The Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce named Albas the 2005 young entrepreneur of the year. In the same year Albas became a board member on the Chamber of Commerce and was appointed to represent the region on the British Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He helped merge the independent Chambers of Commerce in Penticton, Okanagan Falls
Okanagan Falls (also known as OK Falls) is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia.
History
The community was founded in 1893 as Dogtown, which was derived from the name Dog Lake ("skaha" means "dog" in the Okanagan ...
, Oliver and Osoyoos
Osoyoos (, ) is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is north of the United States border with Washington state and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian reserve. The origin of the na ...
into the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce. He ran the regional United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
fund-raising campaign in 2007 and again in 2010. In 2008 he became active with a community group called the Penticton Housing Coalition advocating for affordable housing in the city, like secondary suite
Secondary suites (also known as accessory dwelling units, ADUs, in-law apartments and granny flats) are self-contained apartments, cottages, or small residential units, that are located on a property that has a separate main, single-family home, ...
s.
Municipal politics
In the 2008 local government elections the 31-year-old Albas ran, and placed first with 5,656 votes, for a seat on the Penticton City Council. Albas became known as the most fiscally-conservative councillor on an already fiscally-conservative council. Beyond the measures agreed to by the council, Albas sought to avoid having the city purchase or pay for a fire-rescue boat, the restoration of the ''SS Sicamous'', landscaping improvements at the South Okanagan Events Centre and the beaches, mobile radar speed signs, building an agricultural centre in the downtown area and unsuccessfully tried to defer the hiring of additional fire department officers and eliminate a 2.1% raise in councillor salaries (though all were approved by council despite Albas opposing the motions). He voted against opening public library on Sundays to avoid the extra costs and against raising the electricity rate to match FortisBC rate increases (the city purchases power from FortisBC and sells it to citizens), and requiring developers who work with the city to have professional liability insurance
Professional liability insurance (PLI), also called professional indemnity insurance (PII) but more commonly known as errors & omissions (E&O) in the US, is a form of liability insurance which helps protect professional advice-, consulting, and ser ...
, though all were approved by council. Initiatives that Albas began or assisted with included bylaw enforcement fines for aggressive pan-handling, keeping a Canada Post outlet in the downtown area. Believing public transit should be funded through user fees, he voted against acquiring new buses from BC Transit unless it was paid for through higher fares and later sought to raise fares by 25% to fund operational costs. He drew criticism as a councillor for interfering with staff management and for posting speculative comments on his blog regarding privatization of city services. Albas was appointed to be a director at the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen where he was successful he reducing the Regional District's contribution to the Okanagan Film Commission by 50%; Albas became an alternate director in 2009 and 2010.
Federal politics
In March 2011, after Stockwell Day, the MP for Okanagan—Coquihalla
Okanagan—Coquihalla was a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that had been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015.
Geography
The electoral district included the towns of Penticton, ...
for the last 11 years, unexpectedly announced his retirement, a nomination election was held to seek his replacement as the Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
nominee. Albas faced two other candidates: Marshall Neufeld who had worked as Day's parliamentary assistant and West Kelowna
West Kelowna, formerly known as Westbank and colloquially known as Westside, is a city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The city encompasses several distinct neighbourhoods, including Casa Loma, Gellatly, Glenrosa, Lakeview Heights, Shan ...
landscaper Russell Ensign. A fourth candidate, Chamber of Commerce president Jason Cox, campaigned but missed the deadline for submitting his nomination papers. The nomination election came under criticism from Conservative Party members for being rushed; the vote was held only 10 days after Day's announcement leaving several potential candidates unable to participate and leading to accusations that the three candidates had been given advanced notice of events.
The 2011 federal election campaign began soon after the nomination vote. Albas faced former Summerland councillor David Finnis of the New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic:
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, semi-retired Ashcroft Ashcroft may refer to:
Places
* Ashcroft, British Columbia, a village in Canada
**Ashcroft House in Bagpath, Gloucestershire, England—eponym of the Canadian village
* Ashcroft, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia
* Ashcroft, Colorado, ...
businessman John Kidder for the Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
, Penticton marketer Dan Bouchard for the Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
, Penticton doctor Dietrich Wittel (independent), and West Kelowna
West Kelowna, formerly known as Westbank and colloquially known as Westside, is a city in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The city encompasses several distinct neighbourhoods, including Casa Loma, Gellatly, Glenrosa, Lakeview Heights, Shan ...
real estate agent Sean Upshaw who campaign in protest of the Conservative Party nomination process which he felt excluded from due to its rushed vote. Albas won the election in the Okanagan—Coquihalla
Okanagan—Coquihalla was a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that had been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015.
Geography
The electoral district included the towns of Penticton, ...
riding with 54% of the vote and his Conservative Party formed a majority government.
41st Canadian Parliament
When the 41st Parliament began Albas was appointed to the 'Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities' and the 'Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations'. In the House of Commons, Albas introduced Private Members Bill C-311, entitled ''An Act to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act (interprovincial importation of wine for personal use)'
(Bill C-311)
which would allow individuals to import wine from another province for the purpose of personal consumption. The existing law, which dates back to the Prohibition era
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...
, only allows provincial liquor boards to do this.
Bill C-311 received first reading on October 3, second reading on December 7, 2011. It received unanimous support by all parties at third reading on June 6, 2012.
On Sept. 19, 2013, he became Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board.
42nd Canadian Parliament
Albas won re-election 2015 Canadian federal election
The 2015 Canadian federal election held on October 19, 2015, saw the Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, win 184 seats, allowing it to form a majority government with Trudeau becoming the next prime minister.
The election was held to elect m ...
, though his Conservative Party lost seats overall and formed the Official Opposition in the 42nd Canadian Parliament
The 42nd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019, with the membership of its lower chamber, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2015 federal election held on Octob ...
. Under interim leader Rona Ambrose
Ronalee Ambrose Veitch ( , née Chapchuk; born March 15, 1969) is a Canadian former politician who was interim leader of the Conservative Party and the leader of the Opposition between 2015 and 2017. She was the Conservative Party member of ...
, Albas was appointed to be the critic of interprovincial trade until October 2016 when he was reassigned to be deputy critic (to Gérard Deltell
Gérard Deltell (born August 8, 1964) is a Canadians, Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Louis-Saint-Laurent (electoral district), Louis-Saint-Laurent since 2015. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada ...
) of finance. In the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election
The 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election was held on May 27, 2017. Party members chose Andrew Scheer as leader, replacing Stephen Harper, who led the Conservative Party of Canada as its leader from 2004 following the merger ...
, Albas endorsed Maxime Bernier
Maxime Bernier (born January 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician who is the founder and leader of the People's Party of Canada (PPC). Formerly a member of the Conservative Party, Bernier left the caucus in 2018 to form the PPC. He was the member ...
. After Andrew Scheer
Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. Scheer served as the 35th speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015, and was the lead ...
won the leadership race, Scheer reassigned Albas to be critic of small business issues. Albas introduced several private member bills into the House of Commons during this parliament, though none advanced beyond first reading
Bill C-379
''An Act to amend the Bank Act (use of word "bank", "banker" or "banking")'' , proposed to allow credit unions and caisses populaires to use the terms bank, banker and banking to describe the services they offer
Bill C-410
''An Act to amend the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (property of bankrupt – exclusion)'', proposed to protect Registered Education Savings Plan A registered education savings plan (RESP) in Canada is an investment vehicle available to caregivers to save for their children's post-secondary education. The principal advantages of RESPs are the access they provide to the Canada Education Savi ...
or Registered Disability Savings Plan A Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP; french: Régime enregistré d'épargne invalidité) is a Government of Canada program designed to enable individuals with disabilities, with assistance from family and friends to save for their future fina ...
from creditors in a bankruptcy settlement; the Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
subsequently incorporated this protection of Registered Disability Savings Plan funds in Bill C-97; in response, Albas introduce
Bill C-453
which contained the same language but specifically extended the protection to Registered Education Savings Plan as well
Bill C-447
''An Act to amend the Criminal Code (aggravating circumstance — evacuation order or emergency)'', proposed to make taking advantage of a natural disaster or other emergency to commit a crime as an aggravating circumstance
Aggravation, in law, is "any circumstance attending the commission of a crime or tort which increases its guilt or enormity or adds to its injurious consequences, but which is above and beyond the essential constituents of the crime or tort itself. ...
Bill C-452
''An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (gift in virtual currency)'', proposed to exempt from the capital gains tax funds acquired from the appreciation of a virtual currency
Virtual currency, or virtual money, is a digital currency that is largely unregulated and issued and usually controlled by its developers and used and accepted electronically among the members of a specific virtual community. In 2014, the Europ ...
which are donated to a charity.[Private Member Bills that impose a cost on the ]Treasury Board
The Treasury Board of Canada (french: Conseil du Trésor du Canada) is the Cabinet committee of the Privy Council of Canada which oversees the spending and operation of the Government of Canada and is the principal employer of the core public se ...
are not eligible for adoption as Private Member Bills.
43rd Canadian Parliament
On September 8, 2020, Albas was appointed as the Opposition Critic for Environment and Climate Change by Erin O'Toole
Erin Michael O'Toole (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Durham since 2012. A member of the Conservative Party, O'Toole served as the party's leader and the leader of the Official ...
.
Committee Assignments
Current
* Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (Vice Chair)
** Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development
Previous
* Special Committee on Canada-China Relations (January 2020 to August 2020)
* Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (February 2020 to August 2020)
Source:
Election history
Notes
References
External links
*
Dan Albas - House of Commons biography
Dan Albas - Members of Parliament for Okanagan—Coquihalla
Dan Albas - personal blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albas, Dan
1976 births
Conservative Party of Canada MPs
Living people
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
People from Penticton
Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia
United Ways people
British Columbia municipal councillors
21st-century Canadian politicians