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Paul Wilson Dewar (January 25, 1963 – February 6, 2019) was 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 ...
educator and politician from
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. He was 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: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...
(NDP)
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) for the riding of
Ottawa Centre Ottawa Centre (french: Ottawa-Centre) is an urban federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. While the riding's boundaries (mainly to the south and west as the north a ...
. Dewar was first elected to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
in the 2006 federal election. He served as the Official Opposition
Critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...
for Foreign Affairs, until he left the post in October 2011 to run for the
leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...
of the NDP. Dewar lost his seat during the 2015 federal election which saw the NDP lose all of its seats in Eastern Ontario. Before entering politics he worked as a teacher and was an elected representative of the Ottawa-Carleton Elementary Teachers' Federation.


Background

Dewar was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on January 25, 1963, to parents Ken Dewar and former Ottawa mayor and New Democratic
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
,
Marion Dewar Marion Hilda Dewar, (February 17, 1928 – September 15, 2008) was a prominent member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), mayor of Ottawa from 1978 to 1985 and a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1987 to 1988. Early life Dewar ...
. When he was in grade three, Dewar was diagnosed with
dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
, after his teacher noticed that he was struggling to read and write. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree from
Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...
in political science and economics in 1985. Not long after he completed his Bachelor of Arts, Dewar embarked on a five-month trip to
Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
, where he volunteered as an aid worker. Following his return to Ottawa, he began working as constituency assistant to Ontario Minister of Health and NDP Member of Provincial Parliament for
Ottawa Centre Ottawa Centre (french: Ottawa-Centre) is an urban federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. While the riding's boundaries (mainly to the south and west as the north a ...
,
Evelyn Gigantes Evelyn Adelaide Gigantes (born 1 November 1942) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on three occasions between 1975 and 1995, and was a prominent cabine ...
. Dewar served in this position from 1990 to 1995. It was during this time that he met his wife, Julia Sneyd. They later had two children together: Nathaniel and Jordan. Dewar attained a
Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
degree from Queen's University in 1994. He went on to work as an
elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...
teacher at
D. Roy Kennedy Public School The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 25 prior to 1999) refers to both the institution responsible for the operation of all English public schools in the city of Ottawa, Ont ...
and as an English teacher at Hopewell Avenue Public School. His work with students with special needs led Queen's University to award him the ''A. Lorne Cassidy Award''. While working at the schools, Dewar became involved with his
union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
, the Ottawa-Carleton Elementary Teachers' Federation (OCETF; a
local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
of the
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO; french: Fédération des enseignants et des enseignantes de l'élémentaire de l'Ontario, FEÉO) is a labour union representing all public elementary school teachers, occasional teachers, and ...
). After having served as a member of OCETF Executive and as the chair of their political action committee, he was elected Second Vice-President in 2001 and First Vice-President in 2004. During his time with the union, Dewar played a major role in reviving the OCETF's political action committee and in establishing the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario's Humanity Fund, which provides financial support to various charities doing work in developing countries, such as the
Stephen Lewis Foundation The Stephen Lewis Foundation is a non-governmental organization that assists mostly AIDS- and HIV-related grassroots projects in Africa. History The foundation was started by Stephen Lewis, a veteran Canadian politician and former Canadian ambass ...
. He took a
leave of absence The labour law concept of leave, specifically paid leave or, in some countries' long-form, a leave of absence, is an authorised prolonged absence from work, for any reason authorised by the workplace. When people "take leave" in this way, they are ...
from his position with the OCETF in 2006 to run in that year's federal election. In 2002, Dewar organized a Community Forum on Public Education. He has also been actively involved with the Coalition for a Healthy Ottawa, the Partnership for a Pesticide Bylaw, the
Old Ottawa East Old Ottawa East or just Ottawa East (''Vieil Ottawa Est'' in French) is a neighbourhood in Capital Ward in central Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located south of Nicholas Street and between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River, with Avenue R ...
Community Association, and
Fair Vote Canada Fair Vote Canada (FVC) (french: Represéntation équitable au Canada) is a grassroots, nonprofit, multi-partisan citizens' movement for electoral reform in Canada. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, it promotes the introduction of an element o ...
, and he has served on the board of directors of the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization. Dewar was raised in a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
household, but he took issue with the church's positions on
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
,
birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...
, and
women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
. He became active with the First United Church from 2001 onward. On February 14, 2018, Dewar underwent surgery for a brain tumour. He was subsequently diagnosed with grade 4
glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...
. Dewar died from his illness on February 6, 2019.


Politics


Ottawa Centre nomination races

Dewar ran for the New Democratic nomination in
Ottawa Centre Ottawa Centre (french: Ottawa-Centre) is an urban federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. While the riding's boundaries (mainly to the south and west as the north a ...
for the 2004 federal election. Several weeks after Dewar started his campaign, former NDP leader
Ed Broadbent John Edward "Ed" Broadbent (born March 21, 1936) is a Canadian social-democratic politician, political scientist, and chair of the Broadbent Institute, a policy thinktank. He was leader of the New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 200 ...
came out of retirement to also seek the nomination. After Broadbent won, Dewar went on to volunteer for Broadbent's successful campaign in the general election, playing a major role in organizing the NDP election day effort. In order to care for his ailing wife, Broadbent decided not to seek re-election. Dewar won the proceeding nomination contest on June 22, 2005 on the first ballot, defeating NDP caucus Research and Communications Director Jamey Heath, who was the riding's candidate in the 1997 election, lawyer and film producer Tiffani Murray, and ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...
'' automotive columnist Shannon Lee Mannion.


Member of Parliament

Dewar won the 2006 election and became an MP. Dewar was acclaimed on February 12, 2007 as the New Democrats' candidate for the 2008 federal election. He was re-elected on October 14, 2008, by a substantial margin over his closest challenger,
Penny Collenette Penny Collenette (born May 20, 1950, in Oakville, Ontario) is a Canadian lawyer, professor and political figure of the Liberal Party of Canada. The wife of former Liberal Member of Parliament and cabinet minister David Collenette, she sought, an ...
of 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 ...
. Beginning February 5, 2009, Dewar served as the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity. In April 2009, Dewar reintroduced legislation to protect Gatineau Park. If passed the act would have provided legislated boundaries for the park, prevented removal of land from the park, created a mechanism for expanding the park, and mandated the
National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...
to acquire private lands in the park through a right of first refusal process. However, he was later criticized in the media for having abandoned his commitments on the park, for supporting the Conservative government's legislation, and for not attending the committee studying that legislation. Dewar was re-elected in the 2011 federal election, winning 52% of the popular vote. The NDP formed the Official Opposition following the election and Dewar was named the Critic for Foreign Affairs. While acting as foreign affairs critic, Dewar took a position in favour of the UN Arms Trade Treaty not exempting weapons designed for sport or hunting, an exemption that the Canadian government was proposing at international talks. Dewar explained in media interviews that in his view it was important that the UN treaty cover all small arms because of the effects that they have had in conflicts in Africa. Dewar criticized the government's decision to close its embassy in Iran, saying it was "bad diplomacy". Dewar was one of thirteen Canadians banned from traveling to
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
under retaliatory sanctions imposed by Russian President
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
in March 2014. Dewar was defeated in the 2015 federal election by Liberal candidate
Catherine McKenna Catherine Mary McKenna (born August 5, 1971) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as a Cabinet minister from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, McKenna was the minister of environment and climate change from 2015 to ...
.


Candidacy for NDP leadership

Following the death of
Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...
in August 2011, Dewar was seen as a potential candidate to succeed him as leader. On October 2, 2011, Dewar announced his candidacy for the leadership of the New Democratic Party. Dewar was considered to be among the leading candidates in the seven-person race; however, his lack of fluency in French was seen as a major obstacle. While internal polling released by his campaign showed he was among the top three candidates and had strong growth potential, on election day he finished fifth out of seven candidates on the first ballot with 7.5% of the vote. Following the first ballot, he withdrew his candidacy and did not endorse any other candidates.


Electoral history

Source
Elections Canada
/small>


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dewar, Paul 1963 births 2019 deaths Canadian activists Canadian humanitarians Canadian schoolteachers Canadian trade unionists Carleton University alumni Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the United Church of Canada New Democratic Party MPs Politicians from Ottawa Queen's University at Kingston alumni 21st-century Canadian politicians Deaths from brain cancer in Canada Deaths from glioblastoma