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David Kilgour

The Honourable David Kilgour (born February 18, 1941 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian politician. Kilgour, a former lawyer, and an Independent MP in the Canadian House of Commons having left the Liberal Party of Canada on April 12 2005. From 1979 to 1988 he represented the riding of Edmonton—Strathcona, but in 1988 he moved to the newly created riding of Edmonton Southeast which he has represented ever since.

He was originally a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. His first attempt at election, in the 1968 federal election in the riding of Vancouver Centre as a Progressive Conservative was unsuccessful. He ran again as a Tory in 1979 in Edmonton and has been a Member of Parliament ever since. In October of 1990 he, along with John Nowlan of Nova Scotia, quit the Tory party in protest over the introduction of the GST. He sat as an independent for a few months before joining the Liberals.

In government he has served as Secretary of State (Latin America and Africa), Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Privy Council, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for External Relations, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole of the House of Commons.

In April 2005 he received some media attention when he speculated about quitting the Liberal Party and joining the Conservatives due to his disgust with the sponsorship scandal, saying that the issue made Canada look like "a northern banana republic." On April 12 2005 he announced that he was crossing the floor to sit as an independent MP. He also cited the Same sex marriage issue and Canada's lack of action on Darfur as reasons for quiting. He asserts that he has no plans to move back to the Conservatives and also stated that he has no current plans to run for reelection.

He is the brother of Geills Turner, who is married to former Canadian Prime Minister John Turner. Kilgour and his sister are the nephew and niece of John McCrae, the soldier and poet who wrote In Flanders Fields.

Preceded by:
Doug Roche, PC
Members of Parliament from Edmonton—Strathcona Succeeded by:
Scott Thorkelson , PC
Preceded by:
Electoral district created in 1987
Members of Parliament from Edmonton Southeast Succeeded by:
Electoral district abolished in 2003
Preceded by:
Electoral district created in 2003
Members of Parliament from Edmonton—Mill Woods—Beaumont Succeeded by:
incumbent
Last updated: 05-13-2005 04:27:35
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04