David Anderson

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This page relates to the Canadian Liberal former Cabinet member. For other notable people of the same name see David Anderson (disambiguation)

Image:Davidanderson.jpg

David Anderson, PC , LL.B (born August 16, 1937 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a former Canadian politician.

Anderson was the Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Victoria from 1993 until 2005, and is a former member of Cabinet. He was also the member from Esquimalt—Saanich from 1968 to 1972.

Anderson was an Olympic silver medalist in rowing, and a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (1955-1958). Anderson entered politics on the federal level, before going on to serve as leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for single term of 1972 and 1975.

Even though the British Columbia Social Credit Party was badly defeated in the 1972 election, and reduced to a small caucus, Anderson was not only unable to gather momentum from the Social Credit implosion, he lost three of his five Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) when Garde Gardom, Allan Williams and Pat Macgeer crossed the floor to join Social Credit.

Anderson resigned as party leader three months prior to the 1975 provincial election, and was badly humiliated in his Victoria riding, coming a distant fifth. Many presumed that his failure as BC Liberal leader would be the end of his political career.

In the 1993 federal election, he ran in Victoria and was elected as one of the few Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) from BC.

Anderson has been a legal counsel, environmental consultant, foreign-service officer, professor, public servant. Anderson has served as Minister of National Revenue, Minister of Transport, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. He was Minister of the Environment from 1998 to 2004, and then sat on the Liberal backbench. He retired from the House of Commons when parliament dissolved for the 2006 federal election.

David is married to Sandra and have two children; James and Zoe. Zoe, who is 17, attends a boarding school in Neuchatel, Switzerland. Zoe spends most of her time in Zurich, where she has a job. Their son, James, is currently working in San Jose, Costa Rica, but is living in Victoria, British Columbia. David and Sandra currently live in Victoria, British Columbia. David and Sandra are mentors for a girl in Lesotho, with the assistance of the organization, Help Lesotho.

He should not be confused with David L. Anderson, a Conservative MP from Saskatchewan.

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