Niki Ashton

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Niki Ashton
MP
Niki Ashton 2012-02-12.jpg
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded by Riding Established
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Churchill
In office
October 14, 2008 – October 19, 2015
Preceded by Tina Keeper
Succeeded by Riding Abolished
Chair of the Standing Committee on
Status of Women
In office
21 June 2011 – 14 November 2011
Minister Rona Ambrose
Preceded by Hedy Fry
Succeeded by Irene Mathyssen
Personal details
Born Niki Christina Ashton
(1982-09-09) September 9, 1982 (age 33)
Thompson, Manitoba
Political party New Democratic Party
Spouse(s) Ryan Barker
Residence Thompson, Manitoba
Alma mater University of Manitoba
Carleton University
Profession University lecturer, researcher

Niki Christina Ashton MP (born September 9, 1982) is a Canadian politician. She is the New Democratic Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Churchill in Manitoba, Canada. She was first elected in the 2008 federal election.

A resident of Thompson, Manitoba, she is the daughter of former Manitoba provincial NDP cabinet minister Steve Ashton. She has been an instructor at the University College of the North.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Ashton was born in Thompson and attended École Riverside School and R. D. Parker Collegiate. She later attended the Li Po Chun United World College in Hong Kong. She has a B.A in Global Political Economy from the University of Manitoba, an M.A in International Affairs from Carleton University and is currently in the process of completing her PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Art Mauro Centre at the University of Manitoba.

Later, she was a coordinator and promoter of volunteering at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. At the event, she assisted the team from China.

She has studied human rights in Canada, and was awarded the Ahmed Ali Hashi Human Rights Scholarship for her work.

Ashton speaks Greek, French, English and Spanish fluently. In 2011 it was reported that she was also studying Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Cree.[2]

Ashton married Ryan Barker in August 2011 in Alexandroupoli, Greece, her mother's hometown.[3][4]

Career[edit]

Ashton in 2012.

In 2005, she defeated incumbent New Democratic Party Member of Parliament Bev Desjarlais for the NDP nomination due, in part, to the same-sex marriage issue after Desjarlais broke party ranks to vote against the Civil Marriage Act. Desjarlais subsequently quit the party and sat as an independent for the remainder of her term; she ran against Ashton as an independent candidate in the election in the Churchill riding in the 2006 Canadian federal election.[5] Ashton's major themes in her campaign included getting federal funding for the University College of the North, as well as getting a federal government northern development agreement.

Although the labour unions in Thompson endorsed Ashton,[6] the NDP vote nevertheless split between Ashton and Desjarlais, and the riding was won by Liberal Party candidate Tina Keeper.[7]

Ashton defeated Keeper in the 2008 election to regain the riding for the NDP.

In 2011 Ashton received the support of American documentary film maker Michael Moore[8] in her fight to prevent the closing of Brazilian mining company Vale's smelter and refinery in Thompson, Manitoba. Vale, which owned the refinery after it took over Canadian company Inco, had earlier received a $1 billion unsecured loan from the Harper Government, and under the Investment Canada Act signed a contractual agreement with the federal government. A media investigation found that Vale broke this agreement, but as of May 2011 the government has yet to file punitive action against Vale.[9]

On November 7, 2011, in Montreal, Ashton launched her campaign as the ninth person to join the NDP leadership race.[10] She placed seventh with 5.7% of the vote at the March 24, 2012 leadership election and was eliminated on the first ballot.

Ashton said that a retreat for the NDP is a chance for the party to regroup and plan its agenda for the fall, including a focus on issues such as environmental regulations and fighting a private members' bill dealing with abortion.[11]

Since first being elected in 2008, Ashton was elected as the Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women in the 40th Parliament of Canada, as has served as the NDP Post-Secondary and Youth critic, as the Rural and Community Development critic and from 2012 to 2014 as the Status of Women Critic. Ashton currently serves as the Aboriginal Affairs Critic in Canada's Official Opposition.[12]

After the 2015 federal election, Ashton was appointed the NDP critic for Jobs, Employment and Workforce Development in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[13]

After the May 2016 "Elbowgate" incident in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accidentally elbowed NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau, Ashton stood in the House of Commons and described the incident as assault, said that she was "deeply traumatized", and likened the incident to violence against women by saying that "if we apply gendered lens," the incident might make women feel unsafe working in the House of Commons.[14][15]

In June 2016, Ashton spent a Sunday when the House of Commons was not sitting to visit North Dakota and volunteer on the campaign of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.[16]

Electoral record[edit]

Canadian federal election, 2015: Churchill—Keewatinook Aski
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Niki Ashton 13,487 45.04 -6.66 –
Liberal Rebecca Chartrand 12,575 42.00 +22.14 –
Conservative Kyle G. Mirecki 3,090 10.32 -15.81 –
Green August Hastmann 537 1.79 -0.53 –
Libertarian Zachary Linnick 255 0.85 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 29,944 100.0     $232,138.03
Total rejected ballots 252 – –
Turnout 30,196 – –
Eligible voters 49,036
New Democratic hold Swing -14.4%
Source: Elections Canada[17][18]
Canadian federal election, 2011: Churchill
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
New Democratic Niki Ashton 10,262 51.1% +3.34% – –
Conservative Wally Daudrich 5,256 26.2% +5.7% – –
Liberal Sydney Garrioch 4,087 20.4% -8.34% – –
Green Alberteen Spence 471 2.3% -0.99% – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 20,076 100.00% -
Total rejected ballots 107 –
Turnout 20,183 – –
New Democratic hold Swing -1.18%
Canadian federal election, 2008: Churchill
Party Candidate Votes % ∆%
New Democratic Niki Ashton 8,735 47.40% +18.96%
Liberal Tina Keeper 5,313 28.83% -11.84%
Conservative Wally Daudrich 3,774 20.48% +8.93%
Green Saara Harvie 606 3.29% +1.68%
Total valid votes 18,428 100.00%
Total rejected ballots –
Turnout –  %
New Democratic gain from Liberal Swing +15.4%
Canadian federal election, 2006: Churchill
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Liberal Tina Keeper 10,159 40.67% +2.32% $75,179
New Democratic Niki Ashton 7,103 28.44% -14.99% $70,290
Independent Bev Desjarlais 4,283 17.15% -26.28% $23,042
Conservative Nazir Ahmad 2,886 11.55% -3.57% $23,875
Green Jeff Fountain 401 1.61% -1.41% $2,837
Independent Brad Bodnar 146 0.58% – $68.69
Total valid votes – 100.00%
Total rejected ballots –
Turnout 24,978 55.53%
Liberal gain from New Democratic Swing +8.66%

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About Niki Ashton". Niki Ashton. New Democratic Party. Retrieved June 11, 2011. 
  2. ^ Smith, Joanna (November 7, 2011). "Niki Ashton joins NDP leadership race". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 24, 2012. 
  3. ^ Taber, Jane (October 28, 2011). "For Churchill MP, scrapping Canadian Wheat Board is a big fat headache". Toronto: The Globe & Mail. Retrieved May 26, 2015. 
  4. ^ "Senators’ home cooking and a no-fuss wedding". Maclean's. September 12, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2015. 
  5. ^ "Churchill MP quits NDP after nomination loss". CBC News. October 18, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2011. 
  6. ^ "NDP Candidate Niki Ashton Backed by Unions". Manitoba Federation of Labour. Retrieved June 11, 2011. 
  7. ^ "Canada Votes 2006 - Candidates & Ridings - 216 Churchill". CBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2011. 
  8. ^ Barker, John (February 25, 2011). "Michael Moore delivers the goods for Niki Ashton". Thompson Citizen (Glacier Media Group). Retrieved June 11, 2011. 
  9. ^ Ashton, Niki (February 25, 2011). "It Was Flint Yesterday, It's Us and Wisconsin Today, and Tomorrow It's Going to Be Everyone". Mike & Friends Blog. Michael Moore. Retrieved June 11, 2011. 
  10. ^ "Niki Ashton vows 'new politics' in NDP leadership bid". CBC News. November 7, 2011. 
  11. ^ Rabson, Mia. "The Winnipeg Free Press - NDP says retreat first step in toppling Harper St. John's caucus meeting to focus on life after Layton as Parliament looms". The Winnipeg Free Press. The Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 11, 2012. 
  12. ^ "NIKI ASHTON NAMED CRITIC FOR ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS". January 23, 2014. 
  13. ^ Kirkup, Kristy (12 November 2015). "Tom Mulcair taps Nathan Cullen, Charlie Angus, Guy Caron for top critic roles". CBC News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 12 November 2015. 
  14. ^ Sampert, Shannon (May 25, 2016). "Niki Ashton, what kinda feminist are you?". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved June 6, 2016. 
  15. ^ DiManno, Rosie (May 19, 2016). "Reaction to dust-up in Parliament is over-the-top ridiculous". Toronto Star. Retrieved June 6, 2016. 
  16. ^ Smith, Marie-Danielle (June 6, 2016). "As House continues to sit, NDP MP Niki Ashton says she’s campaigning for Bernie Sanders". The National Post. Retrieved June 6, 2016. 
  17. ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, 30 September 2015
  18. ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates

External links[edit]

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