Jim Eglinski

Jim Eglinski MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Yellowhead
Incumbent
Assumed office November 17, 2014
Preceded by	Rob Merrifield
Mayor of Fort St. John, British Columbia
In office 2005–2008
Preceded by	Steve Thorlakson
Succeeded by	Bruce Lantz
Personal details
Born	William James Eglinski (1948-12-15) December 15, 1948 Two Hills, Alberta, Canada
Political party	Conservative
Residence	Edson, Alberta, Canada
Profession	Politician

William James Eglinski MP (born December 15, 1948) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Yellowhead in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2014 by-election. Eglinski is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

He was re-elected in the 2015 Canadian federal election with over 70 percent of the vote. In the 42nd Canadian Parliament, his Conservative Party formed the Official Opposition. While he was not assigned to a critic role, Eglinski did introduce one private member bill into the House of Commons, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (abuse of vulnerable persons) (Bill C-206), which sought to make physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse of a senior or someone who depends on others due to a mental or physical disability to be an aggravating circumstance for sentencing purposes. The bill was introduced on December 10, 2015, but did not advance to second reading.

In 2016, Eglinski surprised many by participating in the flag-raising to kick off Pride Week in Jasper, Alberta, a rare move for a Conservative MP. Acknowledging that he once opposed condoning homosexuality and saw no need for LGBT pride celebration, Eglinski credited his change of heart to the coming-out of one of his grandchildren.

In the 2017 Conservative Party leadership contest, Eglinski initially endorsed eventual winner Andrew Scheer, but later switched his endorsement to Erin O'Toole.

In late 2017, Eglinski faced nomination challenge for re-election from Ryan Ouderkirk, a parliamentary assistant to fellow MP David Yurdiga. "Surprised" by and "not happy" with the challenge, Eglinski announced in January 2018 that he would not seek re-election in 2019.

Prior to his election, Eglinski worked for 40 years as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, and served as a councillor and eventually mayor for the town of Fort St. John, British Columbia. He was born in Two Hills, Alberta and raised in Chipman, Alberta on a farm.

Electoral record

2015 Canadian federal election: Yellowhead
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Jim Eglinski	37,950	72.3	-5.77	–
	Liberal	Ryan Maguhn	7,467	14.2	+11.31	–
	New Democratic	Ken Kuzminski	4,753	9.0	-3.88	–
	Green	Sandra Wolf Lange	1,538	2.9	-2.44	–
	Libertarian	Cory Lystang	817	1.6	-1.4	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			52,525	100.0		$257,007.56
Total rejected ballots			161	–	–
Turnout			52,686	71.2%	–
Eligible voters			73,996
	Conservative hold		Swing		-8.54
Source: Elections Canada

Canadian federal by-election, November 17, 2014: Yellowhead
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Jim Eglinski	7,884	62.6
	Liberal	Ryan Heinz Maguhn	2,518	20.0
	New Democratic	Eric Rosendahl	1,203	9.5
	Independent	Dean Williams	622	4.9
	Libertarian	Cory Lystang	374	3.0
Total valid votes/Expense limit				100.0	–
Total rejected ballots				-
Turnout			12,601	16.06
Eligible voters			78,481
By-election due to the resignation of Rob Merrifield.
Source: "List of candidates — Yellowhead (Alberta) — By-election (Monday, November 17, 2014)". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.

External links

• Official website
• Jim Eglinski – Parliament of Canada biography