John Aldag Explained

John Aldag
Riding:Cloverdale—Langley City
Parliament:Canadian
Term Start:September 20, 2021
Term End:May 31, 2024
Predecessor:Tamara Jansen
Term Start1:October 19, 2015
Term End1:October 21, 2019
Predecessor1:Riding established
Successor1:Tamara Jansen
Birth Place:Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada
Profession:Public servant, politician
Party:Liberal (federal)
NDP (provincial)
Residence:Langley, British Columbia
Spouse:Elaine St. John

John W. Aldag[1] (born April 18, 1963) is a Canadian politician, who represented the riding of Cloverdale—Langley City in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal MP from 2015 to 2019 and 2021 to 2024 and is seeking a seat in the British Columbia Legislative Assembly as a New Democrat in the fall 2024 British Columbia general election.

He was first elected in the 2015 federal election, and served until his defeat in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[2] In the 2021 federal election he won his seat back over incumbent Conservative Tamara Jansen.[3]

He announced he would resigned his seat effective May 27, 2024, to seek the BC NDP nomination in Langley-Abbotsford in the 2024 British Columbia election.[4] He resigned his seat May 31, 2024 and was officially nominated as the NDP candidate in Langley-Abbotsford on July 20, 2024.[5] [6]

Early life and career

Aldag was born in rural Saskatchewan. He earned an MBA from Royal Roads University and had a 32-year career with Parks Canada, including postings in Whitehorse, Lake Louise, Yoho, Waterloo and Langley, where he was the administrator of Fort Langley National Historic Site before his entry into politics.[7] Aldag took an unpaid leave from Parks Canada in December 2013 to begin campaigning for election to office, which he ultimately won with nearly 46% of the vote.[2] He resigned his position upon being confirmed as the elected candidate by Elections Canada on October 26, 2015.

Aldag and his wife, Elaine St. John, a doctor, have two daughters and one son, and had lived in Langley for a decade at the time of his election to the House of Commons.[8]

Politics

Aldag was elected in the 2015 election as a Member of Parliament for Cloverdale—Langley City. In the 42nd Canadian Parliament, he was appointed to two parliamentary committees; the Environment and Sustainable Development committee[9] and the Special Joint Committee on Physician-Assisted Dying, an issue in which he consulted extensively with his constituents.[10] The issue of Physician-Assisted Dying touched him, causing him to be a proponent of families having conversations about their wishes in these situations.[10] He was later named as well to the House of Commons Special Committee on Electoral Reform. Aldag introduced Private Member's Bill C-374 which, if adopted, would provide a seat on the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada for First Nations, Inuit and Métis representation.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Search for Contributions.
  2. http://www.langleytimes.com/news/334451051.html Election 2015: Aldag claims new riding for Liberals
  3. Web site: John Aldag officially elected in Cloverdale-Langley City. Jordan. Marlin. Peace Arch News. September 24, 2021. November 22, 2021.
  4. Web site: Claxton . Matthew . Liberal MP Aldag resigns to run for provincial NDP nomination . . . 17 May 2024 . 18 May 2024.
  5. https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=18432
  6. https://www.bcndp.ca/releases/former-mp-john-aldag-run-bc-ndp-langley-abbotsford
  7. Web site: New MP, Doc's daughter spread prairie roots. www.gulllakeadvance.com. 2016-01-22. Kersey. Karen. January 9, 2016. Gull Lake Advance. https://web.archive.org/web/20160128074526/http://www.gulllakeadvance.com/?p=2430. January 28, 2016. dead.
  8. Web site: Aldag puts name forward for Liberals in new federal riding – Langley Times. Langley Times. 2016-01-22.
  9. Web site: Cloverdale-Langley City MP elected chair of environment, sustainable development committee . Samantha . Anderson . September 26, 2018 . December 26, 2018 . Langley Times, Black Press Group Ltd..
  10. News: Holmes. Tracy. Legislators face death head on. 29 March 2016. Peace Arch News. 3 March 2016.
  11. Web site: Cloverdale-Langley City MP introduces bill to include Indigenous representatives on heritage board . Samantha . Anderson . October 25, 2017 . December 26, 2018 . Langley Times, Black Press Group Ltd..