Douglas Campbell (Ontario politician)
Encyclopedia
Douglas Kay Campbell is a longtime political activist in Canada
. A trade union
activist in his youth, Campbell has spent several years in the peace movement and has run for political office on numerous occasions. He has also contested for the leadership of the Ontario New Democratic Party
and the New Democratic Party
of Canada on five occasions, beginning in 1970.
Campbell participated in the Great Lakes Seaman's Strike of 1946, which succeeded in significantly reducing the number of mandatory working hours for employees. He continued to work as a seaman for a number of years, eventually becoming a sea captain.
In the federal election of 1962
, Campbell ran as an Independent candidate in the Toronto
riding of St. Paul's. At the time, he described his vocation as "coffee house proprietor". He received only 328 votes, finishing last in a field of five candidates.
In the 1960s, while a student at the University of Toronto
, Campbell became active in several protest movements. His primary concern was the peace movement: he opposed the Vietnam War
, supported the Ban The Bomb movement, and made efforts to remove "militarization" from the public school system. He also took part in protests against capital
and corporal punishment
. In 1968, while working as a high-school principal in Newfoundland
, Campbell was responsible for introducing sex education
into the curriculum.
Campbell also become involved in the New Democratic Party
during the 1960s. In 1966, he ran for Treasurer of the Ontario NDP, and received 22% of the vote. In 1970, while working as a taxi driver and part-time teacher, he was a last-minute entry into the Ontario party's leadership race in which the leading candidates were Walter Pitman
and Stephen Lewis
. Campbell was initially kept off the ballot by a ruling of the party executive that all candidates must have fifty signatures from delegates to stand. On the day before voting, Campbell brought forward a motion which reduced the required number from fifty to one; the convention approved the motion by 36 votes, and he was able to stand.
The basic thrust of Campbell's campaign was put forward in a Toronto Star
piece, published on October 1, 1970, in which he opposed what he described as the NDP's drift toward centrist liberalism. He did not specifically identify himself as a member of The Waffle
, but clearly supported that group's efforts at renewing the party from a left-wing perspective. At the convention itself, he vowed to take the party's message "into the streets". He was not regarded as a serious candidate by most delegates, and received only 21 votes. Campbell challenged Lewis for the leadership again in 1972, without success.
Campbell also challenged David Lewis
(Stephen Lewis's father) for the leadership of the federal NDP in 1973. In 1975, he ran in the party's federal leadership convention to succeed Lewis and received 11 votes, finishing last in a field of five candidates.
Campbell resurfaced in 1988 as a fringe candidate for mayor
of North York, Ontario
. He appears to have campaigned for the federal NDP leadership again the following year (after the resignation of Ed Broadbent
), but dropped from the race before the convention took place.
Most recently, Campbell has run for Mayor of Toronto in 2000, 2003 and 2006, receiving 1.2% and 0.3% of the vote in the first two contests respectively. During the 2006 campaign
he was quoted as saying "the answer is public ownership of land. Businessmen are going to nuclearize the planet. If you vote for a capitalist candidate, you're voting to kill children".http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-10-12/news_feature.php He has registered again as a mayoral candidate in the 2010 election.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. A trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
activist in his youth, Campbell has spent several years in the peace movement and has run for political office on numerous occasions. He has also contested for the leadership of the Ontario New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
and the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
of Canada on five occasions, beginning in 1970.
Campbell participated in the Great Lakes Seaman's Strike of 1946, which succeeded in significantly reducing the number of mandatory working hours for employees. He continued to work as a seaman for a number of years, eventually becoming a sea captain.
In the federal election of 1962
Canadian federal election, 1962
The Canadian federal election of 1962 was held on June 18, 1962 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 25th Parliament of Canada...
, Campbell ran as an Independent candidate in the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
riding of St. Paul's. At the time, he described his vocation as "coffee house proprietor". He received only 328 votes, finishing last in a field of five candidates.
In the 1960s, while a student at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, Campbell became active in several protest movements. His primary concern was the peace movement: he opposed the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, supported the Ban The Bomb movement, and made efforts to remove "militarization" from the public school system. He also took part in protests against capital
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
and corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
. In 1968, while working as a high-school principal in Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Campbell was responsible for introducing sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
into the curriculum.
Campbell also become involved in the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
during the 1960s. In 1966, he ran for Treasurer of the Ontario NDP, and received 22% of the vote. In 1970, while working as a taxi driver and part-time teacher, he was a last-minute entry into the Ontario party's leadership race in which the leading candidates were Walter Pitman
Walter Pitman
Walter George Pitman, OC, O.Ont is an educator and former politician in Ontario, Canada.Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1952 and a Master of Arts in 1954 from the University of Toronto....
and Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis, is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of the those years as leader, his father David Lewis was simultaneously the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party...
. Campbell was initially kept off the ballot by a ruling of the party executive that all candidates must have fifty signatures from delegates to stand. On the day before voting, Campbell brought forward a motion which reduced the required number from fifty to one; the convention approved the motion by 36 votes, and he was able to stand.
The basic thrust of Campbell's campaign was put forward in a Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
piece, published on October 1, 1970, in which he opposed what he described as the NDP's drift toward centrist liberalism. He did not specifically identify himself as a member of The Waffle
The Waffle
The Waffle was a radical wing of Canada's New Democratic Party in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It later transformed into an independent political party, with little electoral success before it permanently disbanded in the mid-1970s...
, but clearly supported that group's efforts at renewing the party from a left-wing perspective. At the convention itself, he vowed to take the party's message "into the streets". He was not regarded as a serious candidate by most delegates, and received only 21 votes. Campbell challenged Lewis for the leadership again in 1972, without success.
Campbell also challenged David Lewis
David Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
(Stephen Lewis's father) for the leadership of the federal NDP in 1973. In 1975, he ran in the party's federal leadership convention to succeed Lewis and received 11 votes, finishing last in a field of five candidates.
Campbell resurfaced in 1988 as a fringe candidate for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of North York, Ontario
North York, Ontario
North York is a dissolved municipality within the current city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the central part of the northern section of Toronto. As of the 2006 Census, it has a population of 635,370. The official 2001 census count was 608,288...
. He appears to have campaigned for the federal NDP leadership again the following year (after the resignation of Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent
John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.-Life...
), but dropped from the race before the convention took place.
Most recently, Campbell has run for Mayor of Toronto in 2000, 2003 and 2006, receiving 1.2% and 0.3% of the vote in the first two contests respectively. During the 2006 campaign
Toronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
he was quoted as saying "the answer is public ownership of land. Businessmen are going to nuclearize the planet. If you vote for a capitalist candidate, you're voting to kill children".http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-10-12/news_feature.php He has registered again as a mayoral candidate in the 2010 election.