NDP House Leader Bill Blaikie has established himself on the national scene as an M.P. who is known for his commitment to the environment, to Medicare, to fair taxes, to fair trade rather than free trade deals, to parliamentary reform, and above all, to the needs of his constituents and his country.

He stands for the values that endure - for community, for family, for social and economic justice, for democracy. He speaks out forcefully against all the ways that the corporate elite have devised to put their own interests ahead of the common good and the well-being of the average Canadian.

Whether it's leading the fight in Parliament against the NAFTA, the MAI, or the WTO, going after threats to Medicare, or helping, as he did recently, to ward off an unwelcome asphalt plant in his constituency, Bill Blaikie's is a national and local voice that can be counted on to stand up to the powers that be, and to tell the truth about what is really going on.

Detailed Biography:

Bill Blaikie was born and grew up in Transcona, Manitoba. He received a bachelor of arts degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of Winnipeg in 1973 and a Master of Divinity degree from the Toronto School of Theology in 1977. From 1977 to 1979, he worked as Director of a Special Outreach Ministry of the United Church in the North End of Winnipeg.

Mr. Blaikie was ordained to the Ministry of the United Church of Canada in 1978.

He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1979 and has been re-elected six times. He has served as the NDP social policy and health critic, as the NDP Member on the Special Parliamentary Task Force on Federal Provincial Fiscal Arrangements and as Chair of the Federal NDP Caucus from 1983 to 1984 and from 1993 to 1996.

From 1984 to 1987, he was the NDP environment critic, serving on the Standing Committee on Environment and Forestry and the Special Committee on Acid Rain. In 1985-86, he was chosen Vice-Chair of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Reform of the House of Commons. From 1987 to 1990, he served as the NDP external affairs critic, and on the Standing Committee on External Affairs and International Trade.

In 1988, he served on the Special Committee on the Peace Process in Central America. In 1990 he lead the NDP Campaign for Fair Taxes and was the NDP taxation policy critic, serving on the House Standing Committee on Finance.

From1993 to 2001, he was the NDP International Trade critic, and Houseleader from 1995. He is the NDP House Leader and the critic on intergovernmental affairs and has taken on new responsibilities as the NDP Justice critic.