Alistair MacGregor

Alistair MacGregor was born in Victoria, British Columbia and raised in Duncan where he attended Cowichan Secondary School. While working summers as a tree planter, he graduated from University of Victoria in 2003 with Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently from Royal Roads University in 2008 with a Masters of Arts with a focus in professional communication. In 2007 he had moved to Duncan where he began working as the constituency assistant to Member of Parliament Jean Crowder, who had offices in both Duncan and Nanaimo. There he married, and fathered twin girls. Upon Crowder's retirement, MacGregor entered the NDP nomination race to select a candidate for the upcoming 2015 federal election in the new Cowichan—Malahat—Langford riding. In the January 2015 nomination election, he was selected over five other candidates.{{cite news |title=NDP selects Crowder's right hand to carry the torch |last=McKinley |first=John |newspaper=Cowichan News Leader Pictorial |location= Duncan, British Columbia |date=January 28, 2015}}

With the 2015 federal election approaching, the other parties also nominated candidates and the NDP leader Tom Mulcair visited the riding during his tour of Vancouver Island. The Conservative Party nominated North Cowichan councillor John Koury but he withdrew from the race less than two months before the election citing family issues and he was replaced by chiropractor Martin Barker from Duncan.{{cite news |title=Local candidates take on seniors issues ahead of election |last=McLachlan |first=Drew |newspaper=Lake Cowichan Gazette |location=Lake Cowichan |date=September 2, 2015}} Likewise the Liberal Party originally nominated Langford small business owner Maria Manna but she was replaced by former RCMP officer Luke Krayenhoff of Saanich after Manna withdrew due to a controversy regarding previous comments posted on Facebook.{{cite news |title=Five Candidates |newspaper=Times Colonist |location= Victoria |date=October 11, 2015 |page=D3}} Despite an unexpected surge for the Liberal Party, MacGregor won the riding in line with pre-election polls that projected a NDP victory.{{cite news |title=NDP leads poll of three Island ridings; Phone survey commissioned by Dogwood Initiative, oil-tanker traffic opponents |last=Harnett |first=Cindy |newspaper=Times Colonist |location= Victoria |date=May 21, 2015 |page=A4}} While he won his riding, MacGregor's NDP lost seats nationally and fell to third party status, with the Liberal Party forming a majority government.{{cite news | url=https://vancouversun.com/news/metro/democrats+hold+green+wave+southern+vancouver+island/11450986/story.html | title=Southern Vancouver Island: New Democrats hold off Green wave | newspaper=Vancouver Sun | first=Rob | last=Shaw | date=19 October 2015 | access-date=19 October 2015 | archive-date=28 August 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828230200/http://www.vancouversun.com/news/metro/democrats+hold+green+wave+southern+vancouver+island/11450986/story.html | url-status=dead }}

On January 31, 2018, MacGregor was named the NDP's critic for Agriculture and Agri-food, and serves as the vice-chair of the parliamentary standing committee on Agriculture and Agri-food.{{cite web|url=https://www.ndp.ca/news/ndp-completes-its-shadow-cabinet-shuffle|title=NDP completes its shadow cabinet shuffle | publisher= ndp.ca | access-date=28 February 2018}}

As the 42nd Canadian Parliament began, NDP leader Mulcair appointed MacGregor to be the party's critic for seniors and its deputy critic for heritage.{{cite news |title=Local MPs in NDP shadow cabinet |newspaper=The Ladysmith - Chemainus Chronicle |location=Ladysmith, British Columbia |date=November 16, 2015}} He was also appointed to sit on the Committee on Justice and Human Rights. MacGregor opened a constituency office in Langford and later one in Duncan.{{cite news |title=New ridings MP, Alistair MacGregor, opens up shop in Langford |last=Lim |first=Arnold |newspaper=Goldstream Gazette |location=Langford, British Columbia |date=May 26, 2016}} On March 10, 2016, he introduced his first private member bill, [http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-252/first-reading Bill-252], which would have added Shawnigan Lake to the list of navigable waters regulated under the Navigation Protection Act, in response to the previous parliament's Jobs and Growth Act which had removed it. On May 31, 2016, he introduced his another private member bill, [http://www.parl.ca/DocumentViewer/en/42-1/bill/C-279/first-reading Bill C-279], which would amend to the Canada Elections Act to insert a maximum duration of 46 days for an election period. This bill was in response to the 2015 election campaign which lasted 78 days, the longest in Canadian history, and which MaGregor viewed as unfairly favouring the most well-funded political parties.{{cite news |title=No more marathon election periods, please |last=Rondeau |first=Andrea |newspaper=Lake Cowichan Gazette |location=Lake Cowichan |date=June 7, 2016}} MacGregor held a series of town hall meetings in his riding to hear views on electoral reform and to promote the private member bill.{{cite news |title=Pair of community events on West Shore |newspaper=Goldstream Gazette |location=Langford, British Columbia |date=September 22, 2016}} In February 2017 Mulcair reassigned MacGregor to be the party's critic for Justice and in this role he held the party's stance that marijuana possession should be decriminalized during the process of its legalization.{{cite news |title=Thousands still face marijuana charges; Legalization; 2,000 convicted since Liberals elected in 2015 |last=Forrest |first=Maura |newspaper=Calgary Herald |location=Calgary, Alberta |date=June 3, 2017 |page=N3}} After Mulcair's resignation, MacGregor endorsed Jagmeet Singh in the 2017 leadership election.{{cite news |title=Jagmeet Singh leadership bid attracting political and financial support |newspaper=The Brampton Guardian |location=Brampton, Ontario |date=August 2, 2017}} Following Singh's victory, he reassigned MacGregor to be the party's deputy critic for Justice and Heritage.

MacGregor went on to introduce two more private member bills. On February 21, 2019, MacGregor introduced Bill C-430 that would have amended the Income Tax Act to create an organic farming tax credit.{{cite news |url=https://www.chemainusvalleycourier.ca/home/chemainus-secondary-students-bill-brought-to-fruition/ |title=Chemainus Secondary students' bill brought to fruition |date=February 22, 2019 |access-date= June 6, 2019 |first=Don |last=Bodger |newspaper=Chemainus Valley Courier}} MacGregor then introduced Bill C-431 that would have required the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board integrate environmental, social and corporate governance objectives into its investment decisions.{{cite news |page=FP4 |title=CPPIB caved to pressure from activists |date= July 13, 2019 |first=Andrew |last=Coyne |newspaper=National Post}}

MacGregor sought re-election in the 2019 general election and was challenged by Alana DeLong of the Conservative Party, former chief of the Cowichan Tribes Lydia Hwitsum of the Green Party, and realtor Blair Herbert for the Liberal Party.{{cite web |url= https://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com/federal-election/lydia-hwitsum-to-run-for-the-green-party-in-cowichan-malahat-langford/ |title=Lydia Hwitsum to run for the Green Party in Cowichan-Malahat-Langford |newspaper=Cowichan Valley Citizen |date=August 24, 2019}} While MacGregor won the riding, his NDP lost seats overall becoming the fourth largest party. As the 43rd Canadian Parliament commenced, he was appointed to be the NDP critic on agriculture and rural economic development issues, as well as the deputy critic for justice and human rights.{{cite web |url= https://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com/news/cowichan-mp-macgregor-appointed-to-several-critic-roles-in-ndp-caucus/ |title=Cowichan MP MacGregor appointed to several critic roles in NDP caucus |newspaper=Cowichan Valley Citizen |date=December 2, 2019}} He re-introduced his private member bill seeking to prohibit investments of the Canada Pension Plan in entities that produce weapons or commissioned of human, labour or environmental rights violations but it was defeated with both Liberals and Conservatives voting against it.{{cite web |url= https://www.chemainusvalleycourier.ca/home/macgregors-bill-to-enforce-ethical-investment-of-cpp-funds-debated-in-parliament/ |title=MacGregor's bill to enforce ethical investment of CPP funds debated in parliament |newspaper=Chemainus Valley Courier |date=December 12, 2020}} His next private member bill, Bill C-250, sought to amend the Canada Shipping Act to prohibit the anchoring of freighter vessels using coastal waters along the Salish Sea in response to low voluntary compliance rates with Transport Canada protocols.{{cite web |url= https://www.chemainusvalleycourier.ca/home/macgregor-introduces-bill-to-address-freighter-anchorages/ |title=MacGregor introduces bill to address freighter anchorages |newspaper=Chemainus Valley Courier |date=October 26, 2020}}

On April 26, 2021, in the 2nd Session, of the 43rd Parliament he introduced and gave the first reading of in the House of Commons of Bill C-290 a Soil Conservation Act, a private members bill "respecting soil conservation and soil health".{{Cite web| series = Legislative Summary for Bill C-48 |title=C-290 An Act respecting soil conservation and soil health| url = https://parl.ca/Content/Bills/432/Private/C-290/C-290_1/C-290_1.PDF|date=April 26, 2021 |access-date=March 26, 2021 |work=Parliament of Canada }}{{Cite web| last = Moissac| first = Lara de| title = NDP Private Member’s bill seeks to establish national soil health strategy| work = RealAgriculture.com| access-date = March 17, 2022 | date = April 2021 | url = https://www.realagriculture.com/2021/04/ndp-private-members-bill-seeks-to-establish-national-soil-health-strategy/}}

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{{2015 Canadian federal election/Cowichan—Malahat—Langford}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA/People/Profile?personId=18435 Alistair MacGregor – Parliament of Canada biography]
• [http://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Alistair-MacGregor(89269) Alistair MacGregor - House of Commons biography]
• [http://alistairmacgregor.ndp.ca/ Alistair MacGregor - New Democratic Party]

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Category:Living people

Category:New Democratic Party MPs

Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia

Category:People from Duncan, British Columbia

Category:Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia

Category:Royal Roads University alumni

Category:University of Victoria alumni

Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

Category:1979 births