David Wilks

David Wilks was born and raised in Lethbridge but after graduating high school he moved to Saskatoon. He worked briefly in the potash industry while undergoing recruitment process. He attended RCMP Academy in Regina. His first assignment as an RCMP officer was to the Terrace detachment in 1980. Over his 20-year RCMP career he was subsequently assigned to the detachments in New Aiyansh, Golden, Penticton and Sparwood. He retired from the RCMP in 2000 while in Sparwood and bought a family entertainment business called Sparwood Bowl and Billiards Inc. with his wife.

In the 2002 BC municipal elections Wilks first stood for election. He was elected to a three-year term as a Sparwood municipal councillor. In the 2005 municipal elections he put his name forward in the mayoral election and successfully defeated the incumbent.{{cite news |title=A tale of two votes |newspaper=The Lake Windermere Valley Echo |location= Invermere, British Columbia |date=November 23, 2005 |page= 10}} No one challenged Wilks during the 2008 municipal elections so he was acclaimed to a new 3-year term as mayor.{{cite news |title=New faces abound in upcoming regional elections |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=October 15, 2008 |page= 5}} Along with being mayor, he was appointed by the Sparwood council to the Board of Directors at the Regional District of East Kootenay. Wilks and Sparwood gained national attention in late-December 2008 when an avalanche killed eight men on snowmobiles; Wilks established public trust accounts for the families of the victims and helped organize a memorial service which the Prime Minister attended.{{cite news |title=B.C. town grieves sons, best friends; Avalanche. Eighth missing man recovered from snow |first=Jason |last=Van Rassel |author2=Lori Culbert |author3=Chad Skelton |newspaper=The Gazette (Montreal) |date=December 31, 2008 |page=8}}{{cite news |title=A cold new year in the valley of tears |last=Walton |first=Dawn |author2=Justine Hunter |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=January 3, 2009 |page= 6}} At the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, Wilks advocated expanding the Meth Watch program to include a registration system to track people to purchase components used in making methamphetamine.{{cite news |title=Communities call for more action on meth |newspaper=The Chilliwack Progress |date=October 27, 2006 |page= 3}} At the Regional District, Wilks advocated for the provincial government to give the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort municipal status, removing the responsibility for public consultation and zoning from the Regional District and placing it with the province or a locally elected or appointed council. His March 2006 resolution was defeated, with Wilks being the only director to vote in favour.{{cite news |title=RDEK keeping Jumbo decision local: Future of proposed resort in hands of regional district after directors reject motion |last= Coxford |first= Matt |newspaper= Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=March 6, 2006 |page= 1}} Wilks re-introduced the motion in August 2009 and it was approved by the Board, though the province did not take any action.{{cite news |title=Ski resort transfer creates stir; Province accused of interference |last=Pynn |first=Larry |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=August 8, 2009 |page=7}} In December 2009, the Regional Board elected Wilks to be the chair of the Regional District.{{cite news |title=Wilks elected chair of RDEK |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper= Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=December 7, 2009 |page=1}}

In February 2010, Jim Abbott, the local member of parliament for the past 17 years, announced he would not seek re-election. Wilks endorsed Bill Bennett to replace Abbott{{cite news |title=Who will run?; Potential candidates come forward |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Bulletin |location=Kimberley, British Columbia |date=February 26, 2010 |page=1}} but Bennett declined.{{cite news |title=With Bennett out of the running, who will succeed local MP Jim Abbott? |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=April 6, 2010 |page=3}} The 50-year-old Wilks subsequently announced his intent to seek the Conservative Party nomination for the next election.{{cite news |title=Wilks first to declare for Tories|last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=April 9, 2010 |page=1}} He stepped down from the Chair position at the Regional District to better focus on his campaign but remained a director.{{cite news |title=Wilks steps down as RDEK chairman |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=May 11, 2010 |page=1}} In the March 2011 Conservative Party nomination election, Wilks faced three other candidates: a 29-year-old town councillor from Creston, a lawyer from Cranbrook, and an engineer also from Cranbrook. Wilks campaign unknowingly employed a con artist who stole an undisclosed sum of money before disappearing.{{cite news |title=Chartier splits, Wilks left with debt |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=August 26, 2010 |page=1}} Despite the theft, Wilks won the nomination. During the campaign for the federal election, Wilks faced former Invermere mayor Mark Shmigelsky for NDP, and Kimberley residents Betty Aitchison, Bill Green, and Brent Bush. Wilks was seen as the front-runner but his campaign was criticized for avoiding all-candidate forums and debates,{{cite news |title=If the riding's 'in play,' someone's not playing |last=Warner |first=Gerry |newspaper=Daily Bulletin |location=Kimberley, British Columbia |date=April 28, 2011 |page=6}} skipping the forums in Revelstoke,{{cite news |title=All-candidates forum lacks spark with front-runner absent |last=Cooper |first=Alex |newspaper=Revelstoke Times Review |location=Revelstoke, British Columbia |date=April 13, 2011 |page=1}} Kimberley,{{cite news |title=Candidates forum in Kimberley |last=Grant |first=Carolyn |newspaper=Daily Bulletin |location=Kimberley, British Columbia |date=April 20, 2011 |page=1}} and Invermere.{{cite news |title=Kootenay-Columbia hopefuls meet in Invermere |last=Crane|first=Darryl |newspaper=The Lake Windermere Valley Echo |location=Invermere, British Columbia |date=April 26, 2011 |page=1}} During the campaign, Wilks noted that he would seek to direct federal funds to improving the Trans-Canada Highway, "proper" punishment for criminals, and "proper" funding for the military, noting that his son was currently serving in the military as a combat engineer in Afghanistan.{{cite news |title=Meet the candidates - David Wilks, Conservative |newspaper= The Kootenay Advertiser |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=April 27, 2011 |page=8}}{{cite news |title=The Candidates Talk: Top five issues in our riding|last=Sander-Green |first= Nadine |newspaper=The Golden Star |location=Golden, British Columbia |date=April 11, 2011 |page=3}} Wilks won the Kootenay—Columbia riding with 56% of the vote.

As the 41st Parliament began, Wilks was not selected to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet. He was appointed to the 'Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development'

and the 'Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations'. In the House of Commons, Wilks used his time on the floor on June 15, 2011, to describe why he sees the New Democratic Party as a "radical hard left" political party.{{cite speech |title = 41st Parliament, 1st Session - Hansard Number 009: Statements by Members |author =David Wilks |date = June 15, 2011 |url = http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1&DocId=5091548 |accessdate = October 1, 2011}} Following the high-profile kidnapping of a three-year-old boy from his hometown of Sparwood, Wilks introduced a private members bill [http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=5144706&file=4 (C-299)] which would create a five-year minimum sentence for people convicted of kidnapping a person under the age of 16.{{cite news|title=No fooling around for stranger abductors |last=Grant |first=Annalee |newspaper=Daily Townsman |location=Cranbrook, British Columbia |date=September 30, 2011 |url=http://www.dailytownsman.com/article/20110930/CRANBROOK0101/309309992/-1/cranbrook01/no-fooling-around-for-stranger-abductors |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529193530/http://www.dailytownsman.com/article/20110930/CRANBROOK0101/309309992/-1/cranbrook01/no-fooling-around-for-stranger-abductors |archivedate=2012-05-29 }}{{cite news |title=Hopley considered high risk, documents show |last=Matas |first=Robert |newspaper= The Globe and Mail |date= September 20, 2011 |url= https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/hopley-considered-high-risk-documents-show/article2173931/ |accessdate = October 1, 2011 |location=Toronto}}

Wilks' comments about the 2012 Canadian federal budget made national headlines in May 2012. Speaking at a meeting with constituents in Revelstoke, Wilks stated his belief that the omnibus budget bill should be split into a series of smaller bills, but that as a backbench MP, he had little alternative but to vote in favour because "that's how Ottawa works." Answering questions from the audience, he indicated that he and other backbenchers had little influence or input on the budget legislation. Two videos of Wilks' comments were posted online, with his permission. Shortly after the story broke, Wilks released a statement to the effect that he was in full support of the budget bill.{{cite news|last=MacCharles|first=Tonda|title=Conservative MP David Wilks breaks ranks and says budget bill should be split up|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/05/23/conservative_mp_david_wilks_breaks_ranks_and_says_budget_bill_should_be_split_up.html|work=Toronto Star|publisher=Toronto Star|accessdate=August 20, 2013|date=May 23, 2012}}{{cite web|title=Statement in response to a media report on Bill C-38 |author=David Wilks |date=May 23, 2012 |url=http://www.david-wilks.ca/media_/riding-news/statement-in-response-to-a-media-report-on-bill-c-38 |accessdate=August 20, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509050225/http://www.david-wilks.ca/media_/riding-news/statement-in-response-to-a-media-report-on-bill-c-38 |archivedate=May 9, 2013 }}

During the 2015 Canadian federal election, Wilks made headlines for saying that it was "not fair" for Canadians to expect the government to take action on missing and murdered Indigenous women and that the matter should be dealt with simply as part of "missing and murdered people" in general, without using the term "Indigenous." Wilks ended up losing his seat to Wayne Stetski of the NDP in one of the closest races of the country by just 282 votes.{{cite web | url=http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/not-fair-expect-government-action-missing-murdered-indigenous-women-conservative-mp | title="Not fair" to expect government action on missing, murdered Indigenous women: Conservative MP | publisher=Vancouver Observer | date=4 September 2015 | accessdate=4 September 2015 | author=McSheffrey, Elizabeth}}

In 2018 Wilks let his name stand for Mayor for the District of Sparwood. He was successful for a four-year term that was renewed in 2022. In 2024 Wilks was elected a Director at Large for the Union of British Columbia Municipalities at the convention in September.

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2015|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes|}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Wayne Stetski|23,529|37.23|-1.62|–}}

{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|David Wilks|23,247|36.78|-13.31|–}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Don Johnston|12,315|19.48|+16.00|–}}

{{CANelec|CA|Green|Bill Green|4,115|6.51|+0.08|–}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|63,206|100.00| |$275,709.19}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|197|0.31|–}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|63,403|74.02|–}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|85,653}}

{{CANelec/gain|CA|NDP|Conservative|+5.84}}

{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Canada[http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/candidates?L=e&ED=59015&EV=41&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&PROV=BC&PROVID=59&MAPID=&QID=8&PAGEID=17&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=-1 Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Kootenay—Columbia, 30 September 2015][http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815061116/http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand%2Fcanlim&document=index&lang=e |date=August 15, 2015 }}}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2011|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|David Wilks|23,910|55.88|-3.71|}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Mark Shmigelsky|14,199|33.18|+10.54|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Green|William Green|2,547|5.95|-4.06|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Betty Aitchison|1,496|3.50|-4.25|}}

{{CANelec|XX|Independent|Brent Bush|636|1.49|–|}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|42,788 |100.00 |–}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|142 | 0.33|0.0 | }}

{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|42,930 | 63.45|+3.69 | }}

{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters| 67,663 |–|–| }}

{{end}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110828083312/http://www.david-wilks.ca/ Official Website]
• {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=17850}}
• [http://www.kootenaycolumbiaconservativeassociation.ca/ Riding Association - Conservative Party] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517211208/http://kootenaycolumbiaconservativeassociation.ca/ |date=17 May 2014 }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilks, David}}

Category:Conservative Party of Canada MPs

Category:Living people

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

Category:Politicians from Lethbridge

Category:Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers

Category:1959 births

Category:21st-century mayors of places in British Columbia

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