Deborah Coyne

{{Infobox person

| name = Deborah Coyne

| image = Deborah Coyne - headshot.jpeg

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|February 24, 1955}}

| birth_place =

| party = Green (2015)
Liberal (before 2015)

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality = Canadian

| other_names =

| known_for =

| alma_mater = Queen's University
Osgoode Hall Law School
University of Oxford

| occupation = Lawyer, professor, author

| spouse = Michael Valpy (divorced)

| partner = Pierre Trudeau

| children = 2

| website = [http://www.deborahcoyne.ca/ deborahcoyne.ca]

}}

Deborah Margaret Ryland Coyne (born February 24, 1955) is a Canadian constitutional lawyer, professor, and author. She is the cousin of journalist Andrew Coyne and actress Susan Coyne, and the niece of former Bank of Canada governor James Elliott Coyne.

Biography

Coyne grew up in Ottawa. She graduated from Queen's University with a degree in economics and history in 1976.{{cite web|url=http://www.queensu.ca/gazette/alumnireview/stories/she-wants-one-canada-all-canadians |title=She wants "one Canada for all Canadians" |publisher=Queen's Alumni Review |date=2012 |first=Georgie |last=Binks |access-date=July 1, 2015 }} She received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University in 1979 and a Master of Philosophy from University of Oxford in international relations in 1982.

She was an employee in the Prime Minister's Office of John Turner, before spending two years teaching constitutional law at the University of Toronto Law School; she has also worked for the Business Council on National Issues, the Ontario Health Service Appeal and Review Board, and the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

For years, Coyne dated former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.{{cite book|last=English|first=John|title=Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1968–2000|pages=[https://archive.org/details/citizenofworldth00john/page/631 631–632]|year=2009|publisher=Knopf Canada|location=Toronto|isbn=9780676975239|url=https://archive.org/details/citizenofworldth00john/page/631}} Their child, Sarah Elisabeth Coyne, is Trudeau's only daughter, and attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/895866--pierre-trudeau-s-daughter-sarah-lives-under-the-radar | location=Toronto | work=The Toronto Star | first=Brett | last=Popplewell | title=Pierre Trudeau's daughter, Sarah, lives under the radar | date=November 24, 2010 |access-date=2012-04-06}} Her second child, Matthew Coyne, is the son of Canadian journalist Michael Valpy. Valpy and Coyne have since divorced.

Deborah Coyne now lives in Toronto.{{cite web |last1=Coyne |first1=Deborah |title=About Deborah Coyne |url=http://deborahcoyne.ca/aboutdeborah/ |website=Deborah Coyne |access-date=15 November 2019}}

Political involvement

=Opposition to the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords=

Deborah Coyne took a role in opposing the Meech Lake Accord,{{Cite web |url=http://georgiebinks.com/wp/?page_id=345 |title=National Post article citing biographical information related to Deborah Coyne |access-date=2015-07-23 |archive-date=2018-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210124303/http://georgiebinks.com/wp/?page_id=345 |url-status=dead }} a comprehensive package of constitutional amendments designed to gain the province of Quebec's formal acceptance of the Constitution Act, 1982. Coyne was among many prominent Liberals who disagreed with the Accord, including Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Donald Johnston and Jean Chrétien, although the issue split the federal Liberal caucus. She was a founding member of the Canadian Coalition on the Constitution, a grass-roots group that opposed the agreement. From 1989 to 1991, Coyne served as constitutional advisor to Newfoundland Premier Clyde Wells. Among the premiers, Wells was the staunchest opponent of the Meech Lake Constitutional Accord. Following the death of the Accord, partly at the hands of the Newfoundland House of Assembly, she opposed the Charlottetown Accord, a subsequent attempt to amend the Canadian constitution. The Charlottetown agreement was submitted to a national referendum in 1992 and was ultimately rejected by a majority of Canadian voters. Coyne led one of the "No" committees in the campaign and spoke widely against the deal.

=Liberal candidate=

Until the 2006 federal election was called, she was a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.{{cite news | title=Constitutional expert may run for Liberals | date=2005-05-17 | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/constitutional-expert-may-run-for-liberals-1.520858 | work=CBC News | access-date=2015-07-01}} In that election, she ran in the electoral district of Toronto—Danforth as a Liberal Party candidate against New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton. Coyne finished second to Layton with 17,256 votes, or 34.2%.

Coyne was nominated in March 2007{{cite web |url=http://www.coriferguson.com/files/coynenomspeech.pdf |title=Notes for remarks by Deborah Coyne on the occasion of her nomination as the federal Liberal candidate for the riding of Toronto-Danforth |access-date=2015-07-01 |last=Coyne |first=Deborah |date=2007-03-24 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306012849/http://www.coriferguson.com/files/coynenomspeech.pdf |url-status=dead }} as the Liberal Party of Canada candidate in Toronto Danforth but withdrew later in the year.Cowan, James, [https://nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=268195 "Tough fight expected for Liberal nomination"]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, National Post, January 28, 2008 In 2008, she sought the federal Liberal nomination in the riding of Don Valley West but withdrew in favour of Rob Oliphant.[http://www.roboliphant.ca/coyneweb.php "DVW Liberal Nomination Candidate Deborah Coyne Withdraws From Race and Supports Rob Oliphant"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080306131747/http://www.roboliphant.ca/coyneweb.php |date=2008-03-06 }}, roboliphant.ca, accessed March 1, 2008

=Liberal leadership campaign=

On June 27, 2012, Coyne announced that she would be a candidate for leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, during the Party's 2013 leadership contest,{{cite news|last=Bryden|first=Joan|title=Liberal leadership race gains new Trudeau tie as Deborah Coyne announces plans to run|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/06/27/liberal-leadership-race-gains-new-trudeau-tie-as-deborah-coyne-announces-plans-to-run/|access-date=28 June 2012|newspaper=National Post|date=27 June 2012}} which was won ultimately by Justin Trudeau. Her campaign was managed by blogger Jeff Jedras.{{cite news| url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/01/18/deborah-coyne-and-joyce-murray-say-top-liberal-brass-are-subverting-the-leadership-process/| work=The Toronto Star | first=Joan| last=Bryden| title=Deborah Coyne and Joyce Murray say top Liberal brass are subverting the leadership process | date=January 18, 2013 |access-date=2013-02-19}}

Following the leadership campaign, Coyne made an unsuccessful bid for the Liberal Party of Canada's nomination in Ottawa West—Nepean in 2014.{{cite news|title=A feast for Ottawa's political junkies|url=http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/02/09/a-feast-for-ottawas-political-junkies|access-date=February 26, 2015|work=Ottawa Sun|date=February 9, 2015}}[https://ottawacitizen.com/news/deborah-coyne-looks-to-run-in-ottawa "Deborah Coyne looks to run in Ottawa"], Ottawa Citizen, February 17, 2014.

=Move to the Green Party=

On February 26, 2015, Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May announced that Coyne had been appointed as a senior policy advisor, noting "Deborah's thoughtful approach to One Canada for all Canadians complements the vision of the Green Party of Canada."[http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/02/26/former-trudeau-rival-deborah-coyne-leaves-the-red-tent-for-a-green-party-post/ "Former Trudeau rival Deborah Coyne leaves the red tent for a Green Party post"], National Post, February 26, 2015. Coyne was the Green Party of Canada candidate in the Ottawa riding of Carleton for the 2015 federal election, where she finished fourth with just over 3% of the vote.{{cite news|title=Greens pick Deborah Coyne to contest new Carleton riding|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/greens-pick-coyne-to-contest-new-carleton-riding|access-date=August 1, 2015|work=Ottawa Citizen|date=August 1, 2015}}

Since the 2015 federal election, Coyne has stepped away from partisan politics and no longer holds a membership in any political party.

Electoral record

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2006|Toronto—Danforth|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Deborah Coyne|17,256|34.23|-7.11| 74,304.11}}

{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Kren Clausen|4,992|9.90|+3.69| 32,138.91}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Marcell Rodden|172|0.34|+0.16| – }}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|50,415|100.00|–| $ 76,419.79 }}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|242|0.48|-0.08}}

{{CANelec/source|hide={{cite web |title=Official Voting Results – Thirty-ninth General Election |at=(Table 12) |url=http://elections.ca/scripts/OVR2006/default.html |access-date=October 29, 2014}}
{{cite web |title=Financial Reports: Candidate's Electoral Campaign Return |url=http://www.elections.ca/WPAPPS/WPF/EN/CC/SummaryReport?act=C24&eventid=25&returntype=1&option=1&queryid=7a9fa4df938c466398fd98af623928d0 |publisher=Elections Canada |access-date=October 29, 2014}}}}

Published works

{{cite book|last1= Coyne|first1= Deborah|author-mask= 1|date= 1984|title= Monetary and financial reform: the North-South controversy|url= https://archive.org/details/monetaryfinancia0000coyn|location= Ottawa|publisher= North-South Institute|isbn= 0-92049440-4|url-access= registration}}
{{cite book |last1= Coyne |first1= Deborah |author-mask=1|last2= Howse|first2= Robert|date= 1992|title= No deal!: why Canadians should reject the Mulroney constitution|location= Hull|publisher= Voyageur Publishing|isbn=0-92184220-1}}
{{cite book |last1= Coyne |first1= Deborah |author-mask=1 |date= 1992|title= Roll of the Dice: Working with Clyde Wells during the Meech Lake Accord|location= Toronto|publisher= James Lorimer & Co. |isbn=1-55028369-3}}
{{cite book |last1= Coyne |first1= Deborah |author-mask= 1 |date= 1993 |title= Seven Fateful Challenges for Canada: A Viable and Dynamic Canada in an Interdependent World |url= https://archive.org/details/sevenfatefulchal0000coyn |location= Montreal/Toronto |publisher= Robert Davies Publishing |isbn= 1-89585406-7 |url-access= registration }}
{{cite book|last1= Valpy|first1= Michael|last2= Coyne|first2= Deborah|author-mask2= 1|date= 1998|title= To Match a Dream: A Practical Guide to Canada's Constitution|url= https://archive.org/details/tomatchdreamprac0000coyn|location= Toronto|publisher= McClelland & Stewart|isbn= 0-77102277-8|url-access= registration}}
{{cite book |last1= Coyne |first1= Deborah |author-mask=1 |date= 2013|title= Unscripted: A Life Devoted to Building a Better Canada|url= https://deborahcoyne.ca/unscripted-a-life-devoted-to-building-a-better-canada-2013/|location= Toronto|publisher= Canadian Writers Group}}
{{cite book |last1= Coyne |first1= Deborah |author-mask=1 |date= 2019|title= Reform or Revolt: How Canadians can take back our democracy |url= https://www.amazon.ca/Reform-Revolt-Canadians-take-democracy-ebook/dp/B07VFY9RC8/|location= Toronto|publisher= Kindle Direct Publishing}}
{{cite book |last1= Coyne |first1= Deborah |author-mask=1 |date= 2021|title= Canada's Faux Democracy: What are we going to do about it?|url= https://deborahcoyne.ca/canadas-faux-democracy/|location= Toronto|isbn= 978-1-927710-51-7}}