Nick Whalen
{{Short description|Canadian lawyer and politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Nick Whalen
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| imagesize =
| riding = St. John's East
| parliament = Canadian
| term_start = October 19, 2015
| term_end = October 21, 2019
| predecessor = Jack Harris
| successor = Jack Harris
| birth_date ={{birth date and age|1973|6|6}}
| birth_place = St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
| death_date =
| death_place =
| profession = lawyer, engineer, patent agent
| alma_mater = McGill University
Queen's University
| party = Liberal
| residence =
| footnotes =
| spouse = Sarah Noble
| children =
|}}
Nicholas Julian Whalen (born June 6, 1973) is a Canadian Liberal politician, who represented the riding of St. John's East in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 until 2019.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/2016-01-04/article-4394011/20-Questions-with-Nick-Whalen/1|title = Saltwire | Newfoundland & Labrador}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-results-canadian-election-1.3278780|title=Liberals sweep all 7 N.L. ridings in federal election|publisher=CBC News|date=October 19, 2015|access-date=2015-10-22}} Whalen was defeated in the 2019 federal election by former New Democratic MP Jack Harris in a rematch of the 2015 election.
Early life and career
Whalen's father, Norman Whalen, was president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party in the 1980s, and managed Clyde Wells' 1989 election victory.{{cite web|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2015-10-20/article-4316301/Just-who-is-Nick-Whalen%3F/1|title=Just who is Nick Whalen?|work=The Telegram|location=St. John's|date=October 20, 2015|access-date=2015-10-22}}
He attended Queen's University's engineering school, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field. He then earned an LLB degree in 2001 from the McGill University Faculty of Law.[http://nickwhalen.liberal.ca/biography/ Nick Whalen Biography], Liberal.ca.
Whalen practised law at the law firm McInnes Cooper, specializing in energy law, intellectual property, and corporate and commercial law. He was also, at the time of his election, the only qualified patent agent, and worked with a number of charitable organizations. He had previously served as the local Liberal Party treasurer.
Federal politics
Whalen's election in St. John's East over the popular NDP incumbent, Jack Harris, was considered one of the biggest surprises of the 2015 federal election.{{cite web|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2015-10-20/article-4316301/Just-who-is-Nick-Whalen%3F/1|title=Just who is Nick Whalen?|date=October 20, 2015|location=St. John's|work=The Telegram|access-date=2015-10-22}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/jack-harris-surprised-after-being-ousted-by-nick-whalen-in-st-john-s-east-1.3279354|title=Jack Harris 'surprised' after being ousted by Nick Whalen in St. John's East|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=20 October 2015|access-date=22 October 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2015-10-20/article-4314977/NDP-acknowledges-defeat%3B-loses-two-N.L.-seats/1|title=NDP acknowledges defeat; loses two N.L. seats|work=The Telegram|location=St. John's|date=20 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083151/http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Local/2015-10-20/article-4314977/NDP-acknowledges-defeat%3B-loses-two-N.L.-seats/1 |access-date=22 October 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016 }}
In October 2016, Whalen responded to comments over Twitter by Earle McCurdy about the protests opposing the Lower Churchill Project over concerns of methylmercury being spilled into Lake Melville. Whalen responded by tweeting that the methylmercury levels should be monitored and people should compensate when levels are high by eating less fish.{{Cite news|url=https://ipolitics.ca/2016/10/24/liberal-mps-eat-less-fish-advice-on-mercury-contamination-draws-scorn/|title=Liberal MP apologizes for 'eat less fish' advice on mercury risk|last=Munson|first=James|date=October 24, 2016|newspaper=iPolitics|access-date=October 10, 2019}} Whalen later issued an apology for that comment.{{Cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nick-whalen-fish-methylmercury-muskrat-falls-1.3818408|title=Newfoundland MP Nick Whalen apologizes for 'eat less fish' comment on methylmercury issue|last1=MacEachern|first1=Daniel|date=October 24, 2016|last2=Barry|first2=Garrett|newspaper=CBC News|access-date=October 24, 2016}}
Whalen was defeated in the 2019 federal election.{{cite web | url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/tories-ndp-and-greens-score-wins-in-atlantic-canada-but-liberals-hold-fast-1.4647615 | title=Tories, NDP and Greens score wins in Atlantic Canada, but Liberals hold fast | date=21 October 2019 }}
Electoral record
{{2019 Canadian federal election/St. John's East}}
{{2015 Canadian federal election/St. John's East}}
References
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Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador
Category:Lawyers in Newfoundland and Labrador
Category:Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Category:Queen's University at Kingston alumni
Category:Intellectual property lawyers
Category:McGill University Faculty of Law alumni
Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada