Percy Downe
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = The Honourable
| name = Percy Downe
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Percy Downe photo by Djuradj Vujcic (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Downe in 2013
| office = Canadian Senator
from Prince Edward Island
| predecessor =
| successor =
| term_start = June 26, 2003
| term_end =
| nominator = Jean Chrétien
| appointed = Adrienne Clarkson
| office2 = 8th Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
| term_start2 = May 2, 2001
| term_end2 = June 26, 2003
| primeminister2 = Jean Chrétien
| predecessor2 = Jean Pelletier
| successor2 = Eddie Goldenberg
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|7|8}}
| birth_place = Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| spouse =
| party = Canadian Senators Group (2019–present)
| otherparty = {{plainlist|
- Progressive Senate Group (2019–2019)
- Independent Liberal (2014–2019)
- Liberal (until 2014)
}}
| relatives =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = University of Prince Edward Island
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|senator}}
| signature =
| website =
| nickname =
| allegiance =
| branch = Force Mobile Command
| serviceyears = 1970–1972
| rank =
| unit = The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC)
| commands =
| battles =
| awards =
}}
Percy E. Downe (born July 8, 1954) is a Canadian Senator and former political aide.
Career
Since graduating from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1977, Downe has served at the provincial and federal levels of government in Canada. Downe moved to Ottawa following the Liberal victory in the 1993 federal election, and served as executive assistant to the Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs. He subsequently served as executive assistant to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and then the Minister of Labour.
He joined the Prime Minister's Office as director of appointments in 1998. He became Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's chief of staff in 2001. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on June 26, 2003.
Downe is currently Vice-Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Joint-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, and is also on the Executive Committee of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association.
He was also formerly a member of the Senate Standing Committee on National Finance, the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Rights and Procedures of Parliament.
Downe is also currently Vice-Chair of The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & International Monetary Fund.
On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Downe, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-removes-senators-from-liberal-caucus-1.2515273| title = Justin Trudeau removes senators from Liberal caucus {{!}} CBC News}} Those Senators created the Senate Liberal Caucus, distinct from the Liberal caucus in the House of Commons.{{cite news|title=Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/trudeau-to-boot-senators-from-liberal-caucus-in-bid-to-restore-senate-independence/article16567413/|access-date=January 29, 2014|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=January 29, 2014}}
With the Senate Liberal Caucus facing losing official parliamentary caucus status in 2020 with a third of its caucus facing mandatory retirements on their turning age 75, Senator Joseph Day announced that the Senate Liberal Caucus had been dissolved and a new Progressive Senate Group formed in its wake,{{cite news |last1=Tasker |first1=John Paul (J.P.) |title=There's another new faction in the Senate: the Progressive Senate Group |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-faction-progressive-senate-group-1.5358269 |access-date=14 November 2019 |publisher=CBC News Online |date=14 November 2019}}{{cite news |title=One-time Liberal senators rename themselves as Progressive Senate Group |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/one-time-liberal-senators-rename-themselves-as-progressive-senate-group-1.4685456 |access-date=14 November 2019 |agency=The Canadian Press |publisher=CTV News |date=14 November 2019}} with the entire membership joining the new group, including this senator. However, on November 18, 2019, Downe announced he was joining the Canadian Senators Group.{{cite web| url = https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/jean-guy-dagenais-conservative-party_ca_5dd2cb94e4b02947481bb4b2| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191119024032/https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/jean-guy-dagenais-conservative-party_ca_5dd2cb94e4b02947481bb4b2| archive-date = 2019-11-19| title = Jean-Guy Dagenais, Tory Senator, Quits Caucus Over Andrew Scheer's Views {{!}} HuffPost Canada}}
Personal life
He resides in Charlottetown with his wife and two daughters.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=16779}}
- [http://www.liberalsenateforum.ca/Senator/downep Liberal Senate Forum]
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{{succession box|before=Jean Pelletier|title=Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's Office |years=2001–2003|after=Eddie Goldenberg}}
{{s-end}}
{{Senate of Canada}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Downe, Percy}}
Category:Canadian senators from Prince Edward Island
Category:Chiefs of staff of the Canadian Prime Minister's Office
Category:Liberal Party of Canada senators
Category:Senate Liberal Caucus
Category:Progressive Senate Group
Category:Politicians from Charlottetown