Trent Wotherspoon
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honourific-prefix =
| name = Trent Wotherspoon
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MLASK|size=100%}}
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1979|9|15}}
| birth_place = Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| residence = Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
| assembly1 = Saskatchewan Legislative
| constituency_AM1 = Regina Mount Royal
Regina Rosemont (2007-2024)
| term_start1 = November 7, 2007
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 = Joanne Crofford
| successor1 =
| office2 = Shadow Minister of Finance
| term_start2 = November 13, 2024
| term_end2 =
| leader2 = Carla Beck
| party = Saskatchewan New Democrat
| profession = Teacher
| office4 = Leader of the Opposition in Saskatchewan
| termstart4 = April 12, 2016
| term_end4 = June 20, 2017
| predecessor4 = Cam Broten
| successor4 = Nicole Sarauer
| office3 = interim Leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
Interim
| term_start3 = April 23, 2016
| term_end3 = June 20, 2017
| predecessor3 = Cam Broten
| successor3 = Nicole Sarauer (interim)
}}
Trent Wotherspoon {{post-nominals|country=CAN|MLASK}} is a Canadian politician{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2013-03-08|title=A look at Trent Wotherspoon, running for leader of the Saskatchewan NDP|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/08/a-look-at-trent-wotherspo_n_2840260.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-12|website=HuffPost Canada|language=en}} and former interim leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party (NDP).{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/trent-wotherspoon-ndp-leader-1.3550403| title = Trent Wotherspoon becomes interim leader of Saskatchewan NDP {{!}} CBC News}} He was elected to represent the electoral district of Regina Rosemont in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 2007 election, and was re-elected in the 2011 election, and 2016 election. Wotherspoon was a candidate for the party's leadership in 2013. In 2016, the NDP caucus elected Wotherspoon to serve as Leader of the Opposition following the defeat of Cam Broten in the 2016 provincial election and the party's provincial council elected him interim leader.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=NDP's Trent Wotherspoon elected leader of the Opposition in legislature|url=https://leaderpost.com/news/politics/ndps-trent-wotherspoon-elected-leader-of-the-opposition-in-legislature|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-06-12|website=Regina Leader Post|language=en-CA}}
Early life
Wotherspoon was born in Regina where he lives with his wife Stephanie, a school teacher. Wotherspoon went to university at the University of Regina where he completed a Bachelor of Education degree. While at university, Wotherspoon also took classes in business administration. He also ran a painting company to help cover tuition.
|http://www.trent4leader.ca/about
|Trent4Leader
| access-date = 2012-11-29
Wotherspoon worked with the Regina Public Schools system where he helped to develop a new adult campus. He also helped implement a new holistic vocational adaptation program for students who displayed severe violent behaviours and lower cognitive abilities, and worked with the [http://www.ehrlo.com Ranch Ehrlo Society] to provide addiction and behavioural treatment. Wotherspoon went on to create a youth justice program that helped high risk offenders. Also, he was a member of the Business Improvement District for the City of Regina's Warehouse District.
|{{cite web |url=http://saskndp.ca/mlas/trent-wotherspoon |title=Trent Wotherspoon « Saskatchewan NDP |access-date=2012-10-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121001052845/http://saskndp.ca/mlas/trent-wotherspoon |archive-date=2012-10-01 }}
|Saskatchewan NDP
| access-date = 2012-11-29
Political career
Wotherspoon was elected in November 2007 and over the term became the opposition critic for Finance, SaskPower and SaskEnergy, as well as Chair of the Public Accounts committee, and committee member for Crown and Central Agencies and Saskatchewan's Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Following the 2011 election Wotherspoon continued on as the critic for Finance and SaskPower and became the new critic for Education.
=2013 NDP leadership campaign=
On September 14, 2012, Wotherspoon announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Saskatchewan NDP.{{cite news
|url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leader-post-wotherspoon-meili-decla/137683632/
|title = Wotherspoon, Meili declare candidacy
|last = Couture
|first = Joe
|work = Regina Leader-Post
|page = A4
|date = September 15, 2012
|access-date = December 30, 2023
|via = newspapers.com
|url = http://cjme.com/story/trent-wotherspoon-running-ndp-leadership/75190
|title = Trent Wotherspoon running for NDP leadership
|last = Book
|first = Patrick
|work = News Talk 980 CJME
|publisher = Rawlco Communications
|date = September 15, 2012
|access-date = 2012-10-11
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121101182008/http://cjme.com/story/trent-wotherspoon-running-ndp-leadership/75190
|archive-date = 2012-11-01
|url-status = dead
}} He was one of three declared candidates including MLA Cam Broten and doctor Ryan Meili. A fourth candidate, economist Erin Weir, withdrew from the race before the leadership vote.{{cite news
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/erin-weir-drops-out-of-saskatchewan-ndp-race-1.1361253
| title = Erin Weir drops out of Saskatchewan NDP race
| publisher = CBC News
| date = 2013-02-20
| access-date = 2018-05-31}} At the leadership convention, Wotherspoon received the fewest votes on the first ballot and withdrew. Broten won on the second ballot by a narrow margin.{{cite web
| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/broten-narrowly-defeats-meili-to-become-leader-of-the-saskatchewan-ndp-1.1307074
| title = Broten narrowly defeats Meili to become leader of Saskatchewan NDP
| publisher = CBC News
| date = 2013-03-09
| access-date = 2018-05-31}}
=Interim leader=
Wotherspoon was interim leader of the NDP, and leader of the opposition in the Saskatchewan legislature, from 2016 until June 2017 when he announced his resignation in order to consider seeking the permanent leadership of the party in the March 3, 2018 leadership election.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/trent-wotherspoon-interim-leader-resignation-1.4158923| title = Trent Wotherspoon resigning as NDP interim leader, considering run for permanent party leadership {{!}} CBC News}} MLA Ryan Meili was elected party leader with 55% of the vote in March 2018.{{Cite news|last=CBC|date=2018-03-03|title='Winds of change:' Ryan Meili wins Sask. NDP leadership|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-ndp-leadership-ryan-meili-trent-wotherspoon-1.4560240|access-date=2020-11-18}} Wotherspoon was re-elected in the 2020 general election.
--
As of June 22, 2024, he chairs the Public Accounts Committee of the Legislature and serves as the Official Opposition critic for Finance, SaskTel, Agriculture, the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation, Highways and Infrastructure, the Global Transportation Hub and the Regina Bypass, SaskBuilds and Procurement, and Affordability.
Electoral record
=Overview=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Year ! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Type ! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Riding ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Party ! colspan="4" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Votes for Wotherspoon ! rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Result ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="background:#eaecf0;" |Swing |
| style="background:#eaecf0;" |Total
! style="background:#eaecf0;" | % ! style="background:#eaecf0;" |{{abbr|2=Position|P}}. ! style="background:#eaecf0;" |{{tooltip|2=Change in percentage value since previous election|±%}} |
|---|
| 2007
| rowspan="4" |Provincial | rowspan="4" |Regina | rowspan="4" style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};" | | rowspan="4" |New |4,026 |53.45% |1st |N/A |{{yes2|Won}} | style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};" | |Hold |
| 2011
|3,567 |54.85% |1st | +1.40% | {{yes2|Won}} | style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};" | |Hold |
| 2016
|3,994 |53.95% |1st |−0.90% | {{yes2|Won}} | style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};" | |Hold |
| 2020
|4,102 |57.86% |1st | +3.91% | {{yes2|Won}} | style="background-color:{{Canadian party colour|CA|NDP}};" | |Hold |
| colspan="12" style="background:#eaecf0;" | |
=Provincial constituency elections=
{{Canadian election result/top|SK|2007|Regina Rosemont|percent=yes|change=yes}}
{{CANelec|SK|NDP|Trent Wotherspoon|4,026|53.45|-8.61}}
{{CANelec|SK|Saskatchewan|Tony Fiacco|2,624|34.83|+13.14}}
{{CANelec|SK|Liberal|Jeff Raymond|667|8.85|-5.69}}
{{CANelec|SK|Green|Victoria Nelson|216|2.87|+1.76}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total|7,533|100.00}}
{{CANelec/hold|SK|NDP|–}}
{{end}}
{{Canadian election result/top|SK|2011|Regina Rosemont|percent=yes|change=yes}}
{{CANelec|SK|NDP|Trent Wotherspoon|3,567| 54.85|+1.4}}
{{CANelec|SK|Saskatchewan|Tony Fiacco|2,745| 42.21|+7.38}}
{{CANelec|SK|Green|Allan Kirk|191| 2.94|-0.94}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total|6,503|100.00}}
{{CANelec/hold|SK|NDP|–}}
{{end}}
{{Canadian election result/top|SK|2016|Regina Rosemont|percent=yes|change=yes|prelim=no}}
{{CANelec|SK|NDP|Trent Wotherspoon|3,994|53.95|-0.90}}
{{CANelec|SK|Saskatchewan|Kevin Dureau|3,101|41.88|-0.33}}
{{CANelec|SK|Liberal|Reid A. L. Hill|162|2.18|-}}
{{CANelec|SK|Green|Sara Piotrofsky|146|1.97|-0.04}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|7,403|100.0 }}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|–}}
{{CANelec/hold|SK|NDP|–}}
{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Saskatchewan{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.sk.ca/candidates-political-parties/candidates/register-of-official-candidates-by-constituency---28th-general-election-final.pdf|title=Register of Official Candidates by Constituency - March 19 - FINAL|publisher=Elections Saskatchewan|date=19 March 2016|access-date=23 March 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404145539/http://www.elections.sk.ca/candidates-political-parties/candidates/register-of-official-candidates-by-constituency---28th-general-election-final.pdf|archive-date=4 April 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://results.elections.sk.ca/|title= 2016 General Election Results|publisher=Elections Saskatchewan|date=4 April 2016|access-date=8 November 2016}}}}
{{end}}{{Canadian election result/top|SK|2020|Regina Rosemont|percent=yes|change=yes|prelim=no}}
{{CANelec|SK|NDP|Trent Wotherspoon|4,102|57.86|+3.91}}
{{CANelec|SK|Saskatchewan|Alex Nau|2,522|35.58|-6.30}}
{{CANelec|SK|PC|Christopher McCulloch|295|4.16|-}}
{{CANelec|SK|Green|James Park|170|2.40|+0.43}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|7,089|98.90}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|79|1.10|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|7,168|53.55|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|13,385}}
{{CANelec/hold|SK|NDP|–}}
{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Saskatchewan }}
{{end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.trentwotherspoon.com/}}
- [http://www.trent4leader.ca/ Leadership campaign website]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20121001052845/http://saskndp.ca/mlas/trent-wotherspoon Sask NDP page]
- [http://www.legassembly.sk.ca/mlas/Trent-Wotherspoon/ Trent Wotherspoon] - Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
{{Saskatchewan MLAs}}
{{Saskatchewan NDP Leaders}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wotherspoon, Trent}}
Category:Leaders of the opposition of Saskatchewan
Category:Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs
Category:Politicians from Regina, Saskatchewan
Category:University of Regina alumni
Category:Leaders of the Saskatchewan CCF/NDP
Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan