Wally Firth
Walter "Wally" Firth (born January 25, 1935) is a former Canadian politician.
Wally Firth | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories | |
| In office 1972–1979 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Orange |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 25, 1935 Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Profession | Airplane pilot, broadcaster, flying instructor, fur trader, native rights worker |
A Métis, Firth was the first Native politician from the North to win a seat in the House of Commons of Canada. He served as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories during the 1970s. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1972 federal election and re-elected in 1974. He did not run for re-election in 1979, but attempted to return to the House of Commons in the 1980 election. He was defeated in the riding of Western Arctic.
In private life, Firth had various careers as an airplane pilot, flying instructor, broadcaster and fur trader. He was also active as a Native rights advocate.
Firth made another attempt to return to the House of Commons in the 1997 federal election, this time running as an Independent in Western Arctic, but was again unsuccessful.
Firth subsequently returned to the New Democratic Party attempting to win the party's nomination in Yukon for the 2004 election but was unsuccessful.[1]
Electoral history
| 1997 Canadian federal election: Northwest Territories | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Ethel Blondin-Andrew | 5,564 | 41.63 | −20.84 | $56,834 | |||
| New Democratic | Mary Beth Levan | 2,579 | 19.29 | +12.98 | $22,393 | |||
| Reform | Mike Watt | 1,966 | 14.71 | +0.62 | $4,546 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Dowdall | 1,687 | 12.62 | –0.71 | $16,020 | |||
| Independent | Wally Firth | 1,567 | 11.72 | – | $8,857 | |||
| Total valid votes | 13,363 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 94 | 0.70 | ||||||
| Turnout | 13,457 | 58.37 | ||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −16.91 | ||||||
| 1980 Canadian federal election: Northwest Territories | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Dave Nickerson | 3,556 | 33.81 | −1.35 | ||||
| New Democratic | Wally Firth | 3,537 | 33.63 | +4.30 | ||||
| Liberal | Gary Boyd | 3,425 | 32.56 | –0.59 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 10,518 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | −2.82 | ||||||
| 1974 Canadian federal election: Northwest Territories | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Wally Firth | 5,410 | 42.09 | +2.27 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Ward | 4,271 | 33.23 | +2.36 | ||||
| Liberal | Richard Whitford | 3,173 | 24.68 | −4.64 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 12,854 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | –0.04 | ||||||
| 1972 Canadian federal election: Northwest Territories | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Wally Firth | 5,597 | 39.82 | +27.07 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Ward | 4,339 | 30.87 | +7.43 | ||||
| Liberal | Dick Hill | 4,121 | 29.32 | −34.48 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 14,057 | 100.0 | ||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +9.82 | ||||||
References
- "Boyde takes Yukon NDP nomination". CBC News. April 5, 2004. Retrieved 2018-02-15.