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Keith Martin | |
|---|---|
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| Member of Parliament forEsquimalt—Juan de Fuca | |
| In office October 25, 1993 – May 2, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Dave Barrett |
| Succeeded by | Randall Garrison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Political party | Liberal (2004–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Reform (1993–2000) Canadian Alliance (2000–2003) Independent (2003–2004) |
| Residence(s) | Victoria, British Columbia andWashington, D.C. |
| Profession | Executive Director,Consortium of Universities for Global Health, Physician, Conservationist |
Keith Martin,PC is a Canadian politician and physician. He was theMember of Parliament for the riding ofEsquimalt—Juan de Fuca inBritish Columbia, Canada from 1993 to 2011. Originally a member of theReform Party, and then theCanadian Alliance, he did not join the newly formedConservative Party of Canada post-merger, and instead became a member of theLiberal Party from 2004 until 2011.
He is currently the executive director of theConsortium of Universities for Global Health inWashington, D.C.[1]
Martin was born inLondon,UK, and grew up inToronto, Ontario, Canada.[2] He attendedNeil McNeil High School and graduated from theUniversity of Toronto with a Doctorate of Medicine[3] and a Bachelor of Science.[citation needed]
He practiced emergency and family medicine from 1987 to 2005. He also did two terms as a doctor in a rural region of South Africa during theMozambique war.[4] Martin is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons'[5] Advisory Committee on International Initiatives.[citation needed]
He was first elected in1993 as a member of theReform Party of Canada for the riding of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. Being socially liberal, he often clashed with the Reform's conservative ideas.[citation needed]
From 1996 to 2000 he had his own nationally syndicated television program on current events called Beyond Politics.[6]
When the Reform Party was folded into theCanadian Alliance, he sought theparty leadership, but finished fourth with 2% of the vote.[citation needed]
In both 2009 and 2010, political commentatorRex Murphy, from theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation'sThe National, recognized Martin as the most underrated politician in the House of Commons.[7]
Martin led many initiatives in the House of Commons, including legislation to ban landmines (1995, 1996), establish an international mechanism to prevent deadly conflict (Responsibility to Protect) 2007, democratize Parliament, support early learning programs (Head Start) 2000, and modernize Canada's healthcare system.[citation needed]
Martin has been on diplomatic missions to areas in crisis, includingSudan, theMiddle East,Zimbabwe,Sierra Leone, and theSahal. He led initiatives to provide emergency relief in times of crisis, e.g., the2004 tsunami, famine inNiger,North Pakistan,Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, etc.He also took an international leadership role in global health, including chairing global pre-G8 parliamentary committees inJapan andRome.[citation needed]
He's had experience between 1986–2007 volunteering on conservation programs inAfrica, especially onrhino and other large mammals projects.[8] He has been an ardent campaigner against the trafficking of illegal wildlife products, and has strongly supported the integration of conservation into development initiatives.[citation needed]
On April 17, 2002, he caused a controversy as he attempted to remove theceremonial mace from the table of the Clerk of the House to protest an intervention by the government that violated MP's fundamental democratic rights. He was found to be incontempt and not allowed to retake his seat until he had apologized to the House from the Bar. The reason for his actions was as a result of an amendment that would have removed the entire contents of Martin's Private Members' Bill C-344[9] which violated the spirit and meaning of Private Members Business.[citation needed]
In January 2004, after the Canadian Alliance merged with the centre-rightProgressive Conservative Party to form theConservative Party of Canada, Martin announced he would not join the new party. He sat as an independent for the remainder of the 37th Parliament, but ran as a Liberal in the2004 election. He was re-elected, and served as theParliamentary Secretary to theMinister of National Defence. Martin was subsequently re-elected in the2006 and2008 federal elections. He has served in many shadow cabinet positions including foreign affairs, health and international development. He has taken leadership roles in many areas including: global health,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] domestic health,[17][18][19] foreign affairs,[20][21][22][23] conservation and the environment[24][25] and human rights.[26][27] He was appointed in 2004 by Prime MinisterPaul Martin to be a member of the Queen's Privy Council.[citation needed]
Martin has organized several relief efforts to ship urgent medical supplies to areas in crisis.[28]
He is the founder of several global health and conservation initiatives. He is Founder and Chair of the first all Party International Conservation Caucus. In 2010, he founded the International Conservation Forum,[29] a website that increases awareness and facilitates action on key conservation issues through the use of social media and the publication of the online magazine - The Horn.[citation needed]
On November 9, 2010, Martin announced that he wouldn't run in the nextelection,[30][31][32] stating that "Canada's institutions need new blood and new ideas."[33] He's been an outspoken critic of the decline in democracy in parliament and the increasing disempowerment of Members of Parliament.[34]
In September 2012, Martin was appointed as the founding Executive Director of theConsortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH).[1] With over 170 academic institutions and a network of 30,000 scientists worldwide, CUGH is the world's largest consortium of its kind. It works across research, education, advocacy and service, across disciplines, to improve the health of people and the planet. CUGH is particularly focused on improving health and environmental outcomes in low-income communities.[35]
November 2014, Martin made presentations on the nexus between environmental sustainability, conservation, and human health at the World Parks Congress inSydney,Australia.[citation needed] He regularly speaks at conferences on a wide range of global health issues (www.cugh.org) covering health, conservation, the environment and politics. He has co-chaired CUGH's last 7 global health conferences that attract over 1800 scientists and students from over 50 nations.[36] He is a member of the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, a member of the editorial Board of the Annals of Global Health,[37] a member of the Board of Directors of the Jane Goodall Institute[38] and an adviser to the International Cancer Expert Corps.
