Nick Whalen

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.[1][2] Whalen was defeated in the 2019 federal election by former New Democratic MP Jack Harris in a rematch of the 2015 election.

Nick Whalen
Member of the Canadian Parliament for St. John's East
In office October 19, 2015 – October 21, 2019
Preceded by	Jack Harris
Succeeded by	Jack Harris
Personal details
Born	(1973-06-06) June 6, 1973 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Sarah Noble
Alma mater	McGill University Queen's University
Profession	lawyer, engineer, patent agent

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.[3]

He attended Queen's University's engineering school, earning both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field. He then earned an LLB degree in 2011 from the McGill University Faculty of Law.[4]

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 election.[5]

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.[6] Whalen later issued an apology for that comment.[7]

Whalen was defeated in the 2019 federal election.

Electoral record

2019 Canadian federal election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Jack Harris	21,164	46.9%
	Liberal	Nick Whalen	14,961	33.2%
	Conservative	Joedy Wall	8,187	18.1%
	Green	David Peters	818	1.8%
Total valid votes/Expense limit			45,130	100.0
Total rejected ballots
Turnout
Eligible voters
Source: Elections Canada[8]

2015 Canadian federal election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Nick Whalen	20,974	46.73	+38.96	–
	New Democratic	Jack Harris	20,328	45.29	-25.36	–
	Conservative	Deanne Stapleton	2,938	6.55	-13.90	–
	Green	David Anthony Peters	500	1.11	-0.02	–
	Communist	Sean Burton	140	0.31	–	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			44,880	100.0		$198,664.41
Total rejected ballots			111	0.25	–0.06
Turnout			44,991	68.69	+10.84
Eligible voters			65,499
	Liberal gain from New Democratic		Swing		+32.16
Source: Elections Canada[9][10]

References

1. http://www.thetelegram.com/Living/2016-01-04/article-4394011/20-Questions-with-Nick-Whalen/1
2. "Liberals sweep all 7 N.L. ridings in federal election". CBC News. October 19, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
3. "Just who is Nick Whalen?". The Telegram. St. John's. October 20, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
4. Nick Whalen Biography, Liberal.ca.
5. "Just who is Nick Whalen?". The Telegram. St. John's. October 20, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
6. Munson, James (October 24, 2016). "Liberal MP apologizes for 'eat less fish' advice on mercury risk". iPolitics. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
7. MacEachern, Daniel; Barry, Garrett (October 24, 2016). "Newfoundland MP Nick Whalen apologizes for 'eat less fish' comment on methylmercury issue". CBC News. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
8. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
9. "October 19, 2015 Election Results — St. John's East (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
10. "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2020-04-18.

External links