Daniel Blaikie MP is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Elmwood—Transcona in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 Canadian federal election as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP).[1] He is the New Democratic Party (NDP)'s critic for the Treasury Board and the deputy critic for Ethics in the 42nd Canadian Parliament.[2] He is the son of former NDP deputy leader Bill Blaikie, who held the riding from 1979 to 2008, and brother of former NDP President Rebecca Blaikie.
Blaikie was nominated as the NDP candidate for his father's former riding ahead of the 2015 election. He defeated Conservative incumbent Lawrence Toet by only 61 votes, the lowest margin of victory for any Canadian MP elected that year. He was the only non-Liberal elected from a Winnipeg riding, as the Liberals rose from being the third-largest party to Government, while the Conservatives fell from Government to Official Opposition, and the NDP from Official Opposition to third-party status. Blaikie led in most pre-election opinion polling, but a last-minute Liberal surge both in Winnipeg and nationwide resulted in him narrowly defeating Toet by only 61 votes.[3] He defeated Toet in a 2019 rematch by a much larger margin of over 3,500.[4]
Daniel Blaikie was born to Brenda and Bill Blaikie in the northeast Winnipeg suburb of Transcona. Before entering the trades, Blaikie studied philosophy and history at the University of Winnipeg,[citation needed] from which he graduated with an undergraduate degree. He went on to earn a master's degree in philosophy at Concordia University in Montreal.[5]
Blaikie later trained as an electrician, becoming very active in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, of which he is still a member.
Blaikie has been involved in several community engagements in Transcona, Winnipeg, and in the province of Manitoba. He has sat on the Board of directors of the Transcona Historical Museum in the past and continues to maintain his interest and involvement with the museum. As an MP, he currently sits as an honorary board member.
Blaikie is an active associate member of the Royal Canadian Legion - Branch #7 known by locals as the Transcona Legion. With its official formation date being December 6, 1926, the legion celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2016. He commemorated the anniversary as a Member of Parliament by using his allotted time for Statements by Members in the House of Commons to speak to the Legion's history and relevance in the community.[6]