Chris Charlton
Charlton in September 2006
Member of Parliament
for Hamilton Mountain
In office
January 23, 2006  August 4, 2015
Preceded byBeth Phinney
Succeeded byScott Duvall
Personal details
Born
Chris Happel

(1963-07-04) July 4, 1963
Dortmund, West Germany
NationalityCanadian
Political partyNew Democratic
SpouseBrian Charlton
Residence(s)Hamilton, Ontario
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
McMaster University
OccupationPolitician
Profession
  • Political adviser
  • consultant
  • teaching assistant

Chris Charlton (born July 4, 1963) is a German-born, retired Canadian politician from the City of Hamilton, Ontario. As a New Democrat, she served as the member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain from 2006 until 2015.

Background

Charlton was born in Dortmund, Germany and immigrated to Canada with her parents in 1975. She attended the University of Western Ontario for undergraduate studies and then McMaster University to pursue a master's degree in Political Science. During this time, she became active with the New Democratic Youth club on campus.[1] Soon after, Bob Rae and the New Democrats came to power in Ontario, and Charlton received a job as a political advisor with the government, where her husband, Brian Charlton (whom she married in 1992), was a cabinet minister. When the Progressive Conservatives defeated Rae's government in the 1995 provincial election.

Politics

At the time the Hamilton Mountain New Democrats held their nomination meeting to declare a candidate to run against Beth Phinney in 1997, Charlton had become a Teaching Assistant at U of T and had nearly completed her studies.[2] Though only 33 at the time, she had already served as an advisor to Bob Rae's government, and went unopposed in the nomination.[3] On election night, she placed 4th out of 6 candidates, which would be the lowest she would ever poll in an election campaign.

Over the course of the next 9 years, she would run in the 1999 provincial election and the 2003 provincial election, the Hamilton municipal election of 2000 and two federal elections in 1997 and 2004.

Just prior to the 2006 election, she was the Director of Community Relations with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada,[4] but resigned her position to stand again, this time against Ward 7 Councillor Bill Kelly, who she attempted to unseat in the Hamilton municipal election of 2000. Charlton won that race by a 6-point margin, and retook the riding for the New Democrats after 17 years of Liberal representation.

In 2008, Charlton faced another former Ward 7 councillor, Terry Anderson of the Conservatives and local lawyer Tyler Banham of the Liberals. Despite an aggressive internet campaign on behalf of the Liberals,[5] the race became a New Democrat-Conservative match, which saw Charlton increase voter support despite a lower voter turnout than in 2006.

Charlton announce on December 5, 2014 that she was not going to run for re-election in the next federal election in a year's time, after almost a decade in parliament and 25 years in politics.[6]

In the 2009 Ontario New Democratic Leadership race, Charlton officially endorsed Andrea Horwath for leader, who would win the position on the third ballot.[7]

Electoral history

Federal

2011 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticChris Charlton25,57347.2+3.4%
ConservativeTerry Anderson17,94633.1+2.4%
LiberalMarie Bountrogianni8,79516.2-4%
GreenStephen Brotherston1,5082.8-2.7%
Total valid votes 54,264-10.9%
Total rejected ballots 261
Turnout  %
2008 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticChris Charlton22,79643.7+6.4%
ConservativeTerry Anderson16,01030.7+3.5%
LiberalTyler Banham10,53120.2-11.7%
GreenStephen Brotherston2,8845.5+2.9%
Total valid votes 52,221-10.9%
Total rejected ballots 293
Turnout  %
2006 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticChris Charlton21,86937.3%
LiberalBill Kelly18,69731.9%
ConservativeDon Graves15,91527.2%
GreenSusan Wadsworth1,5102.6%
Christian HeritageStephen Downey4580.8%
Marxist–LeninistPaul Lane1310.2%
Total valid votes 58,580
2004 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
LiberalBeth Phinney18,548
New DemocraticChris Charlton17,552
ConservativeTom Jackson15,590
GreenJo Pavlov1,378
Marxist–LeninistPaul Lane214
1997 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
LiberalBeth Phinney21,128
Progressive ConservativeJohn Smith8,877
ReformRichard F. Gaasenbeek8,154
New DemocraticChris Charlton7,440
Canadian ActionChristopher M. Patty374
Marxist–LeninistIqbal Sumbal146

Provincial

2003 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
LiberalMarie Bountrogianni23,52451.79+11.54
New DemocraticChris Charlton12,01726.464.05
Progressive ConservativeShakil Hassan8,63719.02-15.58
Family CoalitionEleanor Johnson7481.65+0.75
GreenSelwyn Inniss4941.09+0.13
1999 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalMarie Bountrogianni19,07640.25
Progressive ConservativeTrevor Pettit16,39734.6
New DemocraticChris Charlton10,62222.41
GreenKelli Gallagher4560.96
Family CoalitionJim Enos4260.9
Natural LawBob Danio2610.55
IndependentRolf Gerstenberger1590.34

Municipal

Summary of the November 13, 2000 Hamilton, Ontario Ward Seven Councillor Election
Candidate Popular vote
Votes % ±%
Bill Kelly (incumbent) 10,482 60.83% +-%
Chris Charlton 6,011 34.88% n/a
Mark Allan Whittle 740 4.29% +-%
Total votes 17,233 100%
Registered voters 39,377 43.76
Note: All Hamilton Municipal Elections are officially non-partisan.
Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.)
and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates.
Sources: "Expressway, balance sheet weigh heavy in Ward 7", October 30, 2003 Thursday Final Edition, LOCAL; Pg. A08, 948 words

References

  1. "A campaign to put more women on the ballot", Dana Brown, May 26, 2007 Saturday Final Edition, LOCAL; Pg. A12, 1192 words
  2. "Charlton seeks federal NDP nod", January 21, 1997 Tuesday Final Edition, LOCAL NEWS; Pg. A4, 168 words
  3. Another Charlton will run on Mountain, February 6, 1997 Thursday Final Edition, LOCAL NEWS; Pg. A5, 261 words, Lee Prokaska
  4. "Perseverance pays off; NDP's Charlton, Marston finally make it", Wade Hemsworth, January 25, 2006 Wednesday Final Edition, LOCAL; Pg. A06, 386 words
  5. Charlton off to Ottawa for a second term; Hamilton Mountain, October 15, 2008 Wednesday, LOCAL; Pg. A06, 413 words, Jackson Hayes
  6. "Chris Charlton won't run for Hamilton Mountain MP again". CBC News. December 5, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
  7. "Andrea Horwath's Home Page". www.andreahorwath.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
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