Arnold Chan

Arnold Chan (June 10, 1967 – September 14, 2017) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, who was elected to represent the riding of Scarborough—Agincourt in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2014 by-election. Chan was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Arnold Chan
陳家諾
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Scarborough—Agincourt
In office
June 30, 2014 – September 14, 2017
Preceded byJim Karygiannis
Succeeded byJean Yip
Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
In office
December 2, 2015 – September 14, 2017
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byScott Reid
Succeeded byChris Bittle
Personal details
Born(1967-06-10)June 10, 1967
Scarborough, Ontario
DiedSeptember 14, 2017(2017-09-14) (aged 50)
Toronto, Ontario
Cause of deathNasopharyngeal cancer[1]
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)Jean Yip
Children3
ResidenceToronto, Ontario
ProfessionLawyer, political aide

Education

Arnold attended Henry Kelsey Senior Public School, Sir Ernest MacMillan Senior Public School and Dr Norman Bethune Collegiate Institute, Chan studied at the University of Toronto, earning an undergraduate and two master's degrees in political science and urban planning, before obtaining a law degree from the University of British Columbia.[2]

Early career

Prior to his election, Chan worked as a lawyer and, for a time, for the Ontario government as chief of staff to Ontario cabinet minister Michael Chan and then as senior aide to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty.[3][4]

Federal politics

Chan won the Liberal nomination for Scarborough—Agincourt after incumbent Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis resigned to run for Toronto City Council. He was elected to Parliament with 59 per cent of the vote in a by-election held in 2014.

While in opposition, Chan served as Liberal critic for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, and critic for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. In November 2014, he became critic for Tourism and Small Business.[5]

On January 22, 2015, Chan revealed to the public that he would take a five-week leave of absence while undergoing treatment for nasopharyngeal cancer.[6][7] Upon his return, he resumed his role and criticized the Harper government's partisan use of public advertising, and their lack of promotion of Canada in the global tourism market.[8]

Following the Liberal victory in the October 2015 federal election, Chan became Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.[9] Chan was known for his advocacy on behalf of the Armenian Canadian community, and chaired the Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group.[10] Chan hosted Garo Paylan, an ethnic-Armenian Member of the Turkish Parliament and advocate for minorities in Turkey, when Paylan visited the Parliament of Canada in May 2017.

In his final speech to the House of Commons on June 12, 2017, Chan urged fellow MPs to rise above partisanship and improve the level of debate in Parliament,[11] saying "I am not sure how many more times I will have the strength to get up and do a 20-minute speech in this place, but the point I want to impart to all of us is that I know we are all honourable members, I know members revere this place, and I would beg us to not only act as honourable members but to treat this institution honourably," adding "I would ask all of us to elevate our debate, to elevate our practice."[1]

Personal life

Chan was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2014. After going into remission following treatment in 2015, the disease recurred in 2016.[12] Chan died on September 14, 2017, at the age of 50.[1]

Chan had three sons with his wife Jean Yip.[1][10] Yip won a December 11, 2017 by-election for Chan's former seat.[13]

Electoral record
2015 Canadian federal election: Scarborough—Agincourt
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalArnold Chan21,58751.95+6.38$70,985.90
ConservativeBin Chang15,80238.03+3.88$81,000.27
New DemocraticLaura Thomas Patrick3,2637.85-10.14$3,832.40
GreenDebra Scott5701.37-0.92–
Christian HeritageJude Coutinho3340.80–$621.16
Total valid votes/Expense limit 41,55699.41 $203,566.74
Total rejected ballots 2480.59–
Turnout 41,80459.42–
Eligible voters 70,355
Liberal hold Swing +1.25
Source: Elections Canada[14][15]
Canadian federal by-election, June 30, 2014: Scarborough—Agincourt
Resignation of Jim Karygiannis
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalArnold Chan12,86859.38+13.98
ConservativeTrevor Ellis6,34429.27−4.91
New DemocraticElizabeth Ying Long1,8388.48−9.62
IndependentKevin Clarke3151.45-
GreenShahbaz Mir3071.42−0.90
Total valid votes/Expense limit 21,672 99.44 –  
Total rejected ballots 121 0.56 −0.09
Turnout 21,793 29.43 −26.60
Eligible voters 74,062
Liberal hold Swing +9.45
Source: Elections Canada[16]

References
  1. Wherry, Aaron (September 14, 2017). "Liberal MP Arnold Chan dies after battle with cancer". CBC News. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  2. "Meet Arnold Chan". Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. "Arnold Chan Wins the LPC Nomination for Scarborough—Agincourt". Liberal.ca. May 9, 2014. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  4. "Arnold Chan Green Lit As Candidate for Scarborough-Agincourt Federal Liberal Nomination". CNW Group. April 30, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  5. "Arnold Chan". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  6. "Scarborough MP diagnosed with cancer". CTV News. January 22, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  7. "New Scarborough MP Arnold Chan diagnosed with cancer". Toronto Star. January 22, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  8. "Debates of April 28th, 2015". OpenParliament. OpenParliament. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  9. "Arnold Chan". House of Commons Canada. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  10. "Statement by the Prime Minister on the death of Member of Parliament Arnold Chan" (Press release). PMO. September 14, 2017.
  11. "Liberal MP Arnold Chan dies at the age of 50". CTV News, September 14, 2017.
  12. "Scarborough Liberal MP Arnold Chan says his cancer has returned". The Canadian Press. March 23, 2016.
  13. "Liberal Jean Yip declares victory in Scarborough-Agincourt byelection". Toronto Star. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  14. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Scarborough—Agincourt, 30 September 2015
  15. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
  16. "Elections Canada". Elections Canada. June 30, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
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