Michelle Simson

Michelle Simson MP
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Scarborough Southwest
In office 2008–2011
Preceded by	Tom Wappel
Succeeded by	Dan Harris
Personal details
Born	July 10, 1953 Toronto, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	George Simson
Profession	Vice-President and Manager

Michelle Simson (born July 10, 1953) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the Ontario electoral district of Scarborough Southwest as a Member of Parliament from 2008 through 2011. She is a member of the Liberal Party.

Before being elected as an MP, she was the vice-president and general manager of a leasing firm located in Scarborough and was a former president of the Ontario Women's Liberal Commission.

After the election, Simson was a member of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics and an associate member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. She also sat as a member of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

She was also the Co-chair of the National Liberal Caucus Communications Committee and Treasurer of the GTA/Ontario Liberal Caucus.

Political career (2008-2011)

On July 7, 2009, Simson made history by becoming the first federal politician in Canada^[1] to publicize her claimed expenses for the fiscal year on her website,^[2] saying:

"I have been a taxpayer a lot longer than I ever have been an MP, and as a taxpayer this was a real bone of contention. ... It was all about accountability. I may not succeed, but in my little piece of the world, my constituents can go on my website and will be able to see how the money is spent. It's their money. That's the bottom line."

On November 6, 2009, Simson's motion M-354, which called upon the government to develop and adopt a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare, was unanimously adopted.^[3]

"This declaration is an agreement among people and nations to recognize that animals are sentient, suffer, have welfare needs, and to ultimately end animal cruelty worldwide. Thousands of Canadians have signed petitions in support of a UDAW and this declaration is actively supported by Canada's foremost animal protection organizations." ^[4]

Simson was also a founding member and Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on palliative and Compassionate Care (PCPCC), a non-partisan Parliamentary group aimed at promoting awareness of glaring deficiences in Canada's palliative and compassionate care framework.

After serving for just over two-and-a-half years as an MP, Simson ran for re-election in her Scarborough Southwest riding in 2011. She was defeated, coming in third.

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2011
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Dan Harris	14,119	35.04	+16.29
	Conservative	Gavan Paranchothy	12,830	31.85	+2.34
	Liberal	Michelle Simson	11,699	29.05	-12.77
	Green	Stefan Dixon	1,635	4.06	-5.43
Total valid votes/Expense limit			40,283	100.00
Total rejected ballots			218	0.54	+0.01
Turnout			40,501	59.45	+4.71
Eligible voters			68,122	–	–

Canadian federal election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Michelle Simson	15,486	41.82	-6.06	$61,923
	Conservative	Greg Crompton	10,928	29.51	+5.37	$52,973
	New Democratic	Alamgir Hussain	6,943	18.75	-4.15	$22,985
	Green	Stefan Dixon	3,514	9.49	+5.08	$588
	Independent	M. H. Fatique Chowdhury Kabir	151	0.40	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			37,022	100.00	$80,366
Total rejected ballots			195	0.52	+0.07
Turnout			37,217	54.74	-7.63
Eligible voters			67,988	–	–
	Liberal hold		Swing	-5.7

Personal life

Simson is married to husband George and they have one son, Eric.

References

1. Woods, Allan (July 7, 2009). "MP pulls back expense curtain". The Star (Toronto). Retrieved May 12, 2010.
2. "Michelle Simson, MP's Financial Disclosure".
3. "UDAW campaign reaches critical milestone".
4. "Parliament Adopts Animal Welfare Motion".

External links

• Michelle Simson – Parliament of Canada biography