David Yurdiga (born March 26, 1964) is a former Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2014 to 2021.
David Yurdiga | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake Fort McMurray—Athabasca (2014-2015) | |
| In office June 30, 2014 – September 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Brian Jean |
| Succeeded by | Laila Goodridge |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 26, 1964 Lac la Biche, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | PPC (2021), Conservative (2014-2021, 2022-) |
| Residence | Grassland, Alberta[1] |
| Profession | Consultant |
Political career
editYurdiga entered politics in 2007 when he was acclaimed to Athabasca County's council as a representative of the hamlet of Grassland. He was named deputy reeve in 2008 and then served as reeve from 2009 to 2013.[1]
On January 10, 2014, Brian Jean announced he was resigning as the Conservative Party's Member of Parliament for the riding Fort McMurray—Athabasca to return to private life in Fort McMurray.[2] Yurdiga resigned from Athabasca County's council after party members selected Yurdiga to replace Jean.[3] Yurdiga was elected during the 2014 by-election. In the 2015 federal election, he was elected to the newly formed riding of Fort McMurray-Cold Lake and re-elected in 2019.
Yurdiga was appointed as the party’s critic for Northern Affairs by interim Conservative Party Leader Rona Ambrose on November 20, 2015.[4] He held the position until August 30, 2017, when Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer appointed Cathy McLeod to the position.[5] Yurdiga was unharmed during the 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill.[6]
Yurdiga subsequently endorsed Pierre Poilievre in the 2022 Conservative leadership election. He endorsed Peter MacKay during the 2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.[7] He endorsed Kellie Leitch during the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.[8]
Political positions
editYurdiga joined the rest of the Conservative caucus as a vocal supporter of pipeline construction and oil sands production.
He was a critic of gun control legislation in Canada. In March 2021, he launched a failed petition to ban MPs from mentioning the term "assault rifle" in the House of Commons, telling Fort McMurray Today that the term "is a scare tactic used by the current government to demonize all guns.”[9]
He pushed for more supports for people with episodic disabilities, such as multiple sclerosis.[10] He also partnered with Green Party leader Elizabeth May in lobbying for the fast-tracking of a cystic fibrosis medication that, at the time, had yet to be approved for use in Canada.[11]
His votes on social issues were mixed throughout his political career. Yurdiga voted in favour of banning sex-selective abortion in Canada. He also opposed the legalization of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada.[12]
A flyer from Yurdiga's office sent to constituents was mocked on social media because it warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was planning to legalize recreational cannabis in Canada. Constituents pointed out Trudeau had never kept his support for cannabis legalization a secret.[12]
In 2021, Yurdiga voted against a bill banning conversion therapy after originally voting in favour of banning the practice during second reading of the bill. He claimed his constituency office had received more than 900 emails and texts that “expressed concerns about parental rights since the bill was introduced," but offered no proof these messages existed. He said he wanted the practice banned, but felt the definition of conversion therapy offered by the Liberal Party of Canada was "broad."[13]
At the same time, Yurdiga supported adding gender identity and gender expression to the Canadian Human Rights Act’s list of prohibited grounds of discrimination. In 2016, he supported removing bans on same-sex marriage from official party policy in 2016.[12][14]
Public image as a politician
editYurdiga struggled with public speaking when he was first elected. Over time, Yurdiga became more confident in his public speaking and was a popular guest at functions hosted by multicultural groups in Fort McMurray.[15]
But his early struggles with public speaking caused embarrassing moments at public events that were reported by local media. In 2014, Yurdiga confused India and Pakistan when he was asked to give a speech at a ceremony celebrating India's independence. He blamed the gaffe on "inaccurate information" he was given.[16][17] On election night during the 2015 Canadian federal election, Yurdiga thanked local voters for re-electing Stephen Harper as prime minister, even though Justin Trudeau had already been declared the winner that evening. He later said he meant voters in the riding hoped Harper would be re-elected as prime minister.[18]
Yurdiga was criticized by local media, constituents and his opponents during elections for skipping debates and public forums. Yurdiga said previous commitments during the 2014 by-election and a family health emergency during the 2015 general election kept him from attending most election events. His campaign blamed injuries from a car accident during the 2019 election for keeping Yurdiga away from traditional campaign activities.[12]
During the 2015 campaign, a campaign volunteer confirmed to CJOK-FM's MyMcMurray.com that Yurdiga never intended to attend forums or debates, even before the family medical emergency happened. The volunteer added Yurdiga's campaign team never confirmed attendance with organizers of any of those events.[19]
Yurdiga’s Liberal opponent in 2014 and 2015, Kyle Harrietha, portrayed him as an outsider who was ignorant of Fort McMurray and called out Yurdiga for avoiding public events.[12] All of his opponents in the 2019 election criticized him for avoiding all-candidate events.[20]
COVID-19 mandates and resignation
editYurdiga’s constituency office in Cold Lake was vandalized in January 2021 when someone spray painted “COVID lie” on the building. Yurdiga told the Cold Lake Sun he empathized with the frustrations of the person responsible for the vandalism. He also said he was following Alberta’s COVID-19 restrictions, but did not agree with all of them.[21]
In August 2021 Yurdiga called legislation mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for public servants “a tyrannical idea” and criticized Quebec’s vaccine passport program.[22] Later that month he announced he would not run for re-election, despite being named the party's official candidate in January 2021.[12] A spokesperson for the Conservative Party of Canada said Yurdiga cited health problems as his reason for stepping down.[12]
When the election campaign began, Yurdiga endorsed the People's Party of Canada and the party's candidate for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, Shawn McDonald. He also donated $1,500 to McDonald's campaign.[23]
Yurdiga did not endorse his Conservative successor, Laila Goodridge,[24] but endorsed the re-election of Lakeland Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs on Facebook. McDonald claimed Yurdiga was forced out for criticizing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all government employees.[25]
Personal background
editYurdiga studied power engineering at a technical school in Alberta.[26] He worked at the Eco-Bay Mine in Nunavut, sold industrial chemicals and safety equipment out of Fort McMurray in the early 1990s, then started a consulting and property management business in Lac La Biche.
A Conservative Party biography of Yurdiga said he took over the family farm in Grassland in 2005 and raised organic beef cattle using methods taught to him by his father.[12]
He is married.[10] He has a son, daughter and grandchildren.[26]
On February 16, 2021, a Fort McMurray man was charged with leaving threatening voicemail messages against Yurdiga and the staff at his constituency office. The man, Brad Love, had a history of hate crime and harassment convictions against different politicians, media outlets and religious groups in Canada. Love was found not guilty of threatening Yurdiga but was given a 24-month probationary sentence for threatening a staff member.[27]
Honours
edit| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
 |
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for Canada |
|
Electoral record
edit| 2019 Canadian federal election: Fort McMurray—Cold Lake | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | David Yurdiga | 40,706 | 79.85 | $64,900.43 | ||||
| Liberal | Maggie Farrington | 4,848 | 9.51 | $40,627.13 | ||||
| New Democratic | Matt Gilks | 2,883 | 5.66 | none listed | ||||
| People's | Matthew Barrett | 1,674 | 3.28 | - | none listed | |||
| Green | Brian Deheer | 865 | 1.70 | $0.00 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 50,976 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 258 | |||||||
| Turnout | 51,234 | 65.6 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 78,157 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | +19.10 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[29][30] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Fort McMurray—Cold Lake | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | David Yurdiga | 28,625 | 60.56 | -11.95 | $81,523.68 | |||
| Liberal | Kyle Harrietha | 13,403 | 28.36 | +17.57 | $77,417.78 | |||
| New Democratic | Melody Lepine | 3,663 | 7.75 | -5.38 | $18,491.32 | |||
| Green | Brian Deheer | 743 | 1.57 | -2.00 | $7.50 | |||
| Libertarian | Scott Berry | 552 | 1.17 | – | $715.09 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Roelof Janssen | 280 | 0.59 | – | $9,136.23 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 47,266 | 100.00 | $260,378.41 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 158 | 0.33 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 47,424 | 62.24 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 76,190 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | -14.76 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[31][32] | ||||||||
| Canadian federal by-election, June 30, 2014: Fort McMurray—Athabasca Resignation of Brian Jean | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Conservative | David Yurdiga | 5,991 | 46.71 | −25.13 | ||||
| Liberal | Kyle Harrietha | 4,529 | 35.31 | +24.89 | ||||
| New Democratic | Lori McDaniel | 1,472 | 11.48 | −1.77 | ||||
| Green | Brian Deheer | 453 | 3.53 | −0.96 | ||||
| Libertarian | Tim Moen | 381 | 2.97 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 12,826 | 100.0 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 34 | 0.26 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 12,860 | 15.37 | −25.38 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 83,647 | |||||||
| Conservative hold | Swing | −25.01 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[33] | ||||||||
| 2010 Athabasca County municipal election: Division 7 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote | % |
| David Yurdiga (X) | Acclaimed | |
References
edit- ^ a b McDermott, Vincent (April 26, 2014). "Conservatives elect David Yurdiga as byelection candidate". Fort McMurray Today. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
- ^ Wingrove, Josh (2014-01-10). "Conservative MP representing oil sands resigns". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ "Yurdiga resigns as county councillor". TownAndCountryToday.com (formerly Athabasca Advocate). May 12, 2014.
- ^ Bird, Cullen (November 20, 2015). "David Yurdiga named Northern Affairs Critic". Fort McMurray Today. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016.
- ^ Zimonjic, Peter (August 30, 2017). "Andrew Scheer unveils full shadow cabinet leaving Kellie Leitch off front bench". CBC News.
- ^ "Local MP confirms he is alright, Parliament on lockdown after shooting". TownAndCountryToday.com (formerly Athabasca Advocate). October 22, 2014.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (August 24, 2020). "Yurdiga praises leadership results as local Conservatives backed O'Toole". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (August 27, 2018). "Yurdiga, Goodridge reject Bernier, praise pipeline support at Conservative convention". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (March 4, 2021). "Yurdiga launches petition banning the term 'assault rifle' in House of Commons". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ a b McDermott, Vincent (November 8, 2018). "Yurdiga pushes for legislative changes on Multiple Sclerosis and episodic illnesses". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ Williscraft, Sarah (July 27, 2020). "Yurdiga calls for fast tracking approval of cystic fibrosis drug". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h McDermott, Vincent (August 15, 2021). "Yurdiga steps down as Fort McMurray-Cold Lake's Tory candidate, replaced by Goodridge". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (June 24, 2021). "Yurdiga opposes bill banning conversion therapy, says bill's definition of practice too broad". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ "Conservatives drop same sex marriage ban from policy". Macleans.ca. The Canadian Press. 2016-05-28. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (February 25, 2019). "Gallery: Fort McMurray celebrates Black History Month". Fort McMurray Today.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (August 21, 2014). "Yurdiga regrets confusing India and Pakistan". Fort McMurray Today. Archived from the original on 2016-05-20. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ King, Tyler (August 28, 2014). "Yurdiga inspiring little so far as MP". Fort McMurray Today. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (October 20, 2015). "David Yurdiga wins Fort McMurray-Cold Lake | Fort McMurray Today". Fort McMurray Today. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016.
- ^ Anderson, Sarah (October 9, 2015). "Yurdiga absent from all debates to date". MyMcMurray.Com. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (October 15, 2019). "Fort McMurray-Cold Lake candidates face off at debate". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ Riess, Kelly-Anne (January 6, 2021). "MP David Yurdiga's Cold Lake office vandalized". Cold Lake Sun. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
- ^ Beamish, Laura (August 13, 2021). "Yurdiga criticizes mandatory vaccinations for public servants as a 'tyrannical idea'". fortmcmurraytoday. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ "Political Donors". Investigative Journalism Foundation. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
- ^ Lawton, Andrew (2021-09-12). "Outgoing Alberta Conservative MP David Yurdiga formally endorsing PPC candidate". True North. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (September 21, 2021). "Goodridge elected as Conservative Party's MP for Fort McMurray-Cold Lake". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
- ^ a b "Q and A: MP David Yurdiga on the challenges that face an oilsands community". Ottawa Citizen. September 17, 2014.
- ^ McDermott, Vincent (June 29, 2022). "Trials for Fort McMurray man with hate crime history moved to November 2023". Fort McMurray Today. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "The Diamond Jubilee Medal awarded to The Right Honourable Stephen Joseph Harper, P.C., M.P."
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
- ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- ^ "October 19, 2015 Election Results — Fort McMurray—Cold Lake (Validated results)". Elections Canada. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Elections Canada". Elections Canada. June 30, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.