Marion Dewar
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| Rank: | 52nd Mayor of Ottawa |
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| Term of Office: | 1978–1985 |
| Predecessor: | Lorry Greenberg |
| Successor: | Jim Durrell |
| Date of Birth: | February 12, 1928 |
| Place of Birth: | Montreal |
| Spouse: | Ken Dewar |
| Profession: | nurse |
| Political affiliations: | New Democratic Party |
Marion Dewar was mayor of Ottawa, Canada, from 1978 to 1985, and a member of the Parliament of Canada from 1986 to 1988.
She was born Marion Bell in Montreal in 1928, and was raised in the town of Buckingham, Quebec, just outside of Ottawa. Originally a public health nurse, she married civil servant Ken Dewar in 1951. She became an Ottawa alderman in 1972, and in 1977 she ran unsuccessfully for the Ontario New Democratic Party in the provincial election in the riding of Ottawa West.
She was elected mayor in 1978. She is a committed peace activist pushing for nuclear disarmament, and personally picketing the American embassy after the invasion of Grenada. Dewar appeared in the 1985 documentary Speaking our Peace. As mayor she convened a convention on the issue of homosexuality six months after taking office. In 1979, she helped launch Project 4000 with the aim of finding sponsors for 4,000 Vietnamese refugees in Ottawa. Ottawa today still has a large Vietnamese community.
In 1985, she became president of the federal New Democratic Party. She was elected to the House of Commons in a 1987 by-election in the riding of Hamilton Mountain, replacing NDP incumbent Ian Deans. She had been invited to the riding in the hopes that a star candidate would keep the riding in NDP hands, but faced a strong competition for the nomination from future MP David Christopherson. She was defeated in the 1988 general election, losing to Liberal Beth Phinney by only 74 votes.
Continuing to play a prominent role in the NDP, she was one of the leading backers of Audrey McLaughlin's leadership bid. In the 1993 election, she attempted to return to Parliament for the riding of Ottawa Centre, but lost by a wide margin to Liberal incumbent Mac Harb in an election where the NDP fared poorly across the country.
In 1995, she became chair of Oxfam Canada. She also served as the chair of the Ottawa-Carleton's Police Services Board, and oversaw the merger of the Ottawa, Nepean, and Gloucester police forces into a unified organization. However, in December 1995, she, along with the rest of the board, was fired by the new government of Mike Harris who disagreed with their political views. Dewar and another board member sued the government for unfair dismissal and in a precedent setting case the court ruled in their favour.
In 2002, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour.
She has five children, and a number of grandchildren. Her son, Paul Dewar, was elected to parliament in the 2006 federal election, winning the Ottawa Centre riding for the NDP.
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Mayors of Ottawa |  |
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| Bytown: J. Scott | J.B. Lewis | Hervey | Sparrow | R.W. Scott | Turgeon | Friel Ottawa: J.B. Lewis | McGillivray | Workman | Friel | Dickinson | Lyon | Rochester | Martineau | Featherston | Lyon-Fellowes | Waller | Bangs | Mackintosh | St. Jean | Bate | McDougal | Stewart | Erratt | Birkett | Durocher | Cox | Borthwick | Bingham | Payment | Morris | Davidson | Cook | J. Ellis | Hastey | D. Scott | Champagne | Hopewell | Hinchey | McVeity | Porter | Fisher | Plant | Watters | Balharrie | A. Ellis | Allen | Nolan | J.E.S. Lewis | Bourque | Goodwin | Whitton | Nelms | Reid | Fogarty | Benoit | Greenberg | Dewar | Durrell | Laviolette | Holzman | Watson | Higdon New city of Ottawa: Chiarelli |
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| Preceded by: Ian Deans, NDP |
Member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain 1987-1988 |
Succeeded by: Beth Phinney, Liberal |
[edit] References
- McCabe, Norma. "Ottawa Mayor Marion Dewar is a Product of On-the-Job Training." The Globe and Mail. Jan 14, 1984. pg. L5
