Career
Born in Kilmarnock, Scotland, Deans moved to Canada as a youth and found work as a firefighter. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as an New Democratic Member in the 1967 provincial election representing the Hamilton area riding of Wentworth. Deans objected to the organization because it recruited its own members, raised its own funds, and created its own policy, called "The Manifesto".
He said, "You then become a political organization unto yourself." The resolution passed at an NDP convention in 1972.
In 1978, he ran in the Ontario NDP leadership convention to succeed Stephen Lewis. Deans" earlier support for the War Measures Acting became a point of contention and he recanted his position saying he was wrong and had regretted it ever since.
Initially projected to be the front runner, he lost by less than 200 votes to Michael Cassidy. Deans resigned from the legislature the next year.
He served as House Leader for the New Democratic Party during the illness of Stanley Knowles, and became official House Leader following the 1984 federal election.
On September 2, 2010, Deans announced he would be running for mayor of Hamilton in the 2010 Municipal Election. He was quoted as saying, "The current city council "a laughing stock" that has made it impossible to sell anything to do with Hamilton." At the last minute, he changed his mind, withdrew from the Mayoral race and ran instead for the position of Ward 2 (Downtown) Councillor in a field of 20 candidates after the incumbent councillor, Bob Bratina, decided to run for Mayor. Deans finished in eighth place with 231 votes (3%).