John D. WESTON

Background

Weston, John D. was born on April 19, 1958 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Education

Harvard University (Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, Government, 1980). Osgoode Hall Law School (Bachelor of Laws, 1983). Governor, Board of Governors, York University, 1981 1983.

President, Harvard University Canadian Club, 1978-1980.

President, Harvard University International Students’ Association, 1979-1980. Spoken languages: English, French and Mandarin.

Career

He then worked as a lawyer in Canada and in Taiwan. Weston ran in the 2006 Canadian federal election but was defeated, by Blair Wilson. Weston lost by 1.5%, or 976 votes.

Weston introduced bill C-475, which amended the Controlled Drugs and Substances Acting to make it illegal to possess, produce, sell or import chemicals with the knowledge they will be used to create street drugs, though it was later tabled.

Weston created a National Health and Fitness Day bill, saying “On a personal level I just saw when I reached Ottawa how unhealthy was the lifestyle that MPs lead — so much time on airplanes and in committees and sitting in Parliament. I just resolved that if I was going to remain productive and useful to the people who voted me in, I needed to work at staying healthy.”

Mair has repeatedly accused Weston of blindly adhering to Conservative Party policy on all issues.

In an article dated January 19, 2015, Mair alleged that in Weston"s time as an Member of Parliament he had "never uttered a single word of criticism of any statement or action by the government". Weston and Mair are former colleagues from Mair"s time as a British Columbia Modern Language Association, and his role as minister responsible for constitutional reform during that period.

Weston has responded to Mair by claiming that he carefully considers his position on environmental issues and comes to his own decision.

In a responding letter to the editor, Weston also stated that Mair"s critique had ignored the role of the democratic process and denigrated MPs" role in lieutenant In the 2015 federal election, he was defeated by Liberal candidate Pamela Goldsmith-Jones.

Achievements

• John D. Weston has been listed as a reputable lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell.

Membership

He is a member of the Conservative Party. During the 40th Parliament, he served as a member of the Aboriginal Affairs, Fisheries, and Library of Parliament Standing Committees, and as the Government Liaison to the Persian and Iranian Community, and as the Vice Chair of the Conservative Community Relations Committee. Since being re-elected in the 2011 Canadian federal election, Weston has served on the Citizenship and Immigration Committee and as a member of the Official Languages Committee.

In his column in The Tyee, political commentator Rafe Mair has been extremely critical of Weston"s approach to environmental issues and his role as a Member of Parliament.