Cam Broten

Cameron Paul Broten (born April 29, 1978) is a Canadian politician. He represented the constituency of Saskatoon Massey Place in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2016 and served as the leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party from 2013 to 2016.

Cam Broten
Leader of the Opposition in Saskatchewan
In office March 9, 2013 – April 4, 2016
Premier	Brad Wall
Preceded by	John Nilson (interim)
Succeeded by	Trent Wotherspoon (interim)
Leader of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party
In office March 9, 2013 – April 23, 2016
Preceded by	John Nilson (interim)
Succeeded by	Trent Wotherspoon (interim)
Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Massey Place
In office November 7, 2007 – March 8, 2016
Preceded by	Eric Cline
Succeeded by	Riding abolished
Personal details
Born	Cameron Paul Broten April 29, 1978 Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Political party	NDP
Spouse(s)	Ruth Eliason
Relations	Hans Broten (grandfather)
Children	5
Residence	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Alma mater	Simon Fraser University (M.A.) University of Saskatchewan (B.A.)
Occupation	Politician

Early life and education

Broten was born in Regina, Saskatchewan in 1978 and spent his early years in the Northern Saskatchewan communities of La Loche, Green Lake, Meadow Lake, and La Ronge before his family settled in Saskatoon. There he attended Marion M. Graham Collegiate. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of Saskatchewan and a master's degree in political science from Simon Fraser University.[1]

He worked as a policy analyst with the provincial government, in the Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation, and later as a health policy manager with the Saskatchewan Medical Association.[1] He was also an elected board member with the Saskatoon Co-op.[2]

Political career

MLA and NDP Leader

Broten was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan in the 2007 provincial election as a member of the Saskatchewan NDP in the riding of Saskatoon Massey Place. In that election, the NDP lost 10 seats and went from a minority government to the official opposition. In the 2011 provincial election, Broten was one of just 9 NDP MLAs elected as the party was reduced to its smallest presence in the legislature since 1982. Party leader Dwain Lingenfelter lost his own seat and resigned following the election, triggering a leadership race that culminated in March of 2013.[3]

Broten announced his intention to run for the leadership in September 2012.[4] He was one of four candidates alongside Saskatoon doctor Ryan Meili, Regina MLA Trent Wotherspoon, and Regina economist Erin Weir.[5] Weir ultimately withdrew before the election and endorsed Meili, which led to a close three-way contest. Meili led on the first ballot by more than 400 votes, but on the second ballot Broten eked out a win by a margin of just 44 votes to become leader.[6] Following the election, Broten appointed Wotherspoon to be his deputy leader.[7]

Despite the narrow victory in the leadership contest, Broten's popularity and support among the party grew quickly. In constitutionally-required party leadership review votes in 2014 and 2015 he received strong endorsements. At the 2014 NDP convention in Moose Jaw he earned 98.7% of delegates' votes, while at the 2015 convention in Regina he received 98% of delegates' votes.[8][9]

Cam Broten, Ruth Eliason and their daughters in Fall 2014

During his leadership Broten focused on the issues of seniors care, better access and shorter wait times for health care, the elimination of high-cost ambulance fees, and a lower cost of living for families in the province.[10][11][12][13] Broten also proposed caps on classrooms sizes, an increase in the number of educational assistants, and pushed for economic reforms including a new procurement policy and moving away from public-private-partnerships, which he argued ran up development costs while exporting benefits like jobs and profits to other jurisdictions.[14][15][16] Broten also supported responsible resource development in Saskatchewan.[17]

In Opposition, Broten put a particular emphasis on criticizing the governing Saskatchewan Party's application of LEAN principles on the province's health care system.[18][19][20] Broten also earned support from the majority government for his landmark private member's bill to create an asbestos registry for the province - known as Howard's Law - as well as measures to support local business.[21][22] He also convinced the government to change its long-standing policy on Canada's Senate; Broten consistently supported abolishment of Canada's upper chamber.[23]

2016 election and resignation

Broten led the NDP into the 2016 provincial election against a popular Brad Wall and Saskatchewan Party government. The NDP ultimately won just 10 seats, a gain of one from the previous election, and the Saskatchewan Party was elected to a third successive majority government.[24] In addition, and in an echo of the 2011 election, Broten lost his own seat in the election. Broten's riding of Massey Place was reconfigured prior to the election, and so he ran in the new riding of Saskatoon Westview. There he lost to Saskatchewan Party rookie candidate David Buckingham by 232 votes.[25][26] The Liberal candidate in the riding, Naveed Anwar, had previously run for the NDP in 2011 and had sought a nomination to run again for the party in 2016. However, he claimed to have been denied the opportunity to run in the riding of his choosing, and he opted to run for the Liberals instead, intending to undermine the NDP. He ultimately received 240 votes, 8 votes more than the margin between Buckingham and Broten.[27]

Broten resigned as party leader following the election on April 11, 2016, and former leadership rival Trent Wotherspoon was appointed interim party leader.[28][29] Broten thus became only the second Saskatchewan CCF/NDP leader since before the Second World War, following Lingenfelter, to have never served as premier.

Personal life

After resigning as NDP leader, Broten became the executive director of Saskatchewan Egg Producers, an industry marketing group.[2]

In 2004 Broten married Ruth Megan Eliason, a music therapist with Palliative Care Services in the Saskatoon Health Region who was raised on a family farm in the Stewart Valley area near Swift Current.[30] They live in Saskatoon with their four daughters.[31] Their oldest child, a son was born preterm in 2009 and died the same day.[32]

Broten's grandfather, Hans Broten, served in the Legislative Assembly in the 1960s under Tommy Douglas and Woodrow Lloyd.[1]

Electoral record

2016 Saskatchewan general election: Saskatoon Westview
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Saskatchewan	David Buckingham	3,892	49.07
	New Democratic	Cam Broten	3,675	46.34
	Liberal	Naveed Anwar	240	3.03
	Green	Tammy McDonald	124	1.56
Total valid votes			7,931	99.79
Total rejected ballots			17	0.21
Turnout			7,948	55.10
Eligible voters			14,425
Source: Elections Saskatchewan[33][34]

2011 Saskatchewan general election: Saskatoon Massey Place
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Cam Broten	3,812	53.85	-1.83
	Saskatchewan	Ali Muzaffar	3,072	43.40	+7.77
	Green	Diane West	195	2.75	+0.47
Total			7,079	100.00

2007 Saskatchewan general election: Saskatoon Massey Place
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	New Democratic	Cam Broten	4,109	55.68	-5.72
	Saskatchewan	Dennis Neudorf	2,629	35.63	+14.06
	Liberal	Ashraf Omar	473	6.41	-8.39
	Green	Crystal Stadnyk	168	2.28	+1.35
Total			7,379	100.00

References

1. Graham, Jennifer (2016-03-09). "Saskatchewan NDP Leader Cam Broten Juggles Family And Politics". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
2. "Cam Broten appointed Saskatchewan Egg Producers executive | CBC News". CBC. 2016-07-19. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
3. "NDP's Lingenfelter resigns after losing seat | CBC News". CBC. 2011-09-07. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
4. McAdam, Bre (September 5, 2012). "Broten declares bid for NDP leadership". CKOM. Rawlco Radio Ltd. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
5. "Erin Weir drops out of Saskatchewan NDP race". CBC News. February 20, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
6. Graham, Jennifer (March 10, 2013). "Cam Broten, The New Leader Of The Saskatchewan NDP, Calls For United Front". HuffPost Canada. Canadian Press. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
7. Giles, David (March 11, 2013). "Broten shuffles caucus, names Wotherspoon deputy leader". Global News. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
8. "Saskatchewan NDP gives leader 98.7 per cent approval at party convention". iPolitics. Canadian Press. June 1, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
9. "Saskatchewan NDP gives Broten 98 per cent support in review vote". CTV News. Canadian Press. May 23, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
10. Clancy, Clare (2015-09-16). "Saskatchewan government failing to improve seniors care homes despite tragic cases: NDP". thestarphoenix.com.
11. Rockliffe, Amber. "Opposition NDP says Saskatoon City Hospital underutilized". globalnews.ca.
12. Clancy, Clare. "Saskatchewan NDP says ambulance fees need to be capped in the province". theglobeandmail.com.
13. Brown, Chris. "Broten Tours Lloydminster". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
14. Moose Jaw Times Herald. "NDP budget priorities". mjtimes.sk.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-07-13. Retrieved 2015-07-26.
15. Senick, Joel. "NDP leader calls for change in Saskatchewan procurement policies". globalnews.ca.
16. Carins, John. "NDP leader Broten slams LEAN, P3s". newsoptimist.ca.
17. Gardner, Matt (March 16, 2013). "Broten outlines priorities as new NDP leader". TC Media. Prince Albert Daily Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
18. Cairns, John. "NDP leader Broten slams LEAN, P3s". newsoptimist.ca. Battelfords News Optimist.
19. Langenegger, Stefani. "Spending on 'Japanese sensei' questioned by Sask. NDP". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
20. Martin, Ashley (Sep 11, 2014). "Employees don't like Lean: survey". Postmedia. The Leader-Post.
21. Giles, David. "Howard's Law for mandatory asbestos reporting in Saskatchewan near reality". globalnews.ca.
22. "Buy Local Day Made Official in Saskatchewan". Harvard Broadcasting. CKRM - Harvard Broadcasting.
23. Vigliotti, Marco. "Opposition NDP urges Saskatchewan Party to introduce Senate abolition resolution". Metro News. Metro News.
24. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-party-projected-to-win-majority-government-1.3520642
25. "2016 Elections Saskatchewan". Elections Saskatchewan. Elections Saskatchewan. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
26. Hamilton, Charles (2016-04-05). "NDP Leader Cam Broten loses seat in Saskatoon Westview to Sask. Party's David Buckingham". thestarphoenix. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
27. Biber, Francois (2016-04-11). "Did ex-NDPer running as Liberal cause Cam Broten's loss?". CBC News. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
28. "Cam Broten steps down as Saskatchewan NDP leader", CBC News, April 11, 2016
29. "NDP's Trent Wotherspoon elected leader of the Opposition in legislature | Regina Leader-Post". 2016-04-15.
30. Facebook
31. "Hovdestad Family History - Family Photo Book". Mixbook. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
32. "Magnus Broten: Obituary". The StarPhoenix. Postmedia Network. Legacy.com. May 1, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
33. "Register of Official Candidates by Constituency - March 19 - FINAL" (PDF). Elections Saskatchewan. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
34. "2016 General Election Results" (PDF). Elections Saskatchewan. Retrieved 11 October 2020.

External links

• Opposition Caucus Website