Monty Davidson

Montgomery Bryden "Monty" Davidson (23 October 1935 – 26 March 2017) was Canadian politician. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the riding of Cambridge from 1975 until 1981.

Monty Davidson
Ontario MPP
In office 1975–1981
Preceded by	New riding
Succeeded by	Bill Barlow
Constituency	Cambridge
Personal details
Born	Montgomery Bryden Davidson October 23, 1935
Died	26 March 2017 (aged 81) Cambridge, Ontario
Political party	New Democrat
Spouse(s)	Margaret
Children	6
Residence	Cambridge, Ontario
Occupation	Textile worker, Labour activist

Background

Monty Davidson was a staff representative for the Textile Workers of America and a long-time union organizer. He went to work, at the age of 15, for the Stauffer and Dobbie Co. textile plant in Galt, Ontario and became shop steward at the age of 17.[1]

Politics

In the 1975 provincial election, Davidson ran as the NDP candidate in the new riding of Cambridge. He defeated Liberal candidate Claudette Millar by 1,593 votes.[2] He was re-elected in 1977 defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Bill Barlow by 554 votes.[3][4] In the 1981 election he again faced Barlow but lost to him by 849 votes.[5][6] During his time as an MPP, he sat in opposition under NDP leaders Stephen Lewis and Michael Cassidy.

Later life

In 1981, he took a job with the Occupational Health and Safety Branch of the Ontario Federation of Labour. He said, "It's a full-time job and I'm very fortunate that there were people looking out for me who were willing to give me this kind of work in an area that I'm familiar with."[7] In his later career, he worked at the Workers Health and Safety Centre in Cambridge before retiring in 1999.[1]

Davidson died on March 26, 2017. He was survived by Margaret, his wife of 62 years, and six children.[8] The NDP association in Cambridge established an annual award in his memory "to celebrate [his] life-long service to working people".[9]

References

1. Pink, Dave (August 30, 2003). "Labouring on; Fewer industries means fewer unions, but times are changing, organizers say". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. J1.
2. "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
3. "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
4. Jalsevac, Philip (February 26, 1993). "Former Cambridge MPP hasn't lost taste for politics". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. B3.
5. Canadian Press (March 20, 1981). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22.
6. Aagaard, Chris (April 12, 1991). "Former Cambridge MPP Barlow to be honored by Tories, friends". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. p. B3.
7. Carriere, Vianney (August 24, 1981). "The losers for ex-MPPs, it's limelight to limbo". The Globe and Mail.
8. "Montgomery "Monty" Davidson ~ 1935-2017". Corbett Funeral Home.
9. "Cambridge NDP Presents New Monty Davidson Award at Oct. 14 Fall Dinner". Cambridge NDP. July 18, 2016.

External links

• Ontario Legislative Assembly parliamentary history (archived)