Ken Atkinson

Kenneth David Atkinson (born March 2, 1947) is a Canadian politician. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1993 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

Early life and career

Atkinson was born in St. Catharines, Ontario. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario.

Atkinson was called to the Ontario Bar in 1975, and worked as a lawyer before entering political life. He has held leadership roles in a variety of community organizations, including serving as a warden with Grace Anglican Church.

Political career

Atkinson was elected to the St. Catharines municipal council in 1982, and was re-elected in 1985. He declined to seek re-election in 1988, in order to campaign for the House of Commons.

He was elected to parliament in the 1988 federal election, defeating Liberal candidate Barbara Buchanan by over 3,500 votes. The Progressive Conservative Party won the election, and for the next five year Atkinson served as a backbench supporter of the Brian Mulroney and Kim Campbell governments. He served on a variety of committees, and chaired the sub-committee on the St. Lawrence seaway of the Standing Committee on Transport. Atkinson also organized a lobbying effort for job-retraining funds in his region, which was severely impacted by the economic downturn of the early 1990s ("Toronto Star", 25 February 1992). He supported Kim Campbell's bid to succeed Mulroney as party leader in 1993 ("Hamilton Spectator", 3 April 1993).

The Progressive Conservative Party was resoundingly defeated in the 1993 election, and Atkinson finished third against Liberal candidate Walt Lastewka. He attempted to return to the House of Commons in the 2000 federal election, but again finished third.

s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for St. Catharines
years=1988–1993