Peter Stoffer

Infobox CanadianMP | name=Peter Arend Stoffer

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cabinet=
term_start=1997
term_end=
predecessor="District Created"
birth_date=birth date and age |1956|01|06
birth_place= flagicon|NED Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands
death_date=
death_place=
profession=Manager
party=New Democratic Party
party colour=NDP
residence=Fall River, Nova Scotia
riding=Sackville—Eastern Shore (1997-1999; 2004-)
Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore (1999-2004)
portfolio=
footnotes=
term_start2=
term_end2=
predecessor2=
successor2=
spouse= Andrea Stoffer|

Peter Arend Stoffer (born January 6, 1956 in Heerlen, Limburg, Netherlands) is a Canadian politician.

Stoffer is currently a member of the New Democratic Party caucus in the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Sackville—Eastern Shore. He represented Sackville—Musquodoboit Valley—Eastern Shore after the 2000 election, and after the 1997 election, he represented the riding of Sackville—Eastern Shore. (Riding changes are due to redistribution.) Stoffer is a former airline employee and union activist who was also vocal on environmental issues.

Stoffer is the current NDP critic of Fisheries and Oceans, Shipbuilding, Seniors, Veterans’ Affairs, and Amateur Sport. He is a former critic of Canada Post Corporation, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and National Defence.

Stoffer is a populist and has been an advocate of Third Way policies championed by Tony Blair. He is affiliated with the internal party reform group NDProgress that successfully pushed the NDP to adopt a 'one member one vote' system to choose its leader, and which has called for limits on union influence within the party.

Elections

In 1997, he was first elected on former leader Alexa McDonough’s coattails. Peter Stoffer won his seat by a mere 39 votes. Subsequently, however, Stoffer increased his margin of victory, in the 2004 election, his plurality was over 6,000 votes. In 2006, he took 53% of the vote, the second placed candidate was over 12, 000 votes behind. He was the only Nova Scotia NDP Member of Parliament elected in 1997 to have retained his seat, other than McDonough.

Stoffer lives in Fall River, Nova Scotia with his wife Andrea, his two daughters (Jasmin and Amber) and his dog; Angel.

On Parliament Hill

In Ottawa on Parliament Hill, Peter Stoffer has been consistently voted “Most Fun MP to work for” by "The Hill Times" newspaper, and is known for the “All Party, Party” – a non-partisan fundraiser for various charities.

In 2006 Stoffer withdrew his own private members bill aimed at preseving Canada's neglected heritage lighthouses, in order to support similar legislation, Bill S-220 An Act to Protect Heritage Lighthouses introduced by Conservative Senator Pat Carney. ['Lighthouse Bill Protecting Our Lighthouses - The Icons of Canada's Maritime Heritage' "Canadian Heritage Foundation Featured Heritage Buildings" by Douglas Franklin http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/featured/current.html ]

Stoffer has been critical of MPs who cross the floor and has repeatedly introduced a private member's bill banning party-hopping by Members of Parliament. His proposal, requiring MPs who leave their party to either resign and contest a by-election or sit as independents, was included in a list of demands issued by NDP leader Jack Layton in October 2005, in exchange for continued NDP support of the Liberal minority government.

After David Emerson's controversial decision to cross the floor, he has revived this idea.

2003 leadership election

During the 2003 NDP leadership convention, Stoffer was the campaign co-chair to Lorne Nystrom, a former long serving NDP MP from Saskatchewan. Days before the leadership convention, Stoffer let it be known to the media that his second ballot intention was to move to support Manitoba MP Bill Blaikie. While Nystrom was viewed as a long shot to begin with, many attribute Stoffer’s comments as killing any hope Nystrom had of winning over delegates at the convention, as his campaign co-chair was already talking about switching allegiances. At the convention, Toronto city councillor Jack Layton was elected on the first ballot.

Peter Stoffer and Jack Layton are said to conflict on many policy issues, particularly on Stoffer's strong advocacy of the Canadian Forces. Publicly however, Stoffer has been supportive of the current NDP leader.

References

External links

* [http://www.peterstoffer.ca Peter Stoffer's Homepage]
* [http://www.ndp.ca New Democratic Party of Canada]
* [http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/Map.aspx?L=e&ED=12008&EV=99&EV_TYPE=6&PC=&Prov=NS&MapID=&QID=-1&PageID=13 Elections Canada: Sackville--Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia)]
* [http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Files/Parliamentarian.aspx?Item=c6909a0f-8a8f-4a2f-a882-ca2c7ea15be3&Language=E&MenuID=Lists.Members.aspx&MenuQuery=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.parl.gc.ca%2FParlinfo%2FLists%2FMembers.aspx%3FParliament%3D%26Riding%3D%26Name%3Dstoffer%26Party%3D%26Province%3D%26Gender%3D%26New%3DFalse%26Current%3DFalse%26Picture%3DFalse Parliament Webpage]