Wally Firth | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Northwest Territories | |
| In office October 30, 1972 – May 21, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Orange |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1935-01-25)January 25, 1935 |
| Died | March 2, 2024(2024-03-02) (aged 89) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Party | New Democratic |
| Profession |
|
Walter Firth (January 25, 1935 – March 2, 2024) was a Canadian politician.
Biography
A Métis, Firth was the first Indigenous politician from the North to win a seat in the House of Commons of Canada. He served as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories during the 1970s. He was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1972 federal election and re-elected in 1974. He did not run for re-election in 1979, but attempted to return to the House of Commons in the 1980 election. He was defeated in the riding of Western Arctic.
In private life, Firth had various careers as an airplane pilot, flying instructor, broadcaster and fur trader. He was also active as a Native rights advocate.
Firth made another attempt to return to the House of Commons in the 1997 federal election, this time running as an Independent in Western Arctic, but was again unsuccessful.
Firth subsequently returned to the New Democratic Party attempting to win the party's nomination in Yukon for the 2004 election but was unsuccessful.1 He died in Victoria, British Columbia, on March 2, 2024, at the age of 89.2
Electoral history
| 1997 Canadian federal election: Western Arctic | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Ethel Blondin-Andrew | 5,564 | 41.64 | –20.83 | $56,834 | |||
| New Democratic | Mary Beth Levan | 2,579 | 19.30 | +12.99 | $22,393 | |||
| Reform | Mike Watt | 1,966 | 14.71 | +0.62 | $4,546 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Dowdall | 1,687 | 12.62 | –0.72 | $16,020 | |||
| Independent | Wally Firth | 1,567 | 11.73 | – | $8,857 | |||
| Total valid votes | 13,363 | 99.30 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 94 | 0.70 | +0.20 | |||||
| Turnout | 13,457 | 58.37 | –1.72 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 23,053 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | –16.91 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada34 | ||||||||
| 1980 Canadian federal election: Western Arctic | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Dave Nickerson | 3,556 | 33.81 | –1.35 | ||||
| New Democratic | Wally Firth | 3,537 | 33.63 | +4.30 | ||||
| Liberal | Gary J. Boyd | 3,425 | 32.56 | –0.59 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 10,518 | 99.17 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 88 | 0.83 | +0.13 | |||||
| Turnout | 10,606 | 66.97 | –5.13 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 15,836 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | –2.83 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada567 | ||||||||
| 1974 Canadian federal election: Northwest Territories | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Wally Firth | 5,410 | 42.09 | +2.27 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Ward | 4,271 | 33.23 | +2.36 | ||||
| Liberal | Richard Whitford | 3,173 | 24.68 | –4.64 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 12,854 | 98.82 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 154 | 1.18 | –0.71 | |||||
| Turnout | 13,008 | 61.07 | –12.44 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 21,299 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | +2.32 | ||||||
| Source: Library of Parliament89 | ||||||||
| 1972 Canadian federal election: Northwest Territories | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Wally Firth | 5,597 | 39.82 | +27.07 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Bob Ward | 4,339 | 30.87 | +7.43 | ||||
| Liberal | Dick Hill | 4,121 | 29.32 | –34.48 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 14,057 | 98.11 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 271 | 1.89 | +0.52 | |||||
| Turnout | 14,328 | 73.51 | +4.25 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 19,491 | |||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +17.25 | ||||||
| Source: Library of Parliament1011 | ||||||||
References
References
- "Boyde takes Yukon NDP nomination". CBC News. April 5, 2004. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
- Wally Firth an unsung Northern trailblazer
- Canada, Library of Parliament (2026). "Elections and Ridings: Western Arctic, Northwest Territories (1997)". lop.parl.ca.
- Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1997). Thirty-Sixth General Election, 1997: Official Voting Results (Report). Ottawa: Elections Canada.
- Canada, Library of Parliament (2026). "Elections and Ridings: Western Arctic, Northwest Territories (1980)". lop.parl.ca.
- Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1980). Thirty-Second General Election, 1980: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer. ISBN 0-660-50630-0.
- Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1980). Thirty-Second General Election, 1980: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer - Respecting Election Expenses (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer. ISBN 0-662-51248-0.
- Canada, Library of Parliament (2026). "Elections and Ridings: Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories (1974)". lop.parl.ca.
- Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1974). Thirtieth General Election, 1974: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer.
- Canada, Library of Parliament (2026). "Elections and Ridings: Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories (1972)". lop.parl.ca.
- Canada, Chief Electoral Officer (1972). Twenty-Ninth General Election, 1972: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer.