David Sweet

Political career

Sweet was born in Kingston, Ontario. In 2004, he defeated sitting Liberal-turned-Conservative MP John Bryden for the Conservative Party nomination in the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale. In the 2004 election, Sweet placed second to former Hamilton city councillor Russ Powers (Liberal). In the January 2006 election, he defeated Powers.

On June 22, 2006, Sweet obtained the unanimous consent of the House of Commons for a motion awarding honorary Canadian citizenship to the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, Tenzin Gyatso. His Holiness was the 3rd person to receive such an honour by the House of Commons, after Nelson Mandela in 2001.

Sweet makes an annual Members Statement in the House of Commons each June to recognize Scleroderma Month in Canada, saying on June 1, 2006,"If there is a note of passion in my voice, it is because my own family has had to deal with the devastating effects of scleroderma. My mother passed away from complications of this disease and cancer." The environment, Veterans Week and seniors have been among the other topics addressed by Sweet in the House of Commons.

On February 10, 2011, Sweet introduced a Private Member's Bill, Bill C-620, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (parole review and victim impact statement) which was debated only once, on March 23, 2011, before the 40th Parliament was dissolved for the 2011 General Election.

Sweet is chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, a role he has held since September 30, 2010. He also serves on the Steering Committee of the Canadian Parliamentary Committee to Combat Antisemitism Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (CPCCA). He also served on the CPCCA's Inquiry Panel which released a public report on July 7, 2011. [4]. In November 2012, Sweet received the 2012 Humanitarian Award from the Hamilton Jewish Federation for his work on CPCCA and in speaking out against racism.

Sweet has served on three Parliamentary Committees: The Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the Public Accounts Committee and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. On February 17, 2009 he was elected Chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which he served on since he was elected in 2006. Sweet also served as Vice-Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.

Sweet voted to reopen the issue of same-sex marriage on December 16, 2006 in order to "restore the traditional definition of marriage".

During his tenure, Sweet has presented a number of petitions to Parliament on varied topics. On May 14, 2009, Sweet presented two petitions to the House of Commons. "Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions I would like to table. The first on employment insurance. Mr. Speaker, the second petition is from 200 individuals asking the government to recognize its obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and to particularly focus on the right to life. Since 1969 there has been no law to limit abortion in Canada. They are asking the government to enact legislation to the protect the life of the unborn." On October 26, 2009, Sweet presented the House with a petition of 100 signatures, including constituents. "Mr. Speaker, I have a petition here signed by 100 signatories who want to draw the attention of the House to the fact that there has been no legislation regarding abortion and life for the last 40 years. They would like to draw the attention of the House to the fact that legislation is needed in order to protect life from the time of conception until natural death. It is my pleasure to present this to the House."