Occupation lawyer | Name Graham Steele Website www.grahamsteele.ca | |
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Residence Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada Books What I Learned about Politics: Inside the Riseand Collapseof Nova Scotia's NDP Government Education University of Manitoba, University of Oxford, St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Schulich School of Law | ||
Effective citizens an ex politician s secrets graham steele tedxmsvu
Graham J. Steele (July 8, 1964, Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician, having represented the constituency of Halifax Fairview in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2001-2013 for the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.
Contents
- Effective citizens an ex politician s secrets graham steele tedxmsvu
- Graham steele on what i learned about politics
- Early life and education
- Legal career
- Political career
- Life after politics
- Personal life
- References
Graham steele on what i learned about politics
Early life and education
A native of Winnipeg, Steele graduated with a B.A. from the University of Manitoba and was recipient of the Governor General's Silver Medal. Steele received a Rhodes Scholarship and attended St Edmund Hall, Oxford University graduating in 1986 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). Steele moved to Halifax in fall 1986 to attend Dalhousie Law School and graduated with an LL.B. in 1989.
Legal career
Steele practised law with Stewart McKelvey Stirling Scales in Halifax from 1989-1993 and was General Counsel to the Nova Scotia Workers Compensation Board from 1993-1998. Steele was Research Director for the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party's caucus office from 1998-2001.
Steele has done workshops in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and the Middle East for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.
Political career
In 2001 Steele successfully ran for the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party nomination in the riding of Halifax Fairview. He was elected in a by-election in March 2001, winning the seat with 58.17% of the vote. Steele was re-elected in the 2003, (45.85%) 2006 (58.51%) and 2009 provincial elections (63.71%).
While in official opposition, Steele served as the NDP's critic for Finance, Environment, Acadian Affairs, Insurance Act, and Treasury and Policy Board. He also served as Deputy House Leader. During this time, Steele also served on the Select Committee on Democratic Participation and was Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
On June 19, 2009, Steele was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia where he served as Minister of Finance as well as Minister of Acadian Affairs. On May 30, 2012, Steele resigned from cabinet and announced that he would not be re-offering in the next election. Steele was appointed an honorary member of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia on May 31, 2012.
Steele was re-appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia on May 10, 2013 where he took over as Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, as well as Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs following the resignation of Percy Paris. Steele served in the Executive Council of Nova Scotia until October 22, 2013.
Life after politics
He became a broadcaster on CBC Information Morning, providing a weekly political commentary. In September 2014, he released a memoir called What I Learned About Politics: Inside the Rise — and Collapse – of Nova Scotia’s NDP Government. The book was a shortlisted nominee for the 2015 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Personal life
Steele is an Esperantist, having offered part of his legislative website in Esperanto, and has commemorated Nova Scotia Esperantists in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. He is married to Tilly Pillay and they have two children.