David Coon

David Coon
MLA
Coon in 2023
Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick
Assumed office
September 21, 2012 (2012-09-21)
Preceded byGreta Doucet (interim)
Member of the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly
for Fredericton South
Assumed office
September 22, 2014 (2014-09-22)
Preceded byCraig Leonard[1]
Personal details
Born
David Charles Coon

(1956-10-28) October 28, 1956 (age 67)
Toronto, Ontario
Political partyGreen
SpouseJanice Harvey
Children2
EducationMcGill University (BSc, 1978)

David Charles Coon (born October 28, 1956) is a Canadian biologist, conservationist, and politician who has served as the leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick since 2012. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2014 provincial election to represent the provincial electoral district of Fredericton South.

Coon became the first elected Green MLA in New Brunswick history and the third Green parliamentarian elected in Canada.[2]

Life[edit]

Early life[edit]

David Charles Coon[3] was born on October 28, 1956, in Toronto, Ontario.[4] He spent his childhood in Montreal, Quebec,[5] where he graduated from high school.[6] Coon later attended McGill University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1978.[4] He additionally attended Vanier College, where he received a Pure and Applied Science diploma.[7] Moving east, Coon began working at the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.[5]

Biology and conservation work[edit]

A biologist by training, Coon worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, 28 of those years with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.[2][8][9]

Coon has also provided education and training in energy efficient home renovation and home-based renewable energy systems, writing a regular column for the Globe and Mail on the topic. During his time as Policy Director at the Conservation Council, Mr. Coon's work to protect drinking water led to the creation of New Brunswick's Clean Water Act and to the province's Petroleum Product Handling and Storage Regulation. This earned the New Brunswick environmental organization the United Nations Environmental Programme's Global 500 award.[10] He was later awarded a silver medallion from the Canadian Environmental Achievement Awards for his work in advancing public policy on climate change, both provincially and nationally.[10]

Coon has advocated for community-based ecological resource management and land use. He worked with commercial fishermen's organizations to establish the Bay of Fundy Fisheries Council to advance community-based fishery management. His collaboration with the National Farmers Union helped create the first agricultural conservation club in New Brunswick.

He was a founding director of Canada's first community supported agricultural initiative, Harvest Share Co-operative on Keswick Ridge,[11] and co-founded the New Brunswick Community Land Trust.

Politics[edit]

Prior to becoming elected as leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick, Coon did work for the federal Green Party of Canada.[12] During his proposal to lead the New Brunswick Greens, Coon proposed to serve as leader full-time.[7]

Coon ran for the seat of Fredericton South in the Legislative Assembly in the 2014 provincial election, winning the vote.[13] He is the second member of a provincial Green Party to win a seat in a provincial legislature, following Andrew Weaver in British Columbia.[13][14]

Since his election in 2014, Coon has introduced private member's bills aimed at increasing local food security and expanding local agriculture, creating jobs in energy efficient building renovations and renewable energy, lowering the voting age, protecting citizens against frivolous lawsuits. He has championed improving access to both mental and primary health care, alleviating poverty, the provision of midwifery services, climate action, and forest management that is socially and ecologically sound. He had a bill passed to ensure students in the public school system learn about historical and contemporary relationships with First Nations; implementing one of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[15]

Coon was successful in securing all party support for adding a code of conduct and a statement on the roles and responsibilities for MLAs to the Standing Rules of the Legislative Assembly.[15]

He has served as a member of the Standing Committee on Estimates and Fiscal Policy, the Standing Committee on Procedure, Privileges and Legislative Officers, and the Legislative Administration Committee. He also served as a member of the Select Committee on Climate Change, whose recommendations formed the basis of New Brunswick's Climate Action Plan.[15]

In the 2018 provincial election, the Green party under Coon elected three MLAs. In the 2020 provincial election, those three MLAs were all re-elected including Coon.

Personal life[edit]

Coon and his family lived in Fredericton before moving to rural Waweig in Charlotte County for a number of years, later returning to Fredericton in late 2012 to live in his planned running riding of Fredericton-Silverwood,[16] which was abolished following the 2013 electoral redistribution. As of 2023, Coon continues to live in Fredericton within the boundaries of the Fredericton South-Silverwood riding.[17] He is married to St. Thomas University educator Janice Harvey, and they have two daughters.[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Fredericton-Lincoln
  2. ^ a b c Taber, Jane (September 23, 2014). "How the New Brunswick Green leader made his 'historic' win". Globe and Mail. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  3. ^ "Conference of the Parties: Provisional list of participants" (PDF). Paris: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. December 1, 2015. p. 64. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b McHardie, Daniel (August 11, 2014). "Green Party Leader David Coon". CBC News. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "A look at New Brunswick's third-party leaders". The Canadian Press. CityNews. September 20, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Saint-Cyr, Jean (September 12, 2014). "David Coon: la vocation environnementale". Acadie Nouvelle (in French). Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Berry, Shawn (July 18, 2012). "David Coon wants to lead N.B. Green party". The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "David Coon heads to Paris for UN climate change conference". CBC. November 24, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  9. ^ Coon, David. "David Coon". Fredericton, New Brunswick: Green Party of New Brunswick. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Achievements". Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  11. ^ "David Coon". Green Party of New Brunswick. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  12. ^ "A QuickSketch profile of New Brunswick Green party Leader David Coon". The Canadian Press. August 20, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "David Coon makes history with seat for Green Party". CBC. September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  14. ^ "Congratulations to New Brunswick Green Party leader David Coon". Toronto, ON: Green Party of Ontario. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c "Member of the Legislative Assembly : David Coon - Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick".
  16. ^ "Green Party leader to run in Fredericton riding". CBC News. December 11, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  17. ^ Chilibeck, John (September 12, 2023). "New Brunswick Green Party Leader David Coon, a three-time winner in Fredericton South, picks new riding". The Daily Gleaner. SaltWire. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

External links[edit]

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