Andrew Younger

Andrew Younger is a Canadian politician and journalist, first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2009.[1] He represented the district of Dartmouth East first as a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party and subsequently as an Independent. In 2015, Younger was removed from cabinet and the Liberal caucus after invoking parliamentary privilege in order to avoid giving testimony at a criminal trial.[2]

Andrew Younger
Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
for Dartmouth East
In office
June 9, 2009 – May 30, 2017
Preceded byJoan Massey
Succeeded byTim Halman
Personal details
BornDartmouth, Nova Scotia
Political partyIndependent (2015–2017)
Other political
affiliations		Liberal (2009–2015)

Early life and career

Younger was born in Oakville, Ontario and grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology and Political Science from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King's College.[3]

Younger worked for CBC Television in Halifax and Charlottetown.[4] He then ran a television production, corporate social responsibility, and communications consulting company prior to entering politics.[3] He dedicated a significant portion of his work to social justice and environmental projects and assisted with development projects in West Africa including a women's micro-credit project in Niger[5] and an AIDS education project in the Gambia.[3]

In 2000 Younger won a Silver Atlantic Journalism Award in the category of Jim McNeil New Journalist. He also was part of a production team which won a Canadian Gemini Award in the category of Best Information/Talk Programming and international Gabriel Award.

Municipal politics

Younger was first elected to the legislature in 2009 after a five-year tenure on Halifax Regional Council. He was first elected to council in 2004 representing East Dartmouth - The Lakes, and was re-elected by acclamation in 2008.[3]

During his time as an elected representative, Younger was recognized for his community and regional accomplishments including the development of a redevelopment plan for the Main Street business district in Dartmouth,[6] his work improving Shubie Park and the Shubenacadie Canal system,[7] and his role in the construction of the Dartmouth Community Centre.[3][8]

Younger has been involved in working on energy and environmental issues in Nova Scotia.[9] As Chair of HRM's Energy Committee he was a player in the development and analysis of energy policy, and had a role in seeing a number of district, geothermal, and alternative energy projects moved forward.[9] He is often asked to speak on energy and environmental issues at local and national conferences.[3]

Provincial politics

On October 22, 2013, Younger was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Energy, Minister Responsible for the Gaming Control Act, and Minister for Communications Nova Scotia.[10]

On March 25, 2015, Younger resigned from cabinet but remained MLA for Dartmouth East.[11]

Younger returned to cabinet on July 24, 2015, when he was named Minister of Environment.[12][13]

On November 5, 2015, Younger was removed from his cabinet position and the Liberal caucus, after he invoked parliamentary privilege in order to unilaterally excuse himself from attending as a witness at the criminal trial of a woman accused of assaulting him.[14][15] Premier Stephen McNeil called the privilege an "obscure law that he [Younger] and his lawyer determined to use."[16]

After becoming an independent, Younger's private health information was leaked by the Premier's office. An independent report by the Nova Scotia Privacy Commissioner found that the Premier's office failed in its duty of care to protect health information and found staff in the office had not read policies meant to protect information.[17]

In 2016 Younger was voted the Silver Winner in the "Best Member of the Legislature" category for The Coast's Best Of awards.[18]

Younger chose to return to the private sector and not re-offer in the 2017 provincial election.

Electoral record
2013 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  Liberal Andrew Younger 5,469 63.85
  New Democratic Party Deborah M. Stover 1,929 22.52
  Progressive Conservative Mike M. MacDonnell 1,167 13.63
2009 Nova Scotia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
  Liberal Andrew Younger 4073 45.09 +24.26
  New Democratic Party Joan Massey 3903 43.21 -0.01
  Progressive Conservative Bert Thompson 873 9.66 -23.61
GreenAnna Mukpo1842.04-0.65

References
  1. "Elections Nova Scotia Dartmouth East Results 2009" (PDF). Elections Nova Scotia.
  2. CBC News (November 6, 2015). "Andrew Younger misused parliamentary privilege, law expert says". CBC Nova Scotia.
  3. "Andrew Younger Linked In". Andrewyounger.ca. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  4. Andrew Younger (2016-09-21), Farm Safety (CBC), archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2017-11-05
  5. "Friends of Niger: Photos From Niger". www.friendsofniger.org. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  6. "Home". villageonmain.ca.
  7. "Home". shubenacadiecanal.ca.
  8. "East Dartmouth Community Centre". www.edcc.ca. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  9. "Halifax Regional Municipality". Halifax.ca. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-12.
  10. "Premier Stephen McNeil welcomes 16-member cabinet". CBC. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-22.
  11. "Andrew Younger resigns from Nova Scotia cabinet". CBC News. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
  12. "Andrew Younger sworn back in to cabinet after shuffle". CBC News. July 24, 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  13. "Cabinet shuffle: Whalen out as finance minister, Younger back in". The Chronicle Herald. July 24, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2023-05-28.
  14. "Going It Alone - The Coast". The Coast. CBC News. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  15. "Premier Removes Andrew Younger From Cabinet and Caucus". NS Government - Premier’s Office. November 5, 2015. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  16. "Andrew Younger says he never refused to testify in assault case". CBC News. November 5, 2015. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  17. "FOIPOP Commissioner Release" (PDF). CBC News. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-14.
  18. "Best Member Of The Provincial Legislature". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
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