Dan Vandal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Dan Vandal PC
Vandal in 2021
Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada
In office October 26, 2021 – December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Terry Duguid
Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
In office October 26, 2021 – December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Northern Affairs
In office November 20, 2019 – December 20, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Dominic LeBlanc
Succeeded by	Gary Anandasangaree
Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital
In office October 19, 2015 – March 23, 2025
Preceded by	Shelly Glover
Succeeded by	Ginette Lavack
Mayor of Winnipeg
Acting
In office May 11, 2004 – May 14, 2004
Preceded by	Glen Murray
Succeeded by	Jae Eadie (acting) Sam Katz
Winnipeg City Councillor
In office November 7, 2006 – November 4, 2014
Preceded by	Franco Magnifico
Succeeded by	Matt Allard
Constituency	St. Boniface
In office November 7, 1995 – May 14, 2004
Preceded by	Evelyne Reese
Succeeded by	Franco Magnifico
Constituency	St. Boniface
Personal details
Born	(1960-04-18) April 18, 1960 (age 65) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Political party	Liberal (2014–present)
Other political affiliations	New Democratic (c. 1995–2014)
Residences	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Occupation	Social worker boxer

Daniel Vandal (born April 18, 1960) is a Canadian politician. He served on the Winnipeg City Council for St. Boniface from 1995 to 2004 and again from 2006 to 2014. He also briefly served as the acting mayor of Winnipeg in 2004.

On October 19, 2015, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital in the House of Commons of Canada. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. From 2019 to 2024, he was the Minister of Northern Affairs in Justin Trudeau's government. He also served as Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and the Prairies Economic Development Agency of Canada. He did not run for re-election in 2025.

Early Life and Career

Dan Vandal was born in Winnipeg on April 18, 1960. He was the youngest of eight children. His family identified as French Canadian, and he learned about his Métis heritage later in life.

Vandal left high school and worked as a manual labourer. He started boxing at age 15 and became a professional boxer in 1978. By 1983, he was ranked as the top Canadian middleweight boxer. He has said that boxing helped him turn his life around.

After his boxing career, Vandal became a youth worker. He earned a degree in Social Work from the University of Manitoba. In the 1990s, he was vice-president of the Old St. Boniface Residents Association. He also spoke out against building a baseball stadium in Whittier Park.

City Councillor Role

Dan Vandal was first elected to the Winnipeg City Council in 1995. He won against the person who held the seat before him in the St. Boniface Ward. He worked with a group called Winnipeg in the '90s (WIN).

Working with Mayor Thompson

During his first term, Vandal often disagreed with Mayor Susan Thompson. He voted against some of her main plans. For example, he opposed a pay cut for city workers. He also voted against a plan to let Sam Katz build a new baseball stadium at The Forks. Vandal believed the project would cost too much money. The stadium, CanWest Global Park, opened in 1999.

In 1997, Vandal suggested creating a city committee for Indigenous affairs. This committee would focus on preventing crime and improving health. He also represented Winnipeg on a group that discussed the environment and economy.

Working with Mayor Murray

Vandal was re-elected in 1998 as an independent councillor. He had support from the Winnipeg Labour Council and the New Democratic Party, which he was a member of at the time. Glen Murray became Mayor of Winnipeg and chose Vandal for his executive policy committee. This committee is like a city cabinet. Vandal was in charge of the protection and community services committee, which looked after police, fire, and hospital services.

Leading Protection and Community Services

In 2000, Vandal worked with Mayor Murray to get more funding for Winnipeg's ambulance services. They wanted the province to pay more of the costs. Eventually, the city and province agreed to a deal that provided more ambulances and paramedics.

Vandal also supported ideas to improve police services. He wanted to use photo radar to catch speeding drivers. He also supported a plan to close some fire stations to put more money into paramedic services. Later, he announced new funds to help fight arson (setting fires on purpose).

Leading Property and Development

In October 2000, Vandal became the head of Winnipeg's property and development committee. Soon after, he helped tear down an old, abandoned building that had been an eyesore and a target for arsonists.

Vandal was also in charge when Wal-Mart found land for a new store in north Winnipeg. He said this showed that the city was right to reject an earlier plan, which would have cost the city more money.

Vandal was re-elected without anyone running against him in 2002. He stayed as the head of the property and development committee. In 2003, he helped start a new housing area called Waverley West.

Focus on Indigenous Issues

Vandal wanted to make Indigenous issues a top priority in his third term. He wrote a 15-point plan to help reduce poverty among Winnipeg's Indigenous community. This plan included creating urban reserves and giving more city support for Indigenous businesses. The plan was officially launched in September 2003.

Other Important Actions

Vandal believed that St. Boniface could become a lively French Quarter for Winnipeg. He supported tax credits to help this happen. He also wanted to increase the number of people living in the area.

He was the only member of Mayor Murray's cabinet to support a compromise on a by-law about panhandling. He also supported funding for downtown festivals to help tourism. In 2002, he supported Winnipeg's important ban on smoking indoors in public places.

In May 2002, Vandal represented the mayor at the raising of a gay pride flag at city hall. He said he hoped the flag would encourage tolerance.

Becoming Deputy Mayor

In November 2003, Vandal was promoted to Deputy Mayor of Winnipeg. He also continued to lead the property and development committee and worked on the city's Indigenous strategy. Many people thought this meant he was being prepared to become the next mayor. In 2004, Vandal supported Prime Minister Paul Martin's plan to give part of Canada's Goods and Services Tax money to cities for things like roads and buildings.

Mayoral Campaign

Glen Murray resigned as mayor of Winnipeg on May 11, 2004. Vandal served as acting mayor until May 14, when he resigned to run for mayor himself. He appointed Jae Eadie as deputy mayor before he left.

Vandal ran for mayor based on his work in Glen Murray's government. He promised new spending for the city, tax credits for downtown housing, and more money for arts. He also wanted to create a new city holiday to celebrate Winnipeg's history. He finished second in the election, losing to Sam Katz.

After the election, Vandal worked for the province. He helped manage a $75 million agreement for urban development in Winnipeg's inner city. He also became a project officer for the provincial cabinet's Indigenous affairs committee.

Return to City Council

Vandal was re-elected to the Winnipeg City Council for St. Boniface in 2006. He won against Franco Magnifico, who had taken the seat after Vandal left in 2004. Vandal won by a large number of votes. By this time, he was again a member of the New Democratic Party. Sam Katz was re-elected as mayor.

Vandal was appointed to the Winnipeg Housing Steering Committee in 2007. He also served on the property and planning committee. He wrote an article saying that property taxes should be lowered instead of business taxes. He argued that cutting business taxes would make property taxes go up. Vandal also criticized Mayor Katz for not moving forward with education and job opportunities for Indigenous youth.

Vandal became one of Mayor Katz's main opponents on council. He spoke out against Katz's increases to water and sewer rates. He accused the mayor of using that money for business tax cuts. Vandal also opposed Katz's plan to use a private-public partnership to fix Winnipeg's Disraeli Bridge.

In 2008, Vandal asked for a public investigation into the finances of Riverside Park Management. This group was linked to Katz's baseball team, and Vandal was concerned about a possible conflict-of-interest.

In late 2007, Vandal helped create a new city park named after Elzéar Goulet. Goulet was part of Louis Riel's government in 1869-70. Vandal also helped protect a historical site at Upper Fort Garry from developers.

In September 2014, as one of his last actions as a councillor, Vandal proposed a motion to help vulnerable women across Canada, especially Indigenous women. The motion asked the city to support calls for a federal investigation into missing and murdered women. It also asked for more support for the Winnipeg Police to protect and help vulnerable women. The motion passed, making Winnipeg the first major city to join these efforts.

Federal Politics

Vandal announced that he would not run for re-election as a city councillor in 2014. Instead, he decided to run as the federal Liberal candidate in Saint Boniface—Saint Vital in the next federal election. He had represented most of this area for nearly two decades.

His chances of winning increased when the Conservative person who held the seat, Shelly Glover, decided not to run again. Even though Glover had held the riding for two terms, it had historically been a Liberal area. Vandal won easily in 2015 as part of the Liberals' big win in Winnipeg. He was re-elected again in 2021.

He served as the Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for two Regional Development Agencies: the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and the Prairies Economic Development Agency of Canada (PrairiesCan).

Electoral Record

Federal Elections

Municipal Elections