Kennedy Stewart (Canadian politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kennedy Stewart
Stewart in 2019
40th Mayor of Vancouver
In office November 5, 2018 – November 7, 2022
Preceded by	Gregor Robertson
Succeeded by	Ken Sim
Member of Parliament for Burnaby South Burnaby—Douglas (2011–2015)
In office May 2, 2011 – September 14, 2018
Preceded by	Bill Siksay
Succeeded by	Jagmeet Singh
Personal details
Born	Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart (1966-11-08) November 8, 1966 (age 58) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political party	Forward Together (municipal)
Other political affiliations	New Democratic (federal) Independent (municipal, 2018–2022)
Spouse	Jeanette Ashe
Residences	Vancouver, British Columbia
Alma mater	Acadia University Simon Fraser University London School of Economics
Occupation	Academic administrator politician
Profession	Politician academic

Edward Charles Kennedy Stewart (born November 8, 1966) is a Canadian politician and professor. He was the 40th mayor of Vancouver from 2018 to 2022. Before becoming mayor, he was a member of Parliament (MP) in Canada's House of Commons. An MP is someone elected to represent the people of their area, called a riding, in the federal government.

Stewart represented the ridings of Burnaby—Douglas and later Burnaby South as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

In 2018, Stewart decided to leave his job in Parliament to run for mayor of Vancouver. He ran as an independent, meaning he was not part of a political party. He won the election by a very small number of votes. However, when he ran for re-election in 2022, he lost to Ken Sim.

Early Life and Education

Stewart was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1966. He grew up in the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He went to Acadia University and earned a degree in history.

In 1988, he moved to Burnaby, British Columbia. Before getting into politics, Stewart was a musician. He played bass guitar in a pop band called State of Mind. The band was successful and won three music awards in 1991.

Stewart continued his education and earned a master's degree from Simon Fraser University in 1995. He later got his PhD from the famous London School of Economics in 2003. As a professor, he has written books about how governments work, such as Local Government in Canada.

Stewart is a professor at Simon Fraser University's School of Public Policy. He returned to teaching there in 2023. His wife, Jeanette Ashe, also teaches politics at Douglas College.

Working in the Canadian Government

Before becoming mayor, Kennedy Stewart worked in federal politics. This means he was part of the government that makes decisions for all of Canada.

Joining the New Democratic Party

In 2004, Stewart ran to be the MP for Vancouver Centre with the New Democratic Party (NDP). He did not win, but he helped the NDP get many more votes in that area than before.

In 2011, he ran again, this time in the Burnaby—Douglas area. He won the election and became a Member of Parliament. He was re-elected in 2015 in the new riding of Burnaby South.

His Work in Parliament

As an MP, Stewart was given the role of "official opposition critic for science and technology." This meant his job was to challenge the government's decisions about science and suggest better ideas. He spoke out against cuts to science funding. He also worked to make sure government scientists could share their research freely with the public.

Stewart also wanted to make it easier for Canadians to communicate with the government. He created a plan to allow people to sign petitions online. If a petition got enough signatures, Parliament would have to debate the topic. This idea passed in 2014 and is still used today.

Standing with His Community

A company called Kinder Morgan wanted to build a new oil pipeline through Burnaby. Many people in the community were worried about it. They were concerned about the environment, their homes, and increased oil tanker traffic.

Stewart listened to these concerns and became a strong opponent of the pipeline project. He helped local residents get involved in the official review process. For his work, a local newspaper named him "Newsmaker of the Year" in 2013.

In March 2018, Stewart was arrested while peacefully protesting the pipeline. He and other protesters were accused of breaking a court rule by blocking a work site. He paid a $500 fine for his actions. This event showed how strongly he felt about the issue.

Mayor of Vancouver (2018–2022)

In 2018, Stewart decided to run for mayor of Vancouver. He won the election by less than 1,000 votes, a very close race. He was the first mayor in over 30 years to be elected without being part of a major city political party.

Working on City Issues

As mayor, Stewart focused on several key areas for the city.

Housing

Vancouver has some of the most expensive housing in Canada. Stewart promised to help by getting more rental homes built for families with average incomes. He supported a project that allowed developers to build bigger buildings if they included some affordable apartments. He also increased the city's Empty Homes Tax. This tax encourages people who own empty homes to rent them out.

Transportation

Stewart was a big supporter of expanding Vancouver's public transit system. He wanted to extend the SkyTrain's Millennium Line all the way to the University of British Columbia (UBC). He believed this would make it easier for students and staff to get to the university. He worked with local First Nations and UBC to get support for the project.

2022 Re-election Campaign

Stewart ran for mayor again in the 2022 election. This time, he started his own political party called Forward Together. However, he was defeated by his opponent, Ken Sim, by a large number of votes.

Life After Being Mayor

After the 2022 election, Stewart returned to his job at Simon Fraser University. He is now the director of the university's Centre for Public Policy Research.

In 2023, he commented on the new mayor's actions. He also said he might challenge the way Vancouver elects its city councillors, suggesting a different system might be fairer.

Electoral record

Vancouver municipal election, 2022: Mayor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	ABC Vancouver	Ken Sim	85,732	50.96	Y
	Forward Together	Kennedy Stewart (incumbent)	49,593	29.48
	TEAM for a Livable Vancouver	Colleen Hardwick	16,769	9.97
	Progress Vancouver	Mark Marissen	5,830	3.47
	NPA	Fred Harding	3,905	2.32
	Independent	Leona Brown	1,519	0.9
	Independent	Ping Chan	1,154	0.69
	Independent	Françoise Raunet	1,116	0.66
	Independent	Satwant Shottha	994	0.59
	Independent	Imtiaz Popat	411	0.24
	Independent	Lewis Villegas	363	0.22
	Independent	Mike Hansen	314	0.19
	Independent	Gölök Buday	195	0.12
	Independent	Ryan Charmley	183	0.11
	Independent	Dante Teti	142	0.08
	ABC gain from Forward Together		Swing		+11.02

Vancouver municipal election, 2018: Mayor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Independent	Kennedy Stewart	49,705	28.71	Y
	NPA	Ken Sim	48,748	28.16
	Independent	Shauna Sylvester	35,457	20.48
	Coalition	Wai Young	11,872	6.86
	YES	Hector Bremner	9,924	5.73
	Van1st	Fred Harding	5,640	3.26
	Pro	David Chen	3,573	2.06
	Independent	Sean Cassidy	1,536	0.89
	IDEA Vancouver	Connie Fogal	1,435	0.83
	Independent	Mike Hansen	951	0.55
	Independent	Jason Lamarche	695	0.40
	Independent	Rollergirl	686	0.40
	Independent	Ping Chan	653	0.38
	Independent	John Yano	510	0.29
	Independent	Tim Ly	349	0.20
	Independent	Sophia C. Kaiser	336	0.19
	Independent	Satwant K. Shottha	331	0.19
	Independent	Lawrence Massey	233	0.13
	Independent	Katy Le Rougetel	181	0.10
	Independent	Gölök Z. Buday	178	0.10
	Independent	Maynard Aubichon	139	0.08