An Olympic silver medalist at Rome in 1960, lecturer, writer and advocate, the Honourable David Anderson has served the people and the environment of British Columbia and Canada.
As Member of Parliament for Esquimalt – Saanich from 1968 to 1972, Anderson identified the issues surrounding oil drilling, pipeline developments, and oil tanker traffic on the west coast long before they became widely shared public concerns. He founded and chaired the Special Committee on Environmental Pollution and his legacy stands to this day both in the awareness he raised and the moratorium on oil drilling off the coast.
He resigned his federal seat in 1973 to run provincially. He won the seat of Victoria, and was elected leader of the provincial Liberal party. After his defeat in 1975, he continued conservation efforts as an environmental consultant and adjunct professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria, focusing on coastal and wetland protection and marine pollution from oil transportation and exploration. As well, he served as the sole commissioner for an inquiry into Fraser Valley Petroleum Exploration, special advisor to the Premier of British Columbia on Tanker Traffic and Oil Spills, and on the panel appointed to investigate the impacts of mining on fish habitat in the Yukon.
In 1993, he returned to public office as Member of Parliament for Victoria and had a number of federal cabinet appointments: Minister of National Revenue, Minister of Transport, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister of Environment. He served as the senior minister for BC for eight years. His achievements include securing an allocation agreement under the US/Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty which aided in salmon stock protection; establishing Canada’s first Marine Protected Areas; and securing Canadian ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change and Canada’s first endangered species legislation — the Species at Risk Act.
He did not seek re-election in 2006. He continued pursuing his passion for the environment on the board of the World Fisheries, becoming its president the following year. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, an honorary citizen of the City of Victoria, and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
He is the only Canadian to be elected president of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environmental program. Rowing Canada has honored him for his achievements in sport and public service. He has been the recipient of numerous national and international conservation awards including the 50th anniversary International Conservation Award from the Atlantic Salmon Foundation and the Roderick Haig-Brown Conservation Award.
He has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Victoria and an Honorary Doctor of Science from the Wilfred Laurier University.
