Gord Johns was born and raised on Vancouver Island and has lived in
Courtenay-Alberni for over 25 years, raising his family on its west coast, in the territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth people.
Prior to his election to Parliament, Gord was a small eco-business owner, municipal councillor and executive director of the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. He was a fierce advocate for the environment, coached kids sports and volunteered with the West Coast Recreation Society.
He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Courtenay-Alberni in October 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021.
During the 42nd and 43rd Parliaments, Gord served as the NDP critic for small
business and tourism, fisheries and oceans and veterans affairs.
Gord has frequently advocated in Parliament for Indigenous rights, including the inherent right to catch and sell fish within First Nations territories. He has spoken more frequently on this issue than any Member of Parliament in the history of Canada. In 2019, the Nuu chah nulth Council of Ha’wiih (hereditary chiefs) gave Gord the name, “ciqh=sii” for his advocacy on its behalf.
Gord is currently the NDP critic for mental health and harm reduction and
deputy-critic for fisheries and oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
Gord is also fighting in Parliament for these important priorities:
- Environmental Protection and climate action;
- Non-Market Housing including co-ops, rent-geared-to-income and social housing;
- Economic development and infrastructure investment in Courtenay-Alberni;
- Indigenous rights and reconciliation;
- Pacific wild salmon habitat restoration, protection and enhancement; and,
- Return to work and disability management.
During his terms of office, Gord has risen in the House of Commons second
most than any other Member of Parliament. He uses every opportunity to
raise issues and ask questions on behalf of his constituents. The two
Conservative MPs who represented our part of Vancouver Island for a total of 33 years combined between them succeeded in getting just one single private members’ bill passed between them--a change the excise tax Act, to remove the tax on jewelry so people could get their diamonds cheaper.
Here are the bills and motions that Gord has tabled while in office over the past nine years:
For more detailed information on Gord, check out his Wikipedia page at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gord_Johns
Or, go to Open Parliament for a complete record of Gord’s work in the House of Commons and parliamentary committees: https://openparliament.ca/politicians/gord-johns/