Percy Downe - Misplaced Pages

Canadian politician

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The HonourablePercy Downe
Downe in 2013

Canadian Senator from Prince Edward Island
Incumbent
Assumed office June 26, 2003
Nominated by	Jean Chrétien
Appointed by	Adrienne Clarkson
8th Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister
In office May 2, 2001 – June 26, 2003
Prime Minister	Jean Chrétien
Preceded by	Jean Pelletier
Succeeded by	Eddie Goldenberg

Personal details
Born	(1954-07-08) July 8, 1954 (age 70) Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Political party	Canadian Senators Group (2019–present)
Other political affiliations	Progressive Senate Group (2019–2019) Independent Liberal (2014–2019) Liberal (until 2014)
Alma mater	University of Prince Edward Island
Occupation	Politician senator
Military service
Branch/service	Force Mobile Command
Years of service	1970–1972
Unit	The Prince Edward Island Regiment (RCAC)

Percy E. Downe (born July 8, 1954) is a Canadian Senator and former political aide.

Career

Since graduating from the University of Prince Edward Island in 1977, Downe has served at the provincial and federal levels of government in Canada. Downe moved to Ottawa following the Liberal victory in the 1993 federal election, and served as executive assistant to the Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs. He subsequently served as executive assistant to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and then the Minister of Labour.

He joined the Prime Minister's Office as director of appointments in 1998. He became Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's chief of staff in 2001. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada on June 26, 2003.

Downe is currently Vice-Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Joint-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, and is also on the Executive Committee of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association.

He was also formerly a member of the Senate Standing Committee on National Finance, the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs and the Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Rights and Procedures of Parliament.

Downe is also currently Vice-Chair of The Parliamentary Network on the World Bank & International Monetary Fund.

On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Downe, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents. Those Senators created the Senate Liberal Caucus, distinct from the Liberal caucus in the House of Commons.

With the Senate Liberal Caucus facing losing official parliamentary caucus status in 2020 with a third of its caucus facing mandatory retirements on their turning age 75, Senator Joseph Day announced that the Senate Liberal Caucus had been dissolved and a new Progressive Senate Group formed in its wake, with the entire membership joining the new group, including this senator. However, on November 18, 2019, Downe announced he was joining the Canadian Senators Group.

Personal life

He resides in Charlottetown with his wife and two daughters.

References

"Justin Trudeau removes senators from Liberal caucus | CBC News".
"Trudeau's expulsion catches Liberal senators by surprise". Globe and Mail. January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
^ Tasker, John Paul (J.P.) (14 November 2019). "There's another new faction in the Senate: the Progressive Senate Group". CBC News Online. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
"One-time Liberal senators rename themselves as Progressive Senate Group". CTV News. The Canadian Press. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
"Jean-Guy Dagenais, Tory Senator, Quits Caucus Over Andrew Scheer's Views | HuffPost Canada". Archived from the original on 2019-11-19.

External links

Political offices
Preceded byJean Pelletier	Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's Office 2001–2003	Succeeded byEddie Goldenberg

v t e Current members of the Senate of Canada
Presiding officers: Speaker: Raymonde Gagné Speaker pro tempore: Pierrette Ringuette
AB	■ Fridhandler ■ LaBoucane-Benson ■ Simons ■ Sorensen ■ Tannas ■ K. Wells
BC	■ Busson ■ Greenwood ■ Martin ■ Woo 2 vacancies
MB	■ Adler ■ Gagné ■ McCallum ■ McPhedran ■ Osler ■ Plett
NB	■ Boudreau ■ Cormier ■ Hartling ■ Kingston ■ McNair ■ Poirier ■ Quinn ■ Richards ■ Ringuette ■ Ross
NL	■ Manning ■ Marshall ■ Petten ■ Ravalia ■ D. Wells ■ White
NS	■ Aucoin ■ Bernard ■ Cordy ■ Coyle ■ Cuzner ■ C. Deacon ■ Kutcher ■ MacDonald ■ Prosper ■ Surette
ON	■ Al Zaibak ■ Ataullahjan ■ Black ■ Boehm ■ Boniface ■ Boyer ■ Burey ■ Cardozo ■ Clement ■ Dasko ■ M. Deacon ■ Dean ■ Harder ■ McBean ■ Moncion ■ Moodie ■ Omidvar ■ Pate ■ R. Patterson ■ Senior ■ Varone ■ Yussuff 1 vacancy
PE	■ Downe ■ Francis ■ MacAdam ■ Robinson 1 vacancy
QC	■ Audette ■ Brazeau ■ Carignan ■ Dagenais ■ Dalphond ■ Forest ■ Galvez ■ Gerba ■ Gignac ■ Gold ■ Housakos ■ Loffreda ■ Massicotte ■ Mégie ■ Miville-Dechêne ■ Moreau ■ Oudar ■ Petitclerc ■ Saint-Germain ■Seidman ■ Smith ■ Verner ■ Youance 1 vacancy
SK	■ Arnot ■ Batters ■ Klyne ■ Muggli ■ Wallin 1 vacancy
Territories	NT ■ Anderson NU ■ Karetak-Lindell YT ■ Duncan
■ Independent Senators Group (41) ■ Canadian Senators Group (18) ■ Progressive Senate Group (14) ■ Conservative (12) ■ Non-affiliated (10) vacant (9)

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