Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau (left) with MNO
citizen Vance Badawey (right), newly elected Liberal MP for
Niagara CentreCongratulations to Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) citizen Vance Badawey, recently elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Niagara Centre.
Badawey served as Mayor of Port Colborne, from 1997 to 2003 and from 2006 to 2014 and also served as Regional Councillor on the Niagara Regional Council during those terms.
As a local business owner, the new MP has been very active in the Niagara region, serving on several boards and committees in the area. These included Chairman of the Port Colborne Health Services Task Force, the Port Colborne Hydro Inc. Board of Directors and as a member of the Niagara Regional Development Charges Task Force.
He and his extended family have lived and operated their family business in Port Colborne for over 50 years.
A record number of Aboriginal people were elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election. Besides Badawey, other Métis MPs include Michael McLeod in the Northwest Territories and Dan Vandal in Manitoba.