David Smith (Quebec politician)

For the current Senator, and former MP from Don Valley East, please see David Paul Smith.

David Smith (born September 25, 1963) is a Canadian politician. A former member of the Canadian House of Commons, Smith served as a city councillor in Maniwaki, Quebec until 2004. At this point, he ran in the Canadian federal election, 2004 for the Liberal Party of Canada in the riding of Pontiac where he won. He is a former business manager and public servant. In October 2005, the Globe and Mail reported that Abotech, a computer consultancy firm once owned and operated by David Smith, but transferred to his wife when Smith entered public life, was caught up in an investigation of improperly awarded government contracts, involving a government bureaucrat named Frank Brazeau, who was later revealed by a Canadian blogger (see the Blogging Tories) to be Smith's first cousin. The controversy dogged Smith into the next election, despite being cleared by an investigation by the Ethics Commissioner. A recent report^[1] has linked the Abotech scandal with the RCMP Pension Scandal. In the 2006 election he was not able to hold on to his seat, losing to Conservative star candidate Lawrence Cannon. Smith earned 24.2% of the popular vote, finishing third behind Cannon (33.7%) and the Bloc Québécois' Christine Émond Lapointe (28.7%).

References

External links

• Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament
• CBC Radio One investigation of David Smith (courtesy of Angry in the Great White North)
• Report on David Smith by the Ethics Commissioner