Victoria NDP MP Murray Rankin has been nominated by his peers for the title of hardest working parliamentarian of the year.
Rankin, elected in 2012, was named Monday as a finalist along with Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in Maclean’s magazine’s 11th installment of its parliamentarian awards.
“I’m really honoured, especially when it’s the vote of my peers if you will, the other 337 MPs,” said Rankin, who stepped out of a justice committee meeting just past 6 p.m. Eastern time for a brief phone interview.
“I felt it was really touching,” said Rankin, NDP justice critic and deputy house leader.
“Frankly to be in the company of the foreign affairs minister and leader of the opposition, I’m even more thrilled,” said Rankin, who typically works 12-hour days.
Rankin, a environmental, public law and national security expert, also serves on the new national security and intelligence committee of parliamentarians and is deputy house leader.
Recently, he represented Canada at the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organization of national parliaments working on issues of peace and democratic change.
“I think it’s just a recognition of the culmination of a lot of those things coming together right now,” said Rankin.
“Gosh, I think Minister Freeland is working extraordinarily hard and you can’t beat a leader of the official Opposition without really working hard. So, to be in that kind of company is really humbling.”
Freeland oversaw, amongst other things, the U.S.-Canada negotiations leading to the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement which replaces the North American Free Trade Act.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, who represents Saanich-Gulf Islands, was nominated this year as most knowledgeable MP. “It’s an honour to be nominated,” said May in an email. May typically puts in 15 hours a day, seven days a week, arriving at work just after 7 a.m. and often leaving about 10 p.m. She generally takes off a day a month.
May has often said she believes she’s the only MP who reads every piece of legislation thoroughly. “I do carry a lot of information around in my head because I intervene and amend bills on every issue,” she quipped.
May won the highest award, parliamentarian of the year, in 2012. In 2013, she won “hardest working” parliamentarian and in 2014 she won “best orator.”
Rankin’s said that for both him and May, the hard work is approached with genuine enthusiasm. “I think both of us feel it’s a real honour to be representing Victoria in the House of Commons.”
Rankin has made news of late with his private member’s bill calling for expungement of criminal records for those convicted of simple possession of cannabis. Recreational use of cannabis became legal on Oct. 17.
MPs nominate their peers across party lines.
The winner will be announced on Nov. 5.
