Russ Powers
Russ Powers (born March 2, 1949 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian politician. He is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale for the Liberal Party.
Powers moved with his family to Dundas in 1966, and remains a member of the community. He was educated at Mohawk College and the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene, and has worked at McMaster University as a laboratory technologist since 1979. Powers also has military experience, having served as a Logistics Officer in the Canadian Army.
He was first elected to municipal office in Dundas in 1982, and served as a Dundas Town Councillor until 2000. He was also elected as a Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Councillor in 1995. When Dundas was amalgamated with Hamilton in 2001, Powers was elected to the Hamilton City Council. At the time of the 2004 federal election, he was the National Vice-President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Powers was also the founder of the Dundas Easter Egg Hunt and Dundas' Cactus Festival.
Powers's election in 2004 was by no means certain. Liberal John Bryden had won the old riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot in 1993, 1997 and 2000, but defected to the Conservative Party in early 2004 because of his opposition to Paul Martin's leadership style. Many believed that Bryden would win the redistributed riding in 2004, if he first won the Conservative nomination. Bryden was a late entry to the race, however, and was defeated for the nomination by David Sweet, an evangelical Christian fundraiser. Sweet's social conservatism alienated some voters in the riding, and increased Powers's chances of winning.
In spite of this, the riding remained uncertain until election day, with many local figures predicting a Conservative victory. Powers eventually defeated Sweet by a margin of 39.5% to 36%, with the NDP candidate receiving 21% support.