Nathaniel Erskine-Smith

Erskine-Smith served as a member of the Public Safety and National Security Committee, and as the Vice-Chair of the Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics committee in the 42nd parliament.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (born June 15, 1984) is a Canadian politician who is the member of Parliament (MP) for Beaches—East York.

While a student at Queen's, Erskine-Smith was an unsuccessful candidate for city council for Sydenham District in Kingston, Ontario, in the 2006 municipal elections.

He also attempted to start a business selling panini sandwiches from a trailer and hoped to start a catering business.

Erskine-Smith attended Queen's University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics in 2007, before completing law school in 2010.

He then went on to study political philosophy and constitutional law at the University of Oxford, where he earned a Master of Laws (BCL) degree in 2013

Erskine-Smith practiced commercial litigation as an associate at Kramer Simaan Dhillon, after working as a law student at Aird & Berlis LLP.

He also performed volunteer work for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

He worked pro bono for a range of clients and causes, including a civil liberties case to protect religious freedom in Ontario's school system.

In a notable civil liberties case in 2014, Erskine-Smith successfully argued against compulsory religious studies at publicly funded high schools in Ontario.

A member of the Liberal Party, Erskine-Smith was elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election.

Before entering politics, Erskine-Smith was a commercial litigation lawyer.

In 2023, Erskine-Smith was a candidate in the 2023 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election, which he ultimately came second to Bonnie Crombie with 46% of the vote.

Erskine-Smith was born in Toronto, Ontario, attending Bowmore Elementary School and Malvern Collegiate.

His parents, Sara Erskine and Lawrence Smith, were public school teachers.

In 2015, Erskine-Smith seconded Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, that became law in June 2019.

The bill prohibits the captivity of cetaceans and requires permits to import and export them to and from Canada.

He served as the president of the Canadian group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for a one-year term in 2016.

In that capacity, he delivered a speech about youth in politics at an IPU meeting in Zambia.

Erskine-Smith has been called Canada's most independent parliamentarian, with the National Post has described him as “maverick” and CBC describing him as Ottawa's “least predictable MP.” Erskine-Smith described his position in an op-ed in the Toronto Star, writing:

""No political party represents our views perfectly.

We find the party that best represents our views and values, and we engage, debate and organize to bring both our party and country closer to those objectives.

I am a Liberal MP and I continue to support our Liberal government.

But that does not mean that I support every government action taken, or that I ought to refrain from public disagreement.

In contrast to blind partisan loyalty, we promised to empower MPs and their communities through more free votes in the House of Commons.""

On February 26, 2016, Erskine-Smith introduced Bill C-246, the Modernizing Animal Protections Act, to ban the import of shark fins and make Canada's animal cruelty laws tougher.

The bill won support from EndCruelty, a coalition of Canadians who support stronger animal protection laws.

Due to concerns from animal use lobbyists, the bill was defeated 198 to 84 at second reading.

Two years later, a government bill addressing similar concerns was tabled by Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.

She acknowledged Erskine-Smith's efforts as a precursor to the government's legislation.

In 2016, Erskine-Smith received the Humane Legislator Award from Animal Justice for his efforts to modernize Canada's federal animal protection laws with Bill C-246.

The defeat of Erskine-Smith's Bill C-246 led to the creation of the Liberal Animal Welfare Caucus in 2017.

On September 5, 2017, Erskine-Smith wrote a piece in Now Magazine addressing his veganism and the importance of a social change towards the treatment of animals.

In 2017, Erskine-Smith received the Fur-Bearers’ Clements award for his dedication to improving the lives of animals with Bill C-246.

Erskine-Smith spoke to the house about the importance of the bill in June 2018.

In October 2018, Erskine-Smith called an emergency debate on climate change in Parliament in response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on global warming.

He requested action to be taken by the government and Canadians to ensure that Canada can reduce its emissions and reach the targeted goals.

In 2019, Erskine-Smith was awarded the Toronto Vegetarian Association Lisa Grill Compassion for Animals Award for his compassion and commitment toward animals.

He was also recognized by Humane Canada for his dedication to ending animal abuse.

On June 5, 2019, Erskine-Smith introduced Bill C-454, the Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions Act, to require the Government of Canada to reduce GHG emissions to net zero by 2050.