Biography

Wayne Marston

Member of Parliament, Hamilton East–Stoney Creek:
Seniors and Pensions
Human Rights
Deputy Critic Industry (Steel)

• Member of Parliament for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, 2006-08 and re-elected in 2008
• Retired in 1995 after 20 years as a technician with Bell Canada
• Longest Serving President of the Hamilton and District Labour Council, 1991-2005 (14 years)
• Ward 5 Trustee on the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, 2000 - 2005, and member of the Special Education Advisory Committee
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Hamilton Tourism Board, the Strengthening Hamilton Community Initiative, the Hamilton Downtown Partnership, and the Mohawk College Labour Advisory Committee
• Chair of the Worker Education Centre and the McMaster University Labour Studies Advisory Committee
• Member of the Ontario Federation of Labour Executive Council
• Lives in Hamilton with his wife Barbara and has four grown children and nine grandchildren

Wayne Marston worked his way into the labour movement after a stint as a signal maintainer for the CNR led him to twenty years work as a technician with Bell Canada. Wayne quickly became involved in his staff union and held many positions over the years.

In 1995 he retired from Bell Canada and for the last 11 years served as the President of the Hamilton and District Labour Council. Throughout the early years and as a leader in the labour movement, Wayne was involved in many local political and activism initiatives such as the Ontario Days of Action.

In 2000, Wayne decided to get involved in politics at the local level running and winning his position as the Trustee for Ward 5 on the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board. As a Trustee, Wayne was also a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee.

Wayne was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Hamilton Tourism Board, the Strengthening Hamilton Community Initiative, and was the Chair of the Worker Education Centre and the McMaster University Labour Studies Advisory Committee. He was also a member of the Ontario Federation of Labour Executive Council. In 1987, the Governor General presented Wayne with the Medal of Bravery, and the Ontario Provincial Police gave him a Citation for Bravery when he heroically pulled a man from a horrible car accident.

Jack Layton appointed Wayne the NDP’s Advocate on Human Rights, Seniors and Pensions and Steel issues. In the House of Commons, Wayne seconded Jack Layton’s Environmental Protection Bill which tackles climate change and sets measurable targets to reduce carbon emissions every year. Wayne introduced a bill on Amateur Sport Financing to give athletes a helping hand and worked in his Subcommittee on International Human Rights to address abuses such as the case of Omar Khadr, Huseyincan Celil and Japanese Comfort Women.

In Hamilton, Wayne has worked to help families with CPP, EI, Immigration and Revenue Canada issues, had funding restored to local youth programmes through Canada Summer Jobs, helped eligible constituents collect over $750,000 through the Disability Tax Credit and hosted seminars to help people apply, co-hosted a public forum to raise awareness for Turtle Ponds, the environmentally sensitive wetlands, started a petition and postcard campaign in support of Billy Mason’s family and demanded that the Conservative Government establish a National DNA Databank for Missing Persons, ensured that the entire Pakistan Team could attend the 2008 World Kabaddi Tournament held in Hamilton last August.