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The Honourable David Pratt, P.C.

David Pratt has a long and distinguished record of service to his community and to his country. He served as an elected representative at the municipal, regional and federal levels of government for 16 years. He was the Member of Parliament for Nepean-Carleton from 1997 to June 2004.

From December 2003 to July 2004, Mr. Pratt served as Canada’s Minister of National Defence and was a member of three cabinet committees including Global Affairs, Canada-U.S. Relations and Security, Public Health and Emergencies. Prior to his appointment to Cabinet, Mr. Pratt was elected by his colleagues as Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs – a position he held from 2001 to 2003. He also served as a member of the House of Commons Sub-Committee on National Security.

During his first term in Parliament, Mr. Pratt served on two standing committees: Environment and Sustainable Development and National Defence and Veterans Affairs. He conducted local studies on health care and the state of Ottawa’s high technology industry and wrote reports on the need for a foreign intelligence agency for Canada as well as a joint Canada-U.S. brigade to enhance military inter-operability. He also served as Canada’s Special Envoy to Sierra Leone under two ministers of Foreign Affairs and was involved extensively in legislation to address the “conflict diamonds” issue. As a City Councillor, Mr. Pratt was involved in an international development project in Sierra Leone where he worked with local officials in the early 1990s as part of a Municipal Exchange between the city of Nepean, Ontario and the town of Bo, Sierra Leone. The project entitled “Africa 2000, the Municipal Response” was under the stewardship of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Prior to his election to Parliament, Mr. Pratt served three terms in municipal politics. He was first elected to Nepean City Council in 1988 and was re-elected in 1991 to sit on both Nepean City Council and Ottawa Carleton Regional Council. Mr. Pratt served a term as Deputy Mayor and chaired the Public Works Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee. On Regional Council, he worked on transportation and environment issues and was a member of the Ottawa-Carleton Police Services Board and the OC Transpo Commission. He served for five years on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Posted October 26, 2004