Chris Axworthy

Chris Axworthy KC
Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Fairview
In office June 28, 1999 – March 17, 2003
Preceded by	Bob Mitchell
Succeeded by	Andy Iwanchuk
Member of Parliament for Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing (1988–1997)
In office November 21, 1988 – June 1, 1999
Preceded by	Ray Hnatyshyn
Succeeded by	Dennis Gruending
Personal details
Born	(1947-03-10)March 10, 1947 Plymouth, England
Died	August 11, 2023(2023-08-11) (aged 76) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal Party of Canada (2004–2006) New Democratic Party (1988–2003)

Christopher S. Axworthy, KC (March 10, 1947 – August 11, 2023) was a Canadian politician and academic.

Law professor

After teaching law at the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie Law School, Chris Axworthy came to Saskatoon in 1984 as the founding executive director of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and as a professor of law at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2003 he returned to the University of Saskatchewan as a professor of law, where he taught until the spring of 2008.

In the spring of 2008, he was appointed Dean of Robson Hall at the University of Manitoba for a five-year term beginning on July 1, 2008. He was also the President of the Institute of Parliamentary and Political Law.

In May 2010, Axworthy assumed the position as the Founding Dean of Law at Thompson Rivers University's new law school, which opened in Fall 2011. On July 15, 2013, he resigned this position.

Political career

Axworthy was elected as a Saskatchewan Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party in 1988 and was re-elected in 1993 and 1997.

Axworthy resigned from the House of Commons on June 1, 1999, to join the cabinet of then Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow. He was elected as an MLA in a by-election as the Saskatchewan NDP MLA for the constituency of Saskatoon-Fairview with 64% of the vote. He was also re-elected three months later in a general election that same year. He served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. After Romanow stepped down, Axworthy ran against Lorne Calvert for the provincial NDP leadership convention and finished second. Axworthy, who was still serving as Justice Minister, resigned as MLA in January 2003.

Although he had been an NDP member for his entire political career, Axworthy announced his bid for the Liberal nomination in the riding of Saskatoon—Wanuskewin on March 5, 2004. He received 32.58% of the vote, but lost to incumbent Conservative MP, Maurice Vellacott. He lost to Vellacott a second time in the 2006 federal election.

Personal life and death

Axworthy was born in Plymouth, England on March 10, 1947. He died from cancer on August 11, 2023, at the age of 76.

Electoral results

Federal

2006 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon—Wanuskewin
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Maurice Vellacott	17,753	49.39	+2.74	$62,331.71
	Liberal	Chris Axworthy	8,655	24.08	−8.50	$52,437.43
	New Democratic	Jim Maddin	7,939	22.09	+4.27	$35,098.35
	Green	Don Cameron	1,292	3.59	+0.63	$880.29
	Christian Heritage	Dale Sanders	307	0.85	−0.90	$1,552.99
Total valid votes			35,946	100.00
Total rejected ballots			96	0.27	+0.03
Turnout			36,042	67.35	+7.63
Electors on the lists			53,513

2004 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon—Wanuskewin
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Maurice Vellacott	15,109	46.64	−11.09	$66,433.82
	Liberal	Chris Axworthy	10,553	32.58	+15.76	$72,269.97
	New Democratic	Priscilla Settee	5,770	17.81	−6.42	$38,635.22
	Green	David Greenfield	960	2.96	+1.75	$25.00
Total valid votes			32,392	100.00
Total rejected ballots			76	0.23	−0.03
Turnout			32,468	59.72	−1.90
Electors on the lists			54,366
Percentage change figures are factored for redistribution. Conservative Party percentages are contrasted with the combined Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative percentages from 2000.
Sources: Official Results, Elections Canada and Financial Returns, Elections Canada.

1997 Canadian federal election
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Chris Axworthy	12,095	43.72	$56,131
	Reform	Elwin Hermanson	9,011	32.57	$33,126
	Liberal	Tanyss Munro	4,438	16.04	$37,991
	Progressive Conservative	Richard Gabruch	1,931	6.98	$11,361
	Canadian Action	Rick Barsky	191	0.69	$1,760
Total valid votes/Expense limit			27,666	100.00	$58,640
Total rejected ballots			113	0.41
Turnout			27,779	59.9

1993 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing
Party	Candidate	Votes
	New Democratic	Chris Axworthy	11,587
	Reform	Frederick Wesolowski	10,376
	Liberal	Roy Norris	10,226
	Progressive Conservative	Peter McCann	3,668
	National	Henry Garman	604
	Natural Law	Patrick James Coulterman	185
	Independent	Rhys Frostad	109
	Canada Party	Shawn Cawley	71

1988 Canadian federal election: Saskatoon—Clark's Crossing
Party	Candidate	Votes
	New Democratic	Chris Axworthy	19,889
	Progressive Conservative	Ray Hnatyshyn	14,847
	Liberal	Bill Patrick	6,554
	Green	Keith A. Morvick	222

Provincial

1999 Saskatchewan general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	NDP	Chris Axworthy	2,653	56.68	-7.55
	Saskatchewan	Sandra Rees	1,137	24.29	+3.11
	Liberal	Barry Anderson	649	13.86	+1.67
	Prog. Conservative	Gwen Katzman	153	3.27	-
	New Green	Lynn Oliphant	89	1.90	-0.50
Total			4,681	100.00

June 28, 1999 By-Election: Saskatoon Fairview

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	NDP	Chris Axworthy	1,871	64.23	-0.56
	Saskatchewan	Harry Meyers	617	21.18	*
	Liberal	Barry Anderson	355	12.19	-12.70
	New Green	Neil Sinclair	70	2.40	*
Total			2,913	100.00

External links

• Canadian parliamentary profile
• Chris Axworthy – Parliament of Canada biography
• University of Manitoba profile
• Centre for the Study of Co-operatives