Charlie Angus - Life and Career

Life and Career

Charlie Angus was born in Timmins, Ontario. He began his career as community activist in Toronto. He was also a musician in the punk rock band L'Étranger with Andrew Cash, and later in the more folk-oriented Grievous Angels. He and his wife also ran a homeless shelter in the city.

In 1990, he moved to Cobalt with his family. Grievous Angels continued as a band, and quickly became a cultural institution in Northern Ontario. In 1995, Angus and his wife Brit Griffin also launched HighGrader, a magazine devoted to Northern Ontario life and culture. He has also authored a number of books, notably on regional history, and made a name for himself as an activist in the controversy around shipping Toronto's garbage to Adams Mine, a plan to which Angus and many residents of the area were opposed.

In 1999, he was awarded the Jackie Washington Award by the Northern Lights Festival Boréal in Sudbury for his outstanding contributions to Northern Ontario culture.

In 2004, Angus sought and won the NDP nomination in Timmins—James Bay, and won election to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2004 federal election by less than 600 votes. He was re-elected in the 2006 federal election with a majority, over six thousand votes ahead of Liberal challenger Robert Riopelle.

Angus is a progressive, social justice-oriented member of the Roman Catholic Church and supporter of the Catholic Worker Movement. Until his federal election, he was a separate school board trustee. He was also a longtime columnist for the Catholic New Times, and wrote an admiring biography of Father Les Costello, the celebrated Toronto Maple Leafs player who left professional hockey to become a Catholic priest in Timmins.

He has worked extensively on community development projects with Canadian First Nations, working as a negotiator and consultant for the Algonquin Nation of Quebec. He also played a prominent role in calling national attention to the Kashechewan crisis of 2005.

In 2005, Angus' own priest confronted him, and threatened to deny him Holy Communion if he voted with the government and his party to legalize same-sex marriage by Act of Parliament. Angus stood his ground and was denied communion. Angus' treatment provoked widespread public reaction both from those who supported the church's stance, and those who supported Angus.

Angus's fifth book, Cage Call, a photo documentary with photographer Louie Palu, was released in 2007 as part of an award from Portland-based PhotoLucida.

In 2006, after just two years as a Member of Parliament, the Toronto Star selected Angus as one of the ten most effective opposition MPs. He also won "Best Constituent Representative" at the 2007 Maclean's Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.

Angus voted against a bill to abolish the Canadian Firearms Registry in September 2010. Although the registry is unpopular with many of his constituents, Angus voted against its abolition based on supporting evidence provided by police. He subsequently introduced a private member's bill to reform the registry.