Michael John Savage (born May 13, 1960) is a Canadian politician who was the mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality from 2012 [3] to 2024. He previously served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the riding of Dartmouth—Cole Harbour from 2004 to 2011.
Michael Savage | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Savage in 2016 | |
| Lieutenant Governor-designate of Nova Scotia | |
| Assuming office TBD | |
| Succeeding | Arthur LeBlanc |
| 3rd Mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality | |
| In office November 6, 2012[1] – November 5, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Peter J. Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Andy Fillmore |
| Member of Parliament for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | |
| In office June 28, 2004 – May 2, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Wendy Lill |
| Succeeded by | Robert Chisholm |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael John Savage May 13, 1960 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality |
|
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | Liberal (until 2012) |
| Parent |
|
| Residence(s) | Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Profession |
|
Biography
editSavage was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and spent his early years in South Wales before moving to Canada at age six.[4] Savage is the son of former Nova Scotia premier John Savage. He grew up in Dartmouth, graduating from Prince Andrew High School and Dalhousie University.
Before being elected, Savage was active in the community. He is a past president of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia and was a member of the board of directors of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada from 1998 to 2003. He has also supported literacy through his involvement with the Dartmouth Book and Writing Awards and the Peter Gzowski Golf Tournament for Literacy.
Savage has most recently been involved with community organizations such as Junior Achievement, the Red Cross, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Alderney Landing, and is a former member of the Neptune Theatre Board. He was president of the Halifax Executive Association in 1995–1996 and is a member of the Metropolitan Halifax Chamber of Commerce.
Savage has also served as General Manager of S. Cunard & Co., a home and heating retailer in Nova Scotia, and later became the director, residential/general business marketing and sales for Nova Scotia Power.
In April 2002, he joined Ray & Berndtson as vice-president of business development and senior consultant.
On October 13, 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would be the next Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, replacing the Honourable Arthur LeBlanc.[1]
Political career
editSavage's first attempt at elected politics was when he ran in the riding of Dartmouth in the 1997 election.[5] He finished second behind Wendy Lill of the New Democratic Party.[6]
Savage was elected Member of Parliament for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour in June 2004,[7] and was re-elected in 2006. He was the critic for Human Resources Development. He has served on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health and was chair of the Liberal Caucus Committee on Post-Secondary Education and Research during the 38th Parliament. He was also the vice-chair of the standing committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
He has served as president of both federal and provincial organizations and has managed campaigns at both levels.
On December 4, 2006, it was reported that Savage was considering a run for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.[8] On December 19, Savage announced that he would not seek the leadership.[9]
On May 2, 2011, Savage lost his federal seat to Robert Chisholm of the NDP.[10]
On February 6, 2012, Savage announced that he would run for Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality in that year's municipal elections.[11] On October 20, 2012, Savage was elected Mayor of Halifax.[3] He was re-elected in the 2016 election[12] and 2020 election.[13]
On February 13, 2024, Savage announced that he would not be running in the municipal elections later that year.[14]
Electoral history
edit| 2011 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Robert Chisholm | 15,678 | 36.27 | +4.73 | $51,111.67 | |||
| Liberal | Michael Savage | 15,181 | 35.12 | -4.37 | $70,147.67 | |||
| Conservative | Wanda Webber | 10,702 | 24.76 | +2.30 | $51,126.57 | |||
| Green | Paul Shreenan | 1,662 | 3.85 | -2.11 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 43,223 | 99.41 | $83,954.73 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 255 | 0.59 | -0.01 | |||||
| Turnout | 43,478 | 61.45 | +2.72 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 70,756 | |||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +4.55 | ||||||
| Sources:[15][16] | ||||||||
| 2008 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Michael Savage | 16,016 | 39.49 | -2.83 | $63,901.48 | |||
| New Democratic | Brad Pye | 12,793 | 31.55 | -0.95 | $56,900.80 | |||
| Conservative | Wanda Webber | 9,109 | 22.46 | -0.36 | $64,746.58 | |||
| Green | Paul Shreenan | 2,417 | 5.96 | +3.69 | $444.09 | |||
| Christian Heritage | George Campbell | 219 | 0.54 | – | $351.78 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 40,554 | 100.0 | $80,942 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 245 | 0.60 | +0.23 | |||||
| Turnout | 40,799 | 58.73 | -3.71 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 69,469 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -0.94 | ||||||
| 2006 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Michael Savage | 19,027 | 42.32 | +0.25 | $67,910.96 | |||
| New Democratic | Peter Mancini | 14,612 | 32.50 | ±0 | $60,717.57 | |||
| Conservative | Robert A. Campbell | 10,259 | 22.82 | +1.72 | $41,775.58 | |||
| Green | Elizabeth Perry | 1,005 | 2.24 | -0.92 | $582.70 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Charles Spurr | 56 | 0.12 | -0.05 | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 44,959 | 100.0 | $76,265 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 166 | 0.37 | -0.07 | |||||
| Turnout | 45,125 | 62.44 | +0.51 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 72,264 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +0.12 | ||||||
| 2004 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Michael Savage | 17,425 | 42.07 | +8.18 | $62,046.28 | |||
| New Democratic | Susan MacAlpine-Gillis | 13,463 | 32.50 | -2.82 | $59,335.19 | |||
| Conservative | Michael L. MacDonald | 8,739 | 21.10 | -9.34 | $54,707.19 | |||
| Green | Michael Marshall | 1,311 | 3.16 | – | $200.00 | |||
| Progressive Canadian | Tracy Parsons | 415 | 1.00 | – | $1,140.15 | |||
| Marxist–Leninist | Charles Spurr | 70 | 0.17 | – | none listed | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 41,423 | 100.0 | $73,009 | |||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 181 | 0.44 | ||||||
| Turnout | 41,604 | 61.93 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 67,176 | |||||||
| Liberal notional gain from New Democratic | Swing | +5.50 | ||||||
| Changes from 2000 are based on redistributed results. Conservative Party change is based on the combination of Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party totals. | ||||||||
| 1997 Canadian federal election: Dartmouth—Cole Harbour | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Wendy Lill | 12,326 | 32.57 | +25.48 | ||||
| Liberal | Michael Savage | 10,298 | 27.21 | -23.60 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Rob McCleave | 10,183 | 26.91 | +3.33 | ||||
| Reform | John Cody | 4,446 | 11.75 | -3.87 | ||||
| Independent | Cliff Williams | 438 | 1.16 | -0.63 | ||||
| Natural Law | Claude Viau | 156 | 0.41 | -0.71 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 37,847 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Change for Independent candidate Cliff Williams is shown based on his results as a National Party candidate in 1993. | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Savage sworn in as mayor of HRM". The Chronicle Herald. November 6, 2012. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "Dion among a dozen MPs with dual citizenships". CBC News. December 8, 2006. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ a b "Former Liberal MP Mike Savage wins mayoralty in Halifax". The Globe and Mail. October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Faith has major role in Halifax Mayor Mike Savage's life". The Chronicle Herald. April 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
- ^ "In politics, family ties don't always bind". The Chronicle Herald. May 19, 1997. Archived from the original on October 5, 2000. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ "Happy ending for Dartmouth playwright". The Chronicle Herald. June 3, 1997. Archived from the original on May 22, 2001. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ "Savage name is back". The Chronicle Herald. June 29, 2004. Archived from the original on September 13, 2005. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ Liberal MP Savage considers N.S. leadership run Archived December 6, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Savage rules out Liberal leadership run". CBC News. December 19, 2006. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Chisholm wins Dartmouth-Cole Harbour". CBC News. May 2, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Mike Savage announces mayoral run". CBC News. February 6, 2012. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Mike Savage re-elected mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality". CBC News. October 15, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Record number of female councillors elected in HRM, Mike Savage returned as mayor". CBC News. October 17, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
- ^ "The privilege of my life': Mike Savage won't run for another term as Halifax mayor". CBC News. February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Elections Canada – Official voting results, Forty-first general election, 2011
- ^ Elections Canada – Candidate's electoral campaign return, 41st general election