42 Facts About Nathaniel Erskine-Smith

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was born on June 15,1984, in Toronto, Ontario, attending Bowmore Elementary School and Malvern Collegiate.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith attended Queen's University, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics in 2007, before completing law school in 2010.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith attempted to start a business selling panini sandwiches from a trailer and hoped to start a catering business.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith then went on to study political philosophy and constitutional law at the University of Oxford, where he earned a Master of Laws degree in 2013.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith performed volunteer work for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has taken on pro bono cases for a range of clients and causes, including a civil liberties case to protect religious freedom in Ontario's school system.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith beat incumbent MP Matthew Kellway, who was elected in 2011.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith received endorsements from the provincial Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament Arthur Potts and City Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was re-elected in the 2019 election and 2021 election.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith announced that he would seek re-election, despite initially stating earlier in the year that he did not plan to run again.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in the 2023 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election.

However, Crombie was elected on the third ballot, ahead of Nathaniel Erskine-Smith who came in second with 46 per cent support behind Crombie's 53 per cent.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was appointed as the minister of housing, infrastructure and communities on December 20,2024, following a Cabinet shuffle.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith's appointment came amid unpopularity for the Liberals in the polls and calls for the prime minister to step down following the resignation of Chrystia Freeland.

In 2015, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith seconded Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, that became law in June 2019.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith spoke to the house about the importance of the bill in June 2018.

On February 26,2016, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced Bill C-246, the Modernizing Animal Protections Act, to ban the import of shark fins and make Canada's animal cruelty laws tougher.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith acknowledged Erskine-Smith's efforts as a precursor to the government's legislation.

On September 5,2017, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith wrote an article in NOW Magazine addressing his veganism and the importance of a social change towards the treatment of animals.

In 2017, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith received the Fur-Bearers' Clements award for his dedication to improving the lives of animals with Bill C-246.

In 2019, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was awarded the Toronto Vegetarian Association Lisa Grill Compassion for Animals Award for his compassion and commitment toward animals.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was recognized by Humane Canada for his dedication to ending animal abuse.

In October 2018, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith called an emergency debate on climate change in Parliament in response to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on global warming.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith requested action to be taken by the government and Canadians to ensure that Canada can reduce its emissions and reach the targeted goals.

On June 5,2019, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced bill C-454, the Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions Act, to require the Government of Canada to reduce GHG emissions to net zero by 2050.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith partnered with Mexican Senator Laura Rojas to argue that countries should seek alternatives to incarceration in cases where individuals have drugs solely for personal use.

In early January 2017, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith published an op-ed in Vice calling for the decriminalization of all drug possession as a logical next step to the government's drug policy.

In late January 2017, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith delivered a speech in the House of Commons in support of Bill C-37, to expand access to safe injection clinics across Canada.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced a Liberal caucus policy resolution to address the opioid crisis through a public health approach, and it was adopted as the second overall priority by the grassroots Liberal membership at the Liberal Policy Convention in Halifax in April 2018.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced bill C-460, seeking to remove criminal sanctions for low-level possession and to reduce the stigma associated with seeking treatment.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith argued it brought the conversation about drugs away from a health issue, which ran counter to his push for drug decriminalization and domestic policy at the time.

In March 2019, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith wrote an op-ed for NOW Magazine where he discussed his support a bill introduced by New Democratic Party MP Murray Rankin, stating that only expungements would address the injustice of cannabis criminalization.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced bill C-236, which would provide diversion options to law enforcement, crown attorneys, and judges for drug possession cases.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics during the 42nd Parliament.

In June 2018, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced bill C-413, an Act to amend the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, to give new powers for the federal privacy commissioner.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith explained that in an increasingly connected, online world citizens should have the right to hide content published about them from search engines if the individual's privacy is being seriously violated.

In February 2021, alongside Wayne Long, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was one of only two Liberal MPs to vote in favour of a New Democratic Party motion to take a first step towards developing a national pharmacare system.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith ultimately voted to confirm the use of the declaration.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith married Amelia Symington, a prominent Toronto vegan chef and nutritionist, on her family farm in Camlachie, Ontario.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Nathaniel Erskine-Smith launched the Uncommons Podcast as a substitute for local town hall meetings.

In October 2024, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith hosted both Prime Minister Trudeau and Mark Carney on separate episodes of the podcast.