Ed Broadbent

John Edward "Ed" Broadbent, PC CC (born March 21, 1936) is a Canadian social democratic politician and political scientist. He was leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) from 1975 to 1989. In the 2004 federal election, he returned to Parliament for one additional term as the Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.

Life and career

Broadbent was born in Oshawa, Ontario. His father, Percy Edward, was a General Motors clerk, and his mother, Mary Welsh, was an Irish Catholic homemaker. Ed is the middle of three children. He studied philosophy at Trinity College in the University of Toronto, graduating in 1959 first in his class.

Broadbent trained as a Pilot Officer in the RCAF's University Reserve Training Plan.

In 1961, he married Yvonne Yamaoka, a Japanese Canadian town planner whose family was interned by the federal government in World War II. They divorced in 1967. On September 22, 1988, when the Mulroney government apologized for the internment, Broadbent brought up Yamaoka's experiences during his remarks in the House of Commons.