Fin Donnelly

Fin Donnelly (born May 27, 1966) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on November 9, 2009, representing the electoral district of New Westminster—Coquitlam as a member of the New Democratic Party. Prior to his election as a federal MP, he served two terms on city council in his hometown of Coquitlam and was an environmental activist. He currently represents the riding of Port Moody—Coquitlam after winning his new seat in the 2015 federal election and serves as the NDP critic for Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Early life and career

An environmental activist, Donnelly has been active in raising public awareness of the rivers and watersheds of his home province of British Columbia. He has made fourteen marathon swims covering 3,200 km of BC's rivers, lakes and the ocean, including twice swimming the 1,400 km length of the Fraser River, saying Donnelly, after he swam the length of the Fraser River for the second time, to a man who accompanied him in a kayak, “wouldn’t it be amazing to get a program to have an experience that I just had.” The purpose of these swims has been to draw attention to the environmental impacts on rivers, stimulate critical thought and promote community stewardship.