Charlie Angus was born in Timmins, Ontario. He was first elected to the House of Commons as the MP for Timmins-James Bay in 2004. Over the last 8 years he served as the New Democratic Party’s spokesman on Digital Issues, Agriculture, Arts and Heritage, Government Operations and presently is acting as the Party’s spokesman on Access to Information, Privacy, Ethics and Government Accountability.
In the early 1980s, Angus was a founding member of the Canadian punk Band L’Etranger with now fellow MP Andrew Cash.
He formed the band Grievous Angels in 1985 and toured across Canada. The band was nominated for two Juno Awards.
In the 1980s Angus and his wife Brit Griffin founded a Catholic Worker House for the homeless in Toronto.
In 1990, he moved his young family to Cobalt, Ontario and started HighGrader Magazine.
He became involved in politics through his organizing efforts to stop the Adams Mine garbage proposal and numerous PCB import plans to Northern Ontario.
Angus is the author of five published books. His sixth book “The Watershed: A Memoir of the Adams Mine War” will be published by Between the Lines Press in Spring 2013.
Angus has been a passionate advocate for the rights of First Nation children and was the co-founder the “Shannen’s Dream” campaign – named in honour of the late Cree youth leader Shannen Koostachin.
In 2011, Angus’ Parliamentary Motion “Shannens Dream” calling for an end to the systemic underfunding of First Nation education passed unanimously through the House of Commons.
In 2011, CTV Power Play voted Angus one of the TOP THREE MPs of the year along with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the late Jack Layton.
In 2012, Zoomer Magazine voted Angus one of the TOP THREE most influential Canadians over the age of 45.
Angus lives in Cobalt, Ontario with his wife of 30 years. They have three children.
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