Ian Watson (politician)

Ian Watson (April 10, 1934 – April 2, 2023) was a Canadian politician. He served as a Liberal party MP from 1963 to 1984.

Ian Watson
Official 1980 portrait
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Châteauguay—Huntingdon—Laprairie
In office April 1963 – June 1968
Preceded by	Jean Boucher
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Laprairie
In office June 1968 – May 1979
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Pierre Deniger
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Châteauguay
In office May 1979 – July 1984
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Ricardo López
Personal details
Born	(1934-04-10)April 10, 1934 Howick, Quebec, Canada
Died	April 2, 2023(2023-04-02) (aged 88)
Political party	Liberal
Profession	Lawyer
Committees	Chair, Standing Committee on National Resources and Public Works (1980-1984) Chair, Standing Committee on Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1968–1972 & 1976–1979)
Portfolio	Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue (1972) Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of State for Urban Affairs (1972–1973 & 1974)

Early life and career

Born in Howick, Quebec, Watson was a lawyer by trade.^[1]

Political career

Watson first won office at Quebec's Châteauguay—Huntingdon—Laprairie riding in the 1963 federal election and was re-elected in 1965, 1968, 1972 and 1974. His riding was changed to La Prairie in 1968.^[1]

In the 1979 election, Watson campaigned and won in the Châteauguay riding and was re-elected there in 1980. He was defeated in the 1984 election by Ricardo Lopez of the Progressive Conservative party.^[1]

Watson served seven successive terms from the 26th to the 32nd Canadian Parliaments.^[1]

Death

Watson died on April 2, 2023, at the age of 88.^[2]

Electoral history

v t e 1968 Canadian federal election: La Prairie
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Ian Watson	31,968
	Progressive Conservative	H.-René Laberge	5,316
	New Democratic	Yves Demers	3,551
	Ralliement créditiste	Marcellin Gagnon	1,288

v t e 1972 Canadian federal election: La Prairie
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Ian Watson	34,557
	Progressive Conservative	Robert-F. Nelson	9,147
	Social Credit	Marcellin Gagnon	7,315
	New Democratic	Bernard Boulanger	5,261

v t e 1974 Canadian federal election: La Prairie
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Ian Watson	35,276
	Progressive Conservative	Georges Brossard	12,767
	New Democratic	Jean-Claude Bohrer	5,153
	Social Credit	Aimé Coderre	3,855

v t e 1979 Canadian federal election: Châteauguay
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Ian Watson	27,485
	Progressive Conservative	Yves Longtin	5,909
	Social Credit	Jean Lachaine	3,668
	New Democratic	Ginette Bourdon	2,404
	Rhinoceros	Cher Logue Georges Duchesne	883
	Union populaire	Guy Cousineau	213

v t e 1980 Canadian federal election: Châteauguay
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Ian Watson	27,152
	New Democratic	William W. Evans	4,203
	Progressive Conservative	Jean Dugre	3,311
	Social Credit	Paul-André Boucher	1,182
	Union populaire	Jean-Denis Paquette	570
	Marxist–Leninist	Jane Woods	199
lop.parl.ca

v t e 1984 Canadian federal election: Châteauguay
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Progressive Conservative	Ricardo López	21,318
	Liberal	Ian Watson	17,313
	New Democratic	Robert Vigneault	5,083
	Parti nationaliste	Jean-Guy Lafrenaye	1,630
	Libertarian	Guy Pelletier	284
	Commonwealth of Canada	Gilles A. Grisé	124