The Honourable David Emerson
Minister of Industry

David Emerson attended the University of Alberta and obtained his Bachelor of Economics degree in 1968 and his Master of Economics degree in 1970. He then went on to Queen's University where he received his PhD in Economics.

While completing his doctorate in 1972, he worked as a researcher for the Economic Council of Canada in Ottawa. In 1975, his passion for public service brought him to British Columbia, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become the province's Deputy Minister of Finance in 1984.

In 1986, he left government to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Western and Pacific Bank of Canada in Vancouver. Four years later, he returned to the provincial government as Deputy Minister of Finance, where he was quickly promoted to Deputy Minister to the Premier and then President of British Columbia Trade Development Corporation.

In 1992, he was appointed to lead the newly created Vancouver International Airport Authority, which was responsible for developing, operating and improving the airport's services and facilities. Today, the airport is a major economic generator for Greater Vancouver and the province.

In 1998, Mr. Emerson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Canfor Corporation, British Columbia's largest forestry company, leading it through one of the forestry industry's most difficult periods.

On June 28, 2004, as a candidate representing the Liberal Party of Canada, Mr. Emerson was elected as the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway.

He and his wife, Theresa, have a son and a daughter, age 12 and 9. He also has three grown children, a son, age 34, and two daughters, age 30 and 22.