Dan Heap - Definition and Overview

The Reverend Dan Heap (born September 24 1925) was a Canadian politician with the New Democratic Party of Canada. He represented the riding of Spadina, which in 1988 was renamed Trinity—Spadina, from 1981 until 1993.

From a wealthy background Heap attended the elite Upper Canada College but soon rejected upper class pretensions and turned to socialism. He became an Anglican minister and was renowned for his help in the community, which went so far as to sell his home to help the poor.

Heap entered politics to continue to fight poverty and homelessness and thus joined with the leftist NDP. He was elected to Toronto city council and when Liberal incumbent Peter Stollery was appointed to the Senate decided to run for the federal parliament in the subsequent 1981 by-election. Heap defeated the Liberal Jim Coutts to take the riding and was reelected in the 1984 and 1988 Canadian elections. He retired prior to the 1993 election.

Heap was an outspoken MP, becoming a prominent spokesperson for social justice issues both in Canada and abroad becoming much concerned with issue such as refugees the situation in East Timor and South Africa. Heap is also noted for hiring a young Olivia Chow as his assistant.

Despite retiring from politics Heap is still involved, strongly backing the anti-war movement and supporting NDP candidates in the region.