Craig Scott was elected in a by-election on March 19, 2012, as the Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth, the riding previously represented by NDP Leader Jack Layton. Amongst his responsibilities in the federal NDP caucus, he is the Official Opposition Critic for Democratic and Parliamentary Reform and sits on the Procedures and House Affairs Committee of the House of Commons.
Craig has devoted his life to fighting for human rights and equality. Until his election, he was professor of law at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University and, prior to that, professor of law at University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Craig has spent years promoting justice in places like South Africa, Honduras, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, as well as on a range of fronts in Canada. He’s been a strong advocate on anti-poverty issues and Aboriginal rights, and has done substantial work on the issue of Canada’s transfer of detainees in Afghanistan to risk of torture. In recent years, Craig worked on issues such as accountability for human rights violations and environmental harms committed by Canadian companies in other countries.
Craig is a former member of the Board of Directors at the Centre For Equality Rights in Accommodation – a Toronto-based organization devoted to ending discrimination in housing. He co-founded the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice, and now played an active role on its Advisory Council until stepping down when elected to Parliament. Craig was also a commissioner on the Truth Commission in Honduras created by human rights organizations after the 2009 coup in that country; he stepped down after being elected to Parliament, before the final report was written.
A lover of art, Craig ran the Craig Scott Gallery in Toronto. Craig has been a resident of Riverdale for the last 23 years. He currently lives on Dingwall Avenue with his partner Kovit Ratchadasri.
