Editing Dan Heap (section)

==Politics==
Heap entered politics and campaigned on a platform to oppose poverty, war and homelessness. He ran as the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|New Democratic Party]]'s candidate in [[Spadina (electoral district)|Spadina]] in the [[1968 Canadian federal election|1968 federal election]] placing second in a campaign where he described himself as a "worker priest".  He also ran in the 1971 provincial election against [[Allan Grossman]] in the riding of [[St. Andrew—St. Patrick]], losing by 1137 votes.<ref>{{cite news |title=Riding by riding returns in the provincial election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=October 23, 1971 |page=10}}</ref> His first success in politics came when he was elected in the 1972 municipal election as the junior Alderman for Ward 6.<ref>{{cite news |title=4 city aldermen lose their seats |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=December 5, 1972 |page=1}}</ref> As well as serving on Toronto City Council from 1972 to 1981, he also represented Ward 6 on [[Metro Toronto Council]] from 1974 to 1978. When the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] for Spadina, [[Peter Stollery]], was appointed to the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]] in 1981, Heap decided to run in the subsequent [[by-election]]. [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Pierre Trudeau]] had recommended Stollery for appointment to the Senate in order to open the "safe Liberal riding" for Trudeau's aide [[Jim Coutts]]. Heap defeated Coutts in the by-election, however, and was re-elected in the [[1984 Canadian federal election|1984]] and [[1988 Canadian federal election|1988 elections]].  He retired at the [[1993 Canadian federal election|1993 federal election]].

Heap was an outspoken MP, and campaigned against poverty, homelessness, and war.<ref name=obit>{{cite news|title=Dan Heap, former NDP MP and social justice activist, dead at 88 |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/04/26/dan_heap_former_ndp_mp_and_social_justice_activist_dead_at_88.html |accessdate=April 26, 2014 |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=April 26, 2014}}</ref> Upon being elected to parliament, he said his three priorities were world peace, worker control of the economy, and an end to social injustice.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stephen Lewis commentary |publisher=CityPulse at 6 |date=August 18, 1981 |work=see YouTube: CityPulse at 6 - Aug 18th, 1981}}</ref> He served as NDP critic on immigration, served on the member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Labour, Employment and Immigration,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=3032235 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140426151318/http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=3032235 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |publisher=[[Library and Archives Canada]] |title=Dan Heap, 1925- |date=March 19, 2008 |accessdate=April 27, 2014 }}</ref> and was a prominent spokesperson for social justice issues both in Canada and abroad. He was very concerned with issues such as refugees, the situations in [[Central America]], [[East Timor]], and [[South Africa]].<ref name=cbcobit>{{cite news|title=Dan Heap, former Toronto NDP MP, dead at 88|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dan-heap-former-toronto-ndp-mp-dead-at-88-1.2622995|accessdate=April 26, 2014|newspaper=[[CBC News]]|date=April 26, 2014}}</ref>   Heap hired a young [[Olivia Chow]] as his constituency office assistant.<ref>{{cite news|title=Can Olivia Chow be Toronto's next mayor?|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/olivia-chow-is-in-the-drivers-seat/article17726075/?page=all|accessdate=April 26, 2014|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=March 28, 2014}}</ref>