Nate Erskine-Smith (Law’10) is the newest federal Liberal candidate in Toronto’s Beaches–East York riding

Nate Erskine-Smith, Law’10, is looking forward to continuing a tradition of public service that he established while studying at Queen’s Law, this time by running as the next federal Liberal candidate in Toronto’s Beaches–East York riding. He won the nomination on December 14, just four years after graduating.

“I cut my teeth in politics as a naïve 22-year-old Queen’s student when I ran for city council,” Erskine-Smith told us via email. He also worked at the Queen’s Business Law Clinic (QBLC).

“QBLC was a great experience, both for necessary legal skills but also for the level of responsibility and client management that a young lawyer rarely encounters early in one’s career,” he said. “Universities don’t necessarily exist for the larger community—the pursuit of truth/knowledge is itself a sufficiently important goal—but where possible, it’s important to have an impact outside of the classroom or lab, and clinical programs that help the larger community while also providing on-the-job training are invaluable.”

Since his time at the QBLC, Nate has continued performing pro bono legal work for a range of clients and causes as well as volunteering for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA).

“There are countless people from my time at Queen’s that have had an impact on my decision to enter politics. I met my wife Amy in an undergraduate film class at Queen’s, and she inspires me to be better at everything I do; watching her pursue her passion for nutrition and health helped to solidify my decision to pursue my passion for politics,” he said.

Erskine-Smith’s wife isn’t the only significant relationship that has carried on from Queen’s, however: “My campaign manager Andrew Goodridge and I were Brock 5 floormates in 2003 and lived together north of Princess for another three years,” he said. “I will hopefully soon be convincing him to come to Ottawa with me.”

Erskine-Smith credits one of his professors with helping inspire him to transition from his Queen’s JD to his BCL at the University of Oxford; “David Stratas (now Justice Stratas) pushed me towards doing my master of laws at Oxford, and I’m not sure I would be where I am today without that experience. Political campaigns cannot be won alone, and I would be nowhere without the incredible support of my friends and classmates from Queen’s,” Erskine-Smith said.

The next federal election is predicted for October 2015.