Other Presiding Officers
of the House of Commons
Barry Devolin, M.P.—Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
Appointment to the Chair
Mr. Devolin was appointed Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole for the 41st Parliament on June 6, 2011. During the 40th Parliament, Mr. Devolin served as the Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole.
Personal History
Prior to entering Parliament in 2004, Mr. Devolin ran a consulting business in Toronto specializing in strategic planning and communications. During the 1990s, Mr. Devolin served in a variety of senior political staff roles on Parliament Hill and at Queen's Park. He also taught English as a second language at the Busan University of Foreign Studies in South Korea from 1996 to 1998.
Mr. Devolin has a B.A. from Carleton University and a Master’s degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, both in Political Science. As a graduate student, Mr. Devolin also taught undergraduate classes in American Government and the Legislative Process. While in high school, Mr. Devolin was selected as a Rotary International Exchange Student and spent a year in the Netherlands.
Mr. Devolin makes his permanent home in Haliburton, Ontario with his wife Ursula and their two children, George and Molly.
Political Record
First elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock in 2004, Mr. Devolin was re-elected in 2006, 2008 and 2011.
During the 38th Parliament, Mr. Devolin served as the Conservative critic for Human Resources and Skills Development. He also sat on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
During the 39th Parliament, he chaired the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. He sat on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, and the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. He also served as the Government Liaison with the Korean community in Canada and as Co-chair of the Canada Korea Inter-Parliamentary Association.