# Max Saltsman

Samuel Mayer "Max" Saltsman (29 May 1921 – 28 November 1985) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He represented the social-democratic New Democratic Party as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Member of Parliament for the Waterloo South and Waterloo–Cambridge electoral districts from 1964 to 1979. He resigned from federal politics in 1979 and worked as a policy advisor until shortly before his death in 1985.

## Early life and education

Saltsman was born on 29 May 1921 in Toronto to Samuel and Sara (née Krier) Saltsman, gaining the nickname "Max" in childhood. Saltsman attended schools in the Spadina area and left Central Technical School at 14 to work and support his family. He earned high school credits through part-time studies after work. Saltsman did not complete a university degree, but took correspondence courses while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and continued his education sporadically during his years in parliament. During World War II, Saltsman served in France, the Netherlands, and Germany with the RCAF. In 1947, he married Dorothy Gellman. He was president of Galt Dry Cleaning Services and Eastern Coin Operated Enterprise.

## Career in politics

He was first elected to the House of Commons in a 1964 by-election following the death of MP Gordon Chaplin, and was re-elected in the general elections of 1965, 1968, 1972, and 1974. Saltsman was the NDP critic for Finance and National Revenue from 1976 to 1977. Saltsman drafted private member's bill C-249, "An Act Respecting a Proposed Association Between Canada and the Caribbean Turks and Caicos Islands" that proposed that Canada form an association with the Turks and Caicos Islands; however, it was never submitted to a vote.
Prior to federal office, he was an alderman in Galt, Ontario from 1961 to 1964. In 1982, Bill Davis, Premier of Ontario, appointed him to the province's Inflation Restraint Board. Saltsman planned to return to municipal politics as a councillor-at-large for Cambridge in 1985, but cancelled these plans at a public news conference on 21 October, where he announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Saltsman died in Toronto's Wellesley Hospital on 28 November 1985, two weeks after the Cambridge municipal election was held. The Max Saltsman fonds is held at Library and Archives Canada.

## Electoral record

vte1965 Canadian federal election: Waterloo South :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Max Saltsman | 13,337 | 46.15 | +1.90 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jim Chaplin | 9,678 | 33.49 | -2.43 |
| | Liberal | Reid Menary | 5,886 | 20.37 | +0.54 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 28,901 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +2.17 |
| Source(s) "Waterloo South, Ontario (1867-1968)". History of Federal Ridings Since 1867. Library of Parliament. Retrieved 7 September 2015. |||||||
vteCanadian federal by-election, November 9, 1964: Waterloo South Death of Gordon Chaplin :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Max Saltsman | 12,417 | 44.25 | +17.85 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jim Chaplin | 10,078 | 35.92 | -5.01 |
| | Liberal | Rod Stewart | 5,563 | 19.83 | -11.52 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 28,058 | 100.0 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +11.43 |
| Source(s) "Waterloo South, Ontario (1867-1968)". History of Federal Ridings Since 1867. Library of Parliament. Retrieved 6 September 2015. |||||||