{{Short description|Canadian politician (1946–2025)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}} '''James William Gouk''' (April 15, 1946 – May 27, 2025) was a Canadian politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1993 to 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rob Morrison on Jim Gouk {{!}} openparliament.ca |url=https://openparliament.ca/debates/2025/5/30/rob-morrison-1/only/ |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=openparliament.ca}}</ref>
==Life and career== Born in Toronto, Gouk moved west as a young man and began his political career as an alderman in Castlegar, British Columbia. Gouk would enter federal politics in 1993 when he was elected into the House of Commons of Canada. In the 1993 Canadian federal election he was elected in Kootenay West—Revelstoke for the Reform Party of Canada. In the 1997 Canadian federal election he was elected for the West Kootenay—Okanagan riding. In the 2000 Canadian federal election, Gouk was elected after joining the Canadian Alliance, the successor party to Reform, from the Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan riding. He was elected a fourth time in the 2004 Canadian federal election in the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior, this time for the Conservative Party of Canada. An air traffic controller, businessman and realtor, he had been an opposition critic of Transport, Public Works and Government Services, Labour, and Via Rail before retiring from politics at the dissolution of parliament prior to the 2006 Canadian federal election.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2006 |title=B.C. Tory candidate dumped over smuggling charges |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/b-c-tory-candidate-dumped-over-smuggling-charges-1.571550 |website=CBC News}}</ref>
Gouk died on May 27, 2025, after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 79 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Morrison|first=Rob|date=May 30, 2025|title=Former MP Jim Gouk, thank you for serving the Kootenays, may you rest in peace. #robmorrisonmp|url=https://www.facebook.com/robmorrisonmp/videos/1226445142191562|access-date=May 30, 2025|type=video|via=Facebook}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=16553}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|ca}} {{succession box|title=Member of Parliament for Kootenay West—Revelstoke| before=Lyle Kristiansen| after=District Abolished| years=1993–1997}} {{succession box|title=Member of Parliament for Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan| before=New District| after=District Abolished| years=1997–2004}} {{succession box|title=Member of Parliament for British Columbia Southern Interior| before=New District| after=Alex Atamanenko| years=2004–2006}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gouk, Jim}} Category:1946 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Canadian Alliance MPs Category:Democratic Representative Caucus MPs Category:Conservative Party of Canada MPs Category:Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Category:People from Castlegar, British Columbia Category:Canadian federal politicians from Toronto Category:Reform Party of Canada MPs Category:Air traffic controllers Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Category:British Columbia municipal councillors