Sheldon Clare

Sheldon Derek Clare, (born 1962) is a Canadian academic, activist, a retired Cadet officer, and the President of the Canada-based National Firearms Association.
Clare's permanent residence is in Prince George, British Columbia. In the Canadian 2015 Federal Election Clare is running as an independent candidate in the riding of Cariboo—Prince George.
Personal
Clare was born in Prince George, British Columbia in 1962. His father, Hilliard is a long-time employee of the Northern Hardware and Furniture store and served as an alderman on Prince George City Council. Clare's mother, Helen was a nurse until 1962, and went on to serve on the Prince George Regional Hospital Board in the 1980s. Clare has three siblings: one sister, Karen, and two brothers, Kevin and Bryan.
Clare married Manuela (née Tobisch) in 1999 and they have two children, Elise and Danielle.
Education
Clare graduated from Duchess Park Senior Secondary in 1980, and attended the College of New Caledonia from 1981 to 1983, obtaining a general arts diploma in the university transfer program. Clare then graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations in 1986.
After university, Clare was employed as a substitute teacher and a shutdown labourer at the pulp mills in Prince George. He was also employed as a relief counsellor at Camp Trapping (young offenders program) until 1999. Clare began teaching business communications at the College of New Caledonia in January 1993. In 1999, Clare became a full-time English department faculty member at CNC and in 2010 he also began teaching Canadian and world history after completing his MA in Military History at Norwich University.
Military Service
After leaving wolf cubs as a young boy, Clare joined the 2618 Rocky Mountain Rangers Army Cadet Corps in 1975 at the age of 13. At the same time, Clare began to study and play the bagpipes at the local legion hall. He was a cadet from 1975 to 1981, and his training included reserve service as a call out acting sergeant at Vernon Army Cadet Camp (1979), Canadian Forces Europe (1980), and the basic parachutist course (1981).
Clare was enrolled as an officer cadet in 1981 and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cadet Instructors List, now called the Cadet Instructors Cadre (a branch of "the Canadian Forces Reserve"), in June 1983. He was promoted lieutenant in 1984 and captain in 1987. He served in various roles at summer training centres, and on military exercises, and with two cadet corps in all positions up to and including commanding officer. Clare transferred to the Supplementary Reserve in 1988 in Prince George, BC, and retired from the supplementary reserve list in 2010. His awards include: Special Service Medal with NATO bar, Army Cadet League Long Service Medal (2 Bars) the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, as well as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Community Service
Clare’s community involvement includes but is not limited to: past president of Branch 43 Royal Canadian Legion (Executive member 1989-2001); past president of the Prince George Rod and Gun Club; piper with the Prince George Legion Band, and past chair of the Prince George Section of the Alpine Club of Canada. Clare has been the President of the BC Branch of Canada’s National Firearms Association and since 2010 has served as the volunteer national president of the NFA. He was also chair of the mayor’s Army Reserve Action Committee for Prince George, which successfully worked to establish B Company of the Rocky Mountain Rangers. Clare was a founding member of the Alpine Club of Canada's Prince George section, and has received the ACC Don Forest Award for his service. He is also a volunteer biathlon coach, and served as sport information officer for biathlon during the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Clare also directed and organized the 2015 Northern Hardware and Prince George Centennial Canoe Race, an event which re-established a race which had not been run since 1984.
Politics
Clare was an early member of the Reform Association and subsequent Reform Party. He was one of a few individuals who organized the two reform riding associations in Prince George Peace River and Prince George Bulkley Valley, which eventually elected Reform MPs Jay Hill and Richard Harris in 1993. Clare became active in firearms advocacy in 1989 when he joined the National Firearms Association, serving in a number of roles including director, provincial president. He was elected as national president in 2010 and is currently serving a term which ends in 2016.
Independent Candidate
Clare announced his candidacy for Member of Parliament for Cariboo-Prince George on August 18, 2015 in Prince George in front of CNC. This made Clare the second official candidate in Cariboo Prince George, a riding held by Dick Harris under the Reform, Alliance, and Conservative Party banners from 1993-2015.
In his campaign launch announcement, Clare described himself as "a hardware store conservative." Referring to his community involvement, Clare also pointed out that unlike many independents, his run for parliament could not be characterized as vote splitting or a protest election, but rather as an answer to "the broken party system."
Clare’s platform at the time of launch emphasized the dealing diversifying the economy, voicing local concerns, and supporting public obligations. He also made special emphasis of the treatment of veterans, door to door delivery for seniors, and reducing student debt. CBC, as well as iPolitics. Canadian author Margaret Atwood praised his candidacy and position on Bill C-51 on Twitter.
Controversy
Clare was an early and vocal critic of the Conservative Government’s anti-terrorism Bill C-51, arguing that intelligence agencies should not have enforcement powers. He also expressed concern about risks to personal privacy due to the enhanced sharing of information without proper checks and balances between government departments. The NFA was to have participated in the Commons committee hearings on Bill C-51, but withdrew just before. Some journalists speculated that the NFA was offered amendments on Bill C-42 (Common Sense Firearms Act) for removing itself from the hearings on C-51. This speculation has since been confirmed by Clare in a Facebook post on his personal page, as well as in three interviews, one of which was with the Canadian magazine Macleans. C-42 was passed without amendments proposed by the NFA.
Within the National Firearms Association, a dispute is taking place which is now before the courts. The roots of this internal disagreement stem from President Clare's dismissal of Mr. Shawn Bevins. The NFA's board of directors divided over this action, with five directors filing a statement of claim in the court of Queen's bench in Alberta; Mr. Bevins has also filed a claim of wrongful dismissal. No rulings have yet been handed down by the presiding judge.

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