Canadian politician
Brenda Elliott (born October 27, 1950) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves .
Background
Elliott was born in Goderich, Ontario . She went to McMaster University , and worked as a teacher and librarian. In 1972, she was elected to the Wellington County Board of Education. She became interested in environmental causes during the 1990s, and in November 1989 opened a store in Guelph , Ontario called For Earth's Sake.[ 1]
Politics
Elliott was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial election , defeating former Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Rick Ferraro and incumbent New Democrat Derek Fletcher in the Guelph constituency.[ 2] The Tories won a majority government in this election under Mike Harris 's leadership, and Elliott was appointed as Minister of Environment and Energy on June 26, 1995.[ 3]
Due to Elliott's background in the environmental movement , many believed she would be a strong advocate for "green" policies in the Harris cabinet.[citation needed ] She was dropped from cabinet on August 16, 1996,[ 4] and served as a backbench supporter in the legislature for the next three years.[citation needed ]
Elliott was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election for the redistributed riding of Guelph—Wellington by about ten thousand votes.[ 5] On February 8, 2001, she returned to cabinet as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs .[ 6] When Ernie Eves replaced Mike Harris as Premier of Ontario in 2002, he named Elliott as his Minister of Community, Family and Children's Services .[ 7]
The Tories were defeated in the 2003 provincial election , and Elliott lost her seat to Liberal candidate Liz Sandals by 2,800 votes.[ 8]
Cabinet positions
References
^ Elizabeth Lumley. Canadian Who's Who 2003, Volume 38 . p. 404.
^ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate" . Elections Ontario. June 8, 1995. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-02 .
^ "Mike Harris' cabinet". The Spectator . Hamilton, Ont. June 27, 1995. p. A7.
^ Walker, William (August 16, 1996). "Tsubouchi demoted in Harris shuffle". Toronto Star . p. A1.
^ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate" . Elections Ontario. June 3, 1999. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-02 .
^ "Flaherty to be new Ontario finance chief". Sudbury Star . February 8, 2001. p. A5.
^ "Ont-Cabinet". Toronto, Ont: Canadian Press NewsWire. April 15, 2002.
^ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate" . Elections Ontario. October 2, 2003. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-02 .
External links