Ontario Liberal Party candidates, 2003 Ontario provincial election

The Ontario Liberal Party is a political party in the Canadian province of Ontario.

The party governed the province from 1871 to 1905, 1934 to 1943 and 1985 to 1990. It returned to power in 2003 by winning a majority government in that year's provincial election.

The Liberals ran a full state of 103 candidates in the 2003 election, seventy-two of whom were elected. Several candidates have their own biography pages. Information about others may be found here.

Mike Brown (Algoma—Manitoulin)

Elected. See his biography page for further details.

Ted McMeekin (Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot)

Elected. See his biography page for further details.

Mike Ramsay (Barrie—Simcoe—Bradford)

A municipal councillor in Barrie. Elected in 1994, re-elected in 1997 and returned by acclamation in 2000. Ramsay has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Bachelor of Education degree from York University. Ramsay also has a degree from Georgian College in broadcast journalism, and hosts a local program called Mike Ramsay LIVE. He teaches history and politics at Barrie Central Collegiate. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Royal Victoria Hospital of Barrie, 2004-05.

Ramsay finished second to Progressive Conservative Joe Tascona in the 2003 election, receiving 21,998 votes (36.13%) to Tascona's 31,529 (51.78%). He was elected back onto Barrie city council in 2006.

He is also running for mayor in the 2010 Barrie municipal election.

Monica Purdy (Beaches—East York)

A registered nurse, and a board member of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Her primary campaign issue was the rights of health workers. Born in Ginger Rouge in rural Jamaica, and moved to Canada in 1975. Raised in the Niagara peninsula, and lived for a time in St. Catharines. Received a diploma from the Niagara College of Applied Arts & Technology. Later attended the University of Toronto and Ryerson University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1997, and a Master of Science degree in 2001. Project manager at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. Previously a member of the New Democratic Party.

Purdy finished second to NDP incumbent Michael Prue, receiving 10,070 votes (24.29%). After the election, she was appointed to the Ontario Social Benefits Tribunal.

Marianne Wilkinson (Lanark—Carleton)

Former mayor of Kanata, Ontario. Defeated. See biography page for details.

Rod Vanier (Nepean—Carleton)

Vanier was born to a military family in Edmonton, Alberta, Alberta, on September 23, 1953 and grew up in a variety of military bases across Canada. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Ottawa, and was called to the bar in 1981 (Ottawa Citizen, 18 September 2003). He works as a lawyer in Ottawa, working in the field of real estate law, family and estate law. He was trained as a mediator and a colloborative family law.[1] Vanier was fifty years old in 2003.

He is a former chair of the Nepean Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the Nepean—Carleton Junior Chamber International Canada in the 1980s.[2] In 2001, he spoke out against a proposed merger of the Greater Nepean Chamber of Commerce with the Ottawa Board of Trade (Ottawa Citizen, 20 January 2001). He is a member of the Rotary Club of South Nepean and served as President in 2006-2007. As of 2005-06, he serves as vice-chair of the Queensway Carleton Hospital board of directors. In 2007-2009 he served as Board Chair for the Queensway Carleton Hospital and is currently the Past-Chair.[3]

Vanier describes himself as a "life-long Liberal", and has worked on campaigns for candidates such as Lloyd Francis, Yvonne O'Neill Beryl gaffney and later her son Michael Gaffney, and Marlene Catterall. He received 20,878 votes (35.65%) in 2003, finishing second against Progressive Conservative incumbent John Baird.

He has been nominated for city Council in the Ottawa municipal election, 2010. He will be in contest for the Knoxdale-Merivale Ward against five other candidates ^[1]

Richard Patten (Ottawa Centre)

Elected. See his biography page for further details.

Phil McNeely (Ottawa—Orléans)

Elected. See his biography page for further details.

Dalton McGuinty (Ottawa South)

Party leader. Elected. See his biography page for further details.

Madeleine Meilleur (Ottawa—Vanier)

Elected. See her biography page for further details.

Jim Watson (Ottawa West—Nepean)

Elected. See his biography page for further details.

Nellie Pedro (Trinity—Spadina)

Pedro was host and producer of the Portuguese-language show Gente da Nossa on CityTV in the 1990s (National Post, 9 June 1999). After an unsuccessful campaign in 1994, she was elected to the Toronto District School Board in 2000 for the Davenport ward and emerged as part of the board's left-leaning faction. In 2002, she was one of the trustees who opposed efforts by the provincial Progressive Conservative government to mandate service cuts in a budget-balancing effort (Toronto Star, 23 August 2002).

She criticized hockey personality Don Cherry for appearing in a beer commercial in 2003, arguing that role models such as Cherry are forbidden from promoting alcoholic drinks by the provisions of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) (Halifax Daily News, 8 May 2003). Pedro's comments were criticized by a number of media outlets, and the Liberal-friendly Toronto Star described her reaction as "misplaced anger" (10 May 2003).

Pedro is an ally of Paul Martin, and ran a well-organized campaign in 2003 (Toronto Star, 3 September 2003). She received 12,927 votes (31.88%) to finish second against New Democratic Party incumbent Rosario Marchese.

Mark Fuller (Burlington)

A then lecturer in business strategy at McMaster University and at York University. Narrowly defeated by 1,852 votes[4]. Has an MBA degree and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McMaster University. Has since earned his Ph.D. degree from York University in business administration, and is now an assistant professor at St. Francis Xavier University.

References

1. ^ "Ottawa Nominees 2010". http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/elections/nominations/index_en.html. Retrieved April 18 2010.