Paul Ferreira

Infobox_Politician
name = Paul Ferreira


caption =
birth_date = Birth date and age|1973|1|7|mf=y
birth_place = Azores, Portugal
residence = Toronto, Ontario
office = Former Member of Provincial Parliament
term_start = February 19, 2007
term_end = October 30, 2007
predecessor = Joe Cordiano (Liberal)
successor = Laura Albanese (Liberal)
constituency = York South—Weston
party = New Democratic Party
religion = Roman Catholic
occupation = public relations

Paul Ferreira (born January 7, 1973 in the Azores) is a Canadian social democratic politician and one of the first openly gay politicians elected to provincial office in Canada. He also has the distinction of being the very first Azorean-Canadian MPP.cite news
last = Gulliver
first = Tanya
coauthors =
title = Any straight candidates left?
work =
pages =
language = English
publisher = Xtra
date = 2004-05-27
url = http://archives.xtra.ca/Story.aspx?s=15111717
accessdate = 2007-01-21 ] He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) in the February 8, 2007 York South–Weston by-election, [Elections Ontario, [http://www.electionsontario.on.ca/rr/ro?code=102 Unofficial results] [York South-Weston] . 216 of 216 polls reporting. Accessed February 8, 2007.] but was narrowly defeated in the 2007 general election. Currently, Ferreira serves as Chief of Staff to Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton.

Early life and education

Paulo (Paul) Ricardo Branco Ferreira was born in the Azores on January 7, 1973. Along with his family, he immigrated to Canada in 1979. They settled in Brampton, Ontario. cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Bio
work =
publisher = Ontario New Democratic Party
date = 2007-01-17
url = http://paulferreira.ca/bio/
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-20 ] He attended primary and secondary schools in the Brampton area and went on to study and graduate from Ottawa's Carleton University. Ferreira is an honours graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, where he received awards for academic excellence and community involvement. He speaks English, French and Portuguese.

Involvement with the NDP

Ferreira's parents -- Gilberto and Filomena -- were active trade unionists, and he followed their example by becoming a United Food and Commercial Workers union steward at a local drugstore while still in high school. His union experience attracted him to the NDP. Since 1990, Ferreira has held numerous positions in the NDP. He was Vice President of Outreach for the New Democratic Youth of Canada from 1997 to 1999, he served on the Ontario NDP's executive from 2002 to 2004 and he was co-chair of the party's LGBT Committee for a number of years. He has also been active with numerous community groups. [cite press release
title = Meet Paul Ferreira
publisher = New Democratic Party of Canada
date = 2004-04-30
url = http://www.ndp.ca
accessdate = 2004-05-02 ]

Professional life

Professionally, Ferreira served as the manager of member relations with the Canadian Society for Training and Development. He also co-edited the society's national magazine, the "Canadian Learning Journal". From 2001 to 2004, Ferreira was part of the management team at one of Canada's largest business intelligence firms. Previously, he was North American manager of public relations for a British-based multinational. He also spent two years as manager of communications and media relations for the North American Broadcasters Association.

Political life

First election, 1997

Ferreira got his start as a political activist in 1990 when he joined the New Democratic Party (NDP). After completing a journalism degree at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ferreira returned to Brampton and was the federal NDP candidate in the riding of Brampton Centre in the 1997 election. He finished fourth in the race. [ cite web
last = Kingsley
first = Jean-Pierre
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on the 36th General Election
work =
publisher = Elections Canada, Government of Canada
date = 1997-08-22
url= http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/process/house/hfer/hfer.asp?Language=E&Search=Det&Include=Y&rid=990
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-20 ]
-
ASSADOURIAN, Sarkis
align="right"| 18,615
-
CRAWFORD, Don
align="right"| 10,817
-
HUNDAL, Sam S.
align="right"| 5,621
-
FERREIRA, Paul
align="right"| 2,923
-
VACHON, André
align="right"| 127

York South–Weston federal election 2004

In the spring of 2004, Paul Ferreira became the NDP's federal candidate in the west-end Toronto riding of York South—Weston. His main opponent was the incumbent Liberal member of parliament (MP) and former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto chair Alan Tonks. The main issues in the election, and these were not limited to just York South–Weston, included anger over the governing Liberal party's Sponsorship scandal; cite news
last = MacGREGOR
first = Roy
coauthors =
title = In Ontario, anger is taking the lead in an election bereft of a major issue
work =
pages = 1
language = English
publisher = The Globe and Mail
date = 2004-05-28
url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2FArticleNews%2FTPStory%2FLAC%2F20040528%2FELMACGREG28%2F%2F&ord=1005917&brand=theglobeandmail&redirect_reason=2&denial_reasons=14894981%3A16%3B14279381%3A4%3B8694701%3A0%3B7798161%3A0%3B8059321%3A0%3B7193461%3A0%3B13651401%3A4%3B9337521%3A0%3B6926821%3A0%3B&force_login=false&force_ppv=true
accessdate = 2007-01-21 ] Health care; and the first budget by the Dalton McGuinty provincial Liberal government, which included the controversial "Ontario Health Premiums" tax. [Cite news|first=Ian|last=Urquhart|title=In Politics, misery loves company|publisher=Toronto Star|date=June 12, 2004|url=http://www.sesresearch.com/news/in_the_news/Toronto%20Star%20June%2012%202004.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-03]

Despite the many set-backs that confronted the main Liberal campaign, Tonks won the election [cite web
last = Kingsley
first = Jean-Pierre
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on the 38th General Election
work =
publisher = Elections Canada, Government of Canada
date = 2004-10-21
url= http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pas&document=35105&dir=38e/resval&lang=e&textonly=false
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-20 ] . Ferreira placed a respectable second. His campaign revived the NDP in York South–Weston and significantly increased the party's share of the vote in the riding to more than 21% (Tom Parkin, the NDP candidate in the 2000 election, received only 3.7% of the vote).
-
style="width: 185px"| Liberal
Alan Tonks
align=right|20,537
-
style="width: 185px"|New Democratic Party
Paul Ferreira
align=right|7,281
-
style="width: 185px"|Conservative
Stephen Halicki
align=right|5,133
-
style="width: 185px"|Green
Jessica Fracassi
align=right|1,199
-
style="width: 185px"|Communist
Shirley Hawley
align=right|175

York South–Weston federal election 2006

Subsequently, he ran again for the same federal office in the 2006 election. The election results were basically a repeat of the previous election, with Tonks finishing first and Ferreira in second place. [cite web
last = Kingsley
first = Jean-Pierre
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada on the 39th General Election
work =
publisher = Elections Canada, Government of Canada
date = 2006-05-12
url= http://www.elections.ca/scripts/OVR2006/default.html
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-20 ]

Toronto municipal election, 2006

He was also a candidate for Toronto City Council in the 2006 Toronto municipal election, finishing second in Ward 11.

Ward 11 York South—Weston

Ontario provincial by-election, 2007

York-South Weston riding map from [http://www.electionsontario.on.ca/en/york_south-weston_en.shtml Elections Ontario] .

The provincial riding of York South—Weston, which corresponds closely to the boundaries of the federal riding, [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = New electoral boundaries
work =
publisher = Elections Ontario, Government of Ontario
month = DECEMBER | year = 2005
url = http://www.electionsontario.on.ca/en/new_electoral_boundaries_en.shtml
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-19 ] at the time of the by-election was considered a Liberal stronghold. Historically, the York South part of the riding had been a CCF/NDP stronghold from the mid 1950s starting with Donald C. MacDonald to the mid 1990s with Bob Rae. After Rae resigned from the Legislature, the only NDP candidate that even came close to a victory was David Miller (currently Toronto's mayor, at the time a Metro councillor for Ward One), in the 1996 by-election.

The February 2007 by-election was necessitated by the resignation of former Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament Joe Cordiano, who resigned his seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the fall of 2006 to spend more time with his family. cite news
last = Campbell
first = Murray
coauthors = KAREN HOWLETT
title = NDP grabs Liberal seat in Ontario by-elections
work =
pages = 1
language = English
publisher = The Globe and Mail
date = 2007-02-09
url= http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070209.ONTBYELEXN09E/TPStory/TPNational/?page=rss&id=..ONTBYELEXN09E
accessdate = 2007-02-11 ]

At the January 13, 2007 York South–Weston NDP nomination meeting,Ferreira successfully ran against Brian Donlevy to be the Ontario New Democratic Party candidate in the February 8, 2007 by-election. As the party's candidate, he campaigned on the following issues: the $10 hourly minimum wage; cite web
last = Kim
first = Clarke
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Fourth time the charm for Ferreira
work =
publisher = The York Guardian
date = 2007-02-09
url = http://www.insidetoronto.ca/to/york/story/3875090p-4482684c.html?loc=york
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate =2007-02-11 ] the proposed Blue22 train to Toronto Pearson Airport; cite web
last = Campbell
first = Murray
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Pay hike haunts by-election
work =
publisher = The Globe and Mail
date = 2007-02-02
url = http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070202.CAMPBELL02/PPVStory/?DENIED=1
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate =2007-02-11 ] the recent wage increases to members of the Ontario Legislature.

February 8, 2007 was a very cold day, and that may have been a contributing factor in the low voter turnout. When the polling stations closed at 8:00 p.m., it took two hours to count the ballots and declare Ferreira the winner. At his victory party, Donald C. MacDonald (the former Ontario CCF/NDP leader from the 1953 to 1970 and local area MPP for almost thirty years), joined Ferreira onstage in a symbolic passing of the generational torch ceremony. cite web
last = Kim
first = Clarke
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Candidates give their two cents on minimum-wage debate
work =
publisher = The York Guardian
date = 2007-02-01
url = http://www.insidetoronto.ca/to/york/story/3864690p-4471447c.html
format = HTML
doi =
accessdate =2007-02-11 ] One of the coincidences of this NDP election victory was, that it came almost exactly 65 years to the day, when the CCF first won York South, in the February 9, 1942 by-election. In that election Joseph Noseworthy won a surprise victory, similar to Ferreira's.

References

External links

* [http://www.paulferreira.ca Paul Ferreira official website]
* [http://www.ontariondp.ca Ontario NDP website]
* [http://www.ndp.ca Federal NDP website]