Joan Fawcett

Joan M. Fawcett (born April 19, 1937 in Kingston, Ontario) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995.

Fawcett was educated at Ottawa Teachers' College and Queen's University in Kingston. She worked as a teacher after her graduation.

She first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative Howard Sheppard by fewer than 2,000 votes in the rural, eastern-Ontario riding of Northumberland. She ran again in the 1987 provincial election, and defeated Sheppard by 1,376 votes amid a landslide majority victory for the Liberals under David Peterson.

Fawcett was appointed Deputy Government Whip, served as chair of the Liberal rural caucus from 1988 to 1990, and was appointed as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Skills Development in 1989.

The Liberals were unexpectedly defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election. Although the Liberals lost many of their marginal seats in this election, Fawcett was re-elected over Progressive Conservative candidate Angus Read by 1,094 votes; the NDP candidate was a close third. Fawcett served as her party's caucus chair from 1990 to 1992, and held a variety of critic positions.

The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 provincial election, and Fawcett lost the Northumberland riding to Progressive Conservative candidate Doug Galt by over 6,000 votes. She has not sought a return to provincial politics since this time.

Fawcett remains active in the Liberal Party.