Maria Minna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hon. Maria Minna | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1993 election |
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| Preceded by | Neil Young |
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| Born | March 14, 1948  Pofi, Italy |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Robert MacBain |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Profession | Businesswoman, public policy consultant |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Maria Minna, PC, MP, (born March 14, 1948, Pofi, Italy) is a Canadian politician who represents the Toronto riding of Beaches—East York in the House of Commons for the Liberal Party.
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[edit] Early life
Minna was born in Pofi, Italy and moved to Canada with her family at the age of 9. They settled in Toronto, Ontario in the Christie Pits area. Her father worked in the construction industry and her mother laboured as a factory worker. She is the eldest of four children, having two sisters and a brother. She attended a vocational high school earning a diploma and started working as a secretary. At age 24 she attended the University of Toronto where she studied sociology. In her mid-20s she married Robert MacBain, a public relations consultant.[1]
From 1981 to 1992, she served as the volunteer president of COSTI-IIAS, Canada's largest immigrant services organization. She also served as a director of the National Council of Welfare and as president of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians.[2]
Due in part to her high profile, Minna was appointed to serve on two task forces with the Worker's Compensation Board. In 1986 she co-chaired the Task Force on Rehabilitation and in 1991 she chaired a Task Force on Service Delivery. Both led to significant improvements in the operation of the WCB.[3]
[edit] Politics
Minna's first taste of politics came in 1984 when she sought the Liberal nomination for the riding of York West. She lost to Sergio Marchi.[1] She also tried to get nominated in the riding of York North in 1988 but lost to Maurizio Bevilacqua.[4] The York North nomination fight turned ugly amidst claims of delegate stacking and improper procedures.[5] Minna later appealed the nomination but withdrew the complaint claiming that the appeal process was tainted.[6]
[edit] In government
She was elected to parliament in the 1993 election in which the Liberal party won all but one of the 99 Ontario seats. She defeated NDP incumbent Neil Young. As of 2008 she has been re-elected several times easily defeating high profile candidates such as Peter Tabuns (2004 election, by 7,738 votes)[7] and Marilyn Churley (2006 election, by 2,778 votes).[3]
On August 3, 1999, Minna was appointed to Cabinet as the Minister of International Cooperation. She held the post until the beginning of 2002. On December 11, 2001, Minna was accused of improperly voting in a municipal by-election. She voted in the Beaches—East York riding for friend and colleague Gail Nyberg. She was running to replace Michael Prue who had been elected to the Provincial government in a September by-election. On advice from municipal officials, Minna cast a ballot even though she didn't live within the riding. According to municipal election rules, anyone who owns or rents a business is allowed to vote. Minna's constituency office was in the riding so that allowed her to cast a ballot.[8] Soon after, Minna was dropped from Cabinet during a regular ministerial shuffle.
Minna was bitter about the demotion and complained to the Liberal Party's women's caucus that she was told to keep quiet about the issue. She claimed she was "hung out to dry by ambitious individuals...".[9] Later she conceded that the PMO's office had merely told her to wait for the results of the ethics investigation.[10] She was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the ethics counsellor.[11]
During her time in government, Minna held several leadership roles that focused on immigration and and international relations. In 1994 she was appointed Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 1996 to 1998. In October 2004, Minna was appointed special adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on issues of women, peace and security. In March 2005, Minna led a five-person Parliamentary delegation to assist with the peace process in Sri Lanka.[2]
[edit] In opposition
As of 2008, Minna is the Official Opposition Critic for the Status of Women.[12]
[edit] Awards
Minna has received several awards recognizing her involvement with the immigrant community. These include the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce President's Award (2001), the Permio Italia nel Mondo award for individuals of Italian origin (2001), Results Canada's Outstanding Leadership Award (2002), and the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council's President's Award (2006).
[edit] References
- ^ a b Judy Steed. Minna's Mosaic. The Globe and Mail. March 8, 1986. p. A10.
- ^ a b Maria Minna. Liberal Party of Canada. [1]
- ^ a b Canada Votes, 2006. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. [2]
- ^ Judy Steed. Turning Point or Vanishing Point?. The Globe and Mail. April 2, 1988. p. D5.
- ^ Stevie Cameron. Liberals' ugly, chaotic nomination fights make farce of democracy. The Globe and Mail. July 14, 1988. p. A2.
- ^ Gary Webb-Proctor. Nomination appeal bid withdrawn. The Globe and Mail. July 30, 1988. p. A5.
- ^ Canada Votes, 2004. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. [3]
- ^ Valerie Lawton. Chrétien defends Minna. The Globe and Mail. December 12, 2001. p. A8.
- ^ Tim Harper and Les Whittington. Angry Minna blames PM for lack of support. Toronto Star. February 28, 2002. p. A7.
- ^ Tim Harper. MP pleads for the chance to clear her name. Toronto Star. March 1, 2002. p. A6.
- ^ MP Maria Minna cleared by ethics counsellor. CBC News. September 27, 2002. [4]
- ^ Status of Women Minister Josée Verner Misleads Committee. Canadian Federation of University Women. February 5, 2008. [5]
[edit] External links
[edit] Parliamentary record
| 26th Ministry - Government of Jean Chrétien | ||
| Cabinet Posts (1) | ||
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| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Diane Marleau | Minister for International Cooperation (1999–2002) |
Susan Whelan |
| Parliament of Canada | ||
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| Preceded by Neil Young |
Member of Parliament for Beaches—Woodbine 1993–1997 |
Succeeded by see below |
| Preceded by new district |
Member of Parliament for Beaches—East York 1997–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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