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Gerard Kennedy

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: ''This article is about the politician. For the actor, see Gerard Kennedy (actor).'' image:GKennedy.jpg right '''Gerard Kennedy, Member of Provincial Parliament MPP''' (born 1960 in The Pas, Manitoba The Pas, Manitoba) is a Canada Canadian politician, who represents the riding of Parkdale—High Park in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Ontario Liberal Party and formerly was the province's Minister of Education. Kennedy enrolled in Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough, Ontario, in 1977. He worked as a historical researcher for the Government of Alberta in the early 1980s, attended the University of Alberta, and then left to found the ''Edmonton Food Bank'' in 1983. After moving to Ontario, Kennedy was the executive director of Toronto, Ontario's ''Daily Bread Food Bank'' from 1986 to 1996. The food bank distributed $30 million worth of food each year without government funding; 150,000 people are estimated to have used its services every month. Kennedy was named in ''Toronto Life'' Magazine's list of fifty influential people in 1992, and was named newsmaker of the year by the ''Toronto Star'' in 1993. Kennedy was also given an honorable mention in the ''Financial Post Magazine'''s C.E.O. awards in 1995. Kennedy entered political life in May 1996, running in a by-election for the Ontario legislature in the Toronto riding of York South (previously held by provincial New Democratic Party of Ontario NDP leader Bob Rae). The NDP (and its predecessor, the CCF) had held the riding since 1955; nevertheless, Kennedy's left-leaning credentials allowed him to take the riding as a Liberal. He received 7774 votes; his nearest competitor was NDP candidate (and future Toronto Mayor) David Miller, who took 6656 votes. Despite his political inexperience, Kennedy became the front-runner to replace Lyn McLeod as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in late 1996. Kennedy finished first on the first, second, third and fourth ballots, but was defeated on the fifth ballot by Dalton McGuinty. McGuinty subsequently named Kennedy as the party's Health Critic. Kennedy wanted to run in the redistributed riding of York South—Weston in the Ontario provincial election, 1999 Ontario provincial election of 1999, but was forced to step aside for former leadership rival Joseph Cordiano. He instead ran in the neighbouring riding of Parkdale-High Park where he faced an interesting challenge from Anna-Marie Castrilli, another former Liberal leadership challenger who had defected to the governing Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Progressive Conservatives on the last sitting day of the legislature. Many anticipated that this would be a close race, but it was not: Kennedy won by over 10,000 votes. The 1999 election was won by the Progressive Conservatives, and Kennedy became opposition critic for Education (another high-profile portfolio). The Liberals won a majority in the Ontario provincial election, 2003 Ontario provincial election of 2003, and Kennedy was easily re-elected in Parkdale-High Park with about 58% of the vote (his nearest opponent received 16%). He was appointed Minister of Education on October 23, 2003. Under previous governments, the Education portfolio had been marked by considerable labour strife. In 1993, the NDP government introduced mandatory days off without pay. In 1995, Mike Harris's first Minister of Education, John Snobelen, told an audience he would "create a crisis" in public education in order to implement an unpopular restructuring package. There were province-wide teachers's strikes in 1996 and 1998, and many boards experienced work-to-rule campaigns that reduced extra-curricular activities. In the spring of 2005, Kennedy announced the establishment of a provincial framework in teacher's negotiations, which would see teacher's salaries increase by approximately 10.5% over four years in exchange for four years of labour peace. The framework includes priorities such as workplace preparation courses and English as a Second Language programs.

2006 Liberal leadership race
On April 5, 2006, Kennedy resigned as Minister of Education to pursue the Liberal Party of Canada leadership convention, 2006 federal Liberal leadership. He has not yet resigned his seat in the Legislative Assembly, but indicated that he will consult with his constituents as to whether he will resign. [http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/04042006/2/national-mcguinty-shuffle-3-ministers-replace-leadership-hopeful-kennedy.html] He is being supported by Canadian Senator Terry Mercer, social activist June Callwood, and author Mary Jo Leddy. [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1141168215690&call_pageid=968332188774&col=Columnist969907623279] {{start box}} {{succession box| before=Riding Create Created| title=Parkdale-High Park Member of Provincial Parliament for Parkdale—High-Park| years=1999–| after=Incumbent| }} {{succession box| before=Bob Rae| title=York South Member of Provincial Parliament for York South| years=1996–1999| after=Riding Abolish Abolished| }} {{end box}} {{start box}} {{ministry box/McGuinty}} {{ministry box cabinet posts 1 | post1preceded=Elizabeth Witmer| post1=Minister of Education (Ontario) Minister of Education| post1years=2003–2006| post1note=| post1followed=Sandra Pupatello| }} {{end box}}
{{Canada Liberal leadership 2006}} Category:1960 births Kennedy, Gerard Category:Living people Kennedy, Gerard Category:Liberal Party of Ontario MPPs Kennedy, Gerard Category:Ontario MPPs Kennedy, Gerard Category:Trent University alumni Kennedy, Gerard Category:Ukrainian Canadians Kennedy, Gerard Category:University of Alberta Kennedy, Gerard

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