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Maria Minna
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'''Maria Minna''',
Queen's Privy Council for Canada PC, MP, (born
March 14,
1948,
Pofi,
Italy) is a
Canada Canadian politician who represents the Toronto riding of
Beaches—East York in the House of Commons for the
Liberal Party of Canada Liberal Party.
A public policy consultant by profession, Minna was appointed Vice-Chair of the Worker's Compensation Board of Ontario's Task Force on Rehabilitation in 1996. She held public hearings across Ontario and delivered a hard-hitting report that resulted in significant improvements to the manner in which injured workers were treated.
In 1991, she was appointed Chair of the WCB Task Force on Service Delivery. She interviewed senior management and front-line personnel across Ontario and delivered a report that resulted in significant improvement in the delivery of services to WCB clients and the elimination of waste.
Minna was a well-known advocate speaking out on behalf of immigrant and visible minority Canadians, women and youth.
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 a member of the United Way Campaign Committee, the Women's Legal Education Action Fund and the National Action Committee on Immigrant and Visible Minority Women, and president of the National Congress of Italian-Canadians.
First elected to parliament in the
Canadian federal election, 1993 1993 election she was appointed Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources Development in 1994 and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 1996 to 1998.
Minna was appointed to Cabinet in August 1999 as the Minister of International Cooperation. She doubled Canada's investment in health and nutrition and quadrupled the investment in education, HIV/AIDS and child protection.
She ensured that gender equality and human rights formed an integral part of all of those priority areas.
In June 2001, Minna received the "President's Award" of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her lifetime of service to people of immigrant background.
In November 2001, she had the honour of receiving the prestigious Permio Italia nel Mondo award for individuals of Italian origin who are exceptional members of their societies. Previous winners include New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Luciano Pavarotti and Sofia Loren.
Mina was dropped from Cabinet in January 2002 because Prime Minister Jean Chretien believed that Toronto-area MP Maurizio Bevilacqua would be better able to help him stave off a coup attempt by Finance Minister Paul Martin.
While she had been falsely accused of voting illegally in a Toronto municipal by-election, Prime Minister Chretien told her that that was not the reason that she was being dropped from Cabinet. She was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing by the Office of the Federal Ethics Counsellor.
Five months after she was dropped from Cabinet, she received the RESULTS Canada "Outstanding Leadership Award" at a reception in Ottawa hosted by Greek Ambassador Leonidas Chrysanthopolous.
RESULTS Canada President Blaise Salmon said she was selected as the first recipient of the award because she "created a vital legacy that will provide essential life-saving basic services for some of the world's poorest people for years to come."
In March 2004, Minna led a five-person Parliamentary delegation to assist with the peace process in Sri Lanka. She met with government officials in Colombo and with representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northern area which is under the control of the LTTE.
In the June
Canadian federal election, 2004 2004 election Minna defeated
New Democratic Party NDP candidate
Peter Tabuns, former city councilor and head of
Greenpeace Canada. She won by 7,338 votes.
In October 2004, Minna was appointed special adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on Women, Peace and Security.
In the
Canadian federal election, 2006 2006 election she defeated
New Democratic Party NDP candidate
Marilyn Churley by more than 2,700 votes.
Minna is Chair of the Canadian branch of the Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament. She is also Chair of the Canada-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group and Chair of the Social Policy Committee of the National Liberal Caucus.
In February 2006, Minna was appointed Opposition Critic for the Status of Women, Seniors and Multiculturalism.
External links
-
Official Site
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CBC on voting scandal
-
CBC on ethics counsellor review
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{{ministry box 26}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts 1|
post1=
Minister for International Cooperation (Canada) Minister for International Cooperation|
post1years=1999–2002|
post1note=|
post1preceded=
Diane Marleau|
post1followed=
Susan Whelan|
}}
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Category:1948 births Minna, Maria
Category:Italian Canadians Minna, Maria
Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs Minna, Maria
Category:Living people Minna, Maria
Category:Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Ontario Minna, Maria
Category:Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada Minna, Maria
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