Dave Cooke | |
---|---|
Ontario MPP | |
In office 1977–1997 | |
Preceded by | Fred Burr |
Succeeded by | Wayne Lessard |
Constituency | Windsor—Riverside |
Personal details | |
Born | Windsor,Ontario,Canada | August 1,1952
Political party | New Democrat |
Occupation | Social worker |
Dave Cooke (born August 1,1952) is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was an NDP member of the provincial legislature from 1977 to 1997,and was a senior cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Cooke was born in Windsor,Ontario,the son of Sid and Betty Cooke. He attended the University of Windsor and graduated with a degree in social work. [1] He worked as a social worker at the Essex Children's Aid Society in Windsor. [2] He served on the Windsor Planning Board in 1974 and was a member of the Windsor Board of Education from 1975 to 1976. [3] [4]
He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the general election of 1977, [2] defeating Liberal Michael MacDougall by over 2,000 votes in the riding of Windsor—Riverside. He was re-elected by greater margins in the elections of 1981,1985,1987 and 1990. Cooke defeated future Liberal MP Rick Limoges by almost 6,000 votes in 1987.
Unlike most other members of the NDP caucus,Cooke was supportive of Bob Rae's leadership throughout the 1980s. As early as 1981,he had petitioned Rae to run for the leadership of the provincial party. He became the party's whip in 1985 [5] and acted as the health critic. [6] In 1987,he was appointed as the party's House leader,and became pensions critic. [7]
The NDP won a majority government in the 1990 election. Cooke,as one of the party's most senior MPPs,was appointed Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs on October 1,1990. [3] [8] On July 31,1991,he was appointed Government House Leader and he moved to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. [9] Cooke also served as Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet from September 23,1992 to February 3,1993.
As Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs,Cooke announced that the government would restrict most rent increases to 4.6% for the present year and 5.4% for 1991. The provisions for 1990 were made retroactive. Tenants' groups supported these changes,while landlord representatives were generally opposed. [10] A few days after the policy announcement,a landlord group placed a $25,000 advertisement in The Wall Street Journal suggesting that investors avoid Ontario. [11] Their ploy was widely criticized. Cooke later announced that he would work to factor in the costs of legitimate building renovations. [12]
On February 3,1993,Cooke was promoted to the high-profile position of Minister of Education,which he retained for the remainder of the Rae government's time in office. [4] [13]
Cooke endorsed the Rae government's establishment of a casino in Windsor as a means of stimulating the city's economy during the recession of the early 1990s. He also strongly opposed cuts to welfare recipients. As education minister,he maintained support for "de-streaming" (which had been endorsed by Tony Silipo,his predecessor) and endorsed and implemented province-wide testing.
The NDP lost the 1995 provincial election,although Cooke was re-elected in Windsor—Riverside with a reduced majority. [14] He continued to serve as NDP house leader from 1995 to 1996. In 1996,he endorsed Frances Lankin's unsuccessful bid to replace Rae as party leader. [15]
Cooke resigned from the legislature in January 1997,after being appointed to an "Education Improvement Commission" established by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris, [16] later chairing the commission. [17]
He was a regular member of TVOntario's Studio 2 political discussion panel. He was head of the Board of governors at the University of Windsor until 2009. [18] [19]
In 2008,he was appointed by Windsor mayor Eddie Francis to chair a committee to examine the feasibility of a marina-canal plan in the city's downtown area. [19] [20] The concept was eventually rejected by city council as too expensive. [21]
In February,2015,Cooke was named Chair of Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office. [22] He became a member of the EQAO Board of Directors in 2008. [23]
In November 2,2022,Cooke came out as gay on TVO. [24]
Robert Keith Rae is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995,leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party from 1982 to 1996,and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2011 to 2013. Between 1978 and 2013,he was elected 11 times to federal and provincial parliaments.
Howard George Hampton is a politician who was a member of Provincial Parliament for the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,Canada,from 1987 to 1999 in the electoral district of Rainy River,and from 1999 to 2011 in the redistributed electoral district of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party,he was also the party's leader from 1996 to 2009. Hampton retired from the legislature at the 2011 Ontario provincial election and subsequently joined Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP as a member of the law firm's corporate social responsibility and aboriginal affairs groups.
Shelley Dawn Marie Martel is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2007. She represented the ridings of Sudbury East and Nickel Belt. She was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Alvin Curling is a Jamaican-born Canadian politician. He was Canada's envoy to the Dominican Republic from 2005 to 2006. A former politician in Ontario,Canada,he was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until he resigned on August 19,2005 to accept his diplomatic appointment. He had been a Liberal MPP for twenty years,from 1985 to 2005.
Peter Kormos was a politician in Welland,Ontario,Canada. A lawyer by profession,he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party (ONDP) Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel Swart. Kormos was re-elected in every subsequent Ontario general election until his retirement from provincial politics in 2011.
Floyd Laughren is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1998 who represented the northern Ontario riding of Nickel Belt. He served in cabinet as Finance Minister and Deputy Premier in the government of Bob Rae.
Charles Jackson "Bud" Wildman is a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1975 to 1999,representing the riding of Algoma,and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
David James Ramsay was a Canadian politician in Ontario. He was elected as a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1985 who crossed the floor a year later to join the Liberal party. He represented the northern Ontario riding of Timiskaming from 1985 to 1999 and the redistributed riding of Timiskaming—Cochrane from 1999 to 2011. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of David Peterson and Dalton McGuinty.
Gerry Phillips is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represented the eastern Toronto riding of Scarborough—Agincourt from 1987 to 2011. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of David Peterson and Dalton McGuinty.
Richard Frank Johnston is a retired Canadian provincial politician,educator and administrator.
Frances Lankin,,is a Canadian senator,former president and CEO of United Way Toronto,and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in the NDP government of Bob Rae between 1990 and 1995. From 2010 to 2012,she co-chaired a government commission review of social assistance in Ontario. From 2009 to 2016,she was a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee.
Tony Silipo was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999 representing the New Democratic Party in the downtown Toronto riding of Dovercourt. In 1999 he was appointed to the Workplace Safety and Insurance appeals tribunal. He died in 2012 from a brain cancer.
Gilles Pouliot is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1999,representing the Northern Ontario riding of Lake Nipigon for the New Democratic Party.
Michael Liam Farnan is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995,and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Edward Thomas Philip was a former Canadian politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1995 who represented the west Toronto riding of Etobicoke. From 1990 to 1995 he was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Fred Wilson is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995,and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Shirley Coppen is former politician in Ontario,Canada. She served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 who represented the riding of Niagara South. She served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Jenny Carter is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995,and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Stephen David Owens was a politician from Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 who represented the Toronto riding of Scarborough Centre. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
The 2009 Ontario New Democratic Party leadership election was held in Hamilton,from March 6 to 8,2009 to elect a successor to Howard Hampton as leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP). On June 15,2008,Hampton informed the party's provincial council that he would not stand for re-election as leader at the next party convention in a year's time. While a leadership vote was held at each biennial convention of the Ontario NDP until and including the last regular convention in 2007,there is normally not a contested vote unless there is a vacancy,therefore,the 2009 vote was the party's first leadership convention since Hampton was elected in 1996 to succeed Bob Rae.