Gary Malkowski | |
---|---|
Ontario MPP | |
In office 1990–1995 | |
Preceded by | Christine Hart |
Succeeded by | John Parker |
Constituency | York East |
Personal details | |
Born | Hamilton,Ontario | July 26,1958
Political party | New Democrat |
Website | www |
Gary Malkowski (born July 26,1958) is a former Canadian provincial politician. He represented the riding of York East in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995,as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP). He was Canada's first deaf parliamentarian,and the first deaf parliamentarian in the world to address a legislature in a sign language,specifically American Sign Language. [1] He was formerly a table tennis player who went onto represent Canada at the Deaflympics in 1977 and 1985. [2]
Born in Hamilton,Ontario,Malkowski went to E. C. Drury School for the Deaf,in Milton,Ontario. He was further educated at Gallaudet University in Washington,D.C.,receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and social work,and a Master of Arts degree in rehabilitation counselling. [3] He was cited in Who's Who in American Universities and Colleges for his work in advancing student rights. [4]
After graduating,he worked as a vocational rehabilitation counsellor and deaf culture instructor for the Canadian Hearing Society,and taught continuing education courses in politics and culture for deaf adults at George Brown College. [5] In 1989,he was presented with a Community Action Award by the Ontario government. On May 13,2011,he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Gallaudet University;he also delivered the commencement address that day. [6]
The NDP won a majority government in the 1990 provincial election,and Malkowski defeated Liberal incumbent Christine Hart by 789 votes in the Toronto area riding of York East. [7] When Bob Rae's government took office following the election,the very first law passed was to permit Malkowski's sign language interpreters to stand on the floor of the legislature. Malkowski was named parliamentary assistant to Elaine Ziemba,Minister of Citizenship on October 1,1990. Ziemba was also the minister responsible for human rights,the disabled,seniors and race relations. [8]
In 1993,Malkowski became parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Education and Training. [9] In 1994,he introduced the Rae government's Ontarians with Disabilities bill,which aimed to improve service accessibility for people with disabilities. [10] Although the bill did not pass,it helped form the basis for the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act which was passed in 2005. [6]
In the 1995 election,the governing NDP were reduced to 17 seats,and Malkowski lost to Progressive Conservative John Parker by 3,263 votes. [11]
He is now a special advisor to the president of the Canadian Hearing Society. [12] In this role,Malkowski opposed disabilities legislation proposed by the Mike Harris government in 1998 as ineffective.
In 2004,Malkowski began a campaign to have major theatre companies install closed-captioning services for deaf patrons. This led to a human rights complaint which was resolved in 2007 when then major theatre companies agreed to install the deaf patron services in their theatres. [13]
Author Richard Medugno has published a biography,Deaf Politician:The Gary Malkowski Story and a play,Bigger Dreams,about Malkowski.
Gilles C. Bisson is a Franco-Ontarian politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 until his defeat in the 2022 Ontario general election. From 1999 to 2022 he represented the northern riding of Timmins.
Rosario Marchese is a former Canadian politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2014,representing the downtown Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina and before that the old riding of Fort York.
Zanana Lorraine Akande is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1994 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick. She served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae. She was the first woman from the African Diaspora elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario,and the first woman from the African Diaspora to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada.
Keith Calder Norton was a Canadian politician and public servant. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985,and was until 2005 the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Donald "Don" Clarke Abel is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party MPP to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the riding of Wentworth North from 1990 to 1995.
Ruth Anna Grier is a Canadian former politician in Ontario. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1995,and served as a high-profile 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.
Brian Albert Charlton is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1995 who represented the riding of Hamilton Mountain. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae. He serves on the board of directors of a sustainable living non-profit called Green Venture.
Elaine Ziemba is a Canadian 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.
David William Warner is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on three occasions between 1975 and 1995,and served as Speaker of the Assembly during Bob Rae's administration.
Paul Wessenger is a former Canadian politician in Ontario. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 who represented the central Ontario riding of Simcoe Centre.
Dennis Paul Drainville is a Canadian retired bishop,educator and politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1993;later taught humanities and history for 12 years at the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles and was the Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Quebec from 2009 to 2017. He was the Green Party of Canada candidate in Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine for the 2019 Canadian federal election.
David Gordon Fleet is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990 who represented the riding of High Park-Swansea.
High Park—Swansea was a provincial riding in the west-end of the city of Toronto,Ontario,Canada. It was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1999.
Yuri Shymko is a former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative Party member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1978 to 1979 representing the downtown Toronto riding of Parkdale. From 1981 to 1987 he served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the riding of High Park-Swansea.
The Ernest C. Drury School for the Deaf is a provincial school in Milton,Ontario,Canada with residential and day programs serving elementary and secondary deaf and hard-of-hearing students.
Edward John Ziemba is a Canadian former politician in Ontario,Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1981 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of High Park—Swansea.
York East was a provincial electoral district in Ontario,Canada. It was formed in 1867,the same year as the beginning of the country and it elected members up until 1999 when it was dissolved. Initially it covered a large swath of territory stretching from Lake Ontario north to Richmond Hill. It was formed based on the eastern part of the county of York. Over time as the population increased,the territory was reduced. By the late 1950s it represented only a portion of the borough of East York,a small municipality on the edge of Toronto. In 1999 it was abolished and its remaining territory was distributed between Beaches—East York and Don Valley West ridings.