Vincenzo Arciresi

Last updated
Vincenzo Arciresi
Chair of the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île
Assumed office
1998
Preceded byposition created
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île, Ward Eight
Assumed office
1998
Preceded byposition created
Chair of the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer
In office
1990–1998
Preceded by Joe Morselli
Succeeded byposition abolished
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer, Ward Eight
In office
1998–1994
Preceded byredistribution [1]
Succeeded byposition abolished
In office
1987–1990
Preceded byJules Lauzon
Succeeded byredistribution
Commissioner on the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer, Ward Eleven
In office
1990–1994
Preceded byredistribution [2]
Succeeded byredistribution [3]
Saint-Leonard City Councillor, Ward Eight
In office
1990–2001
Preceded by Basilio Giordano
Succeeded byposition eliminated

Vincenzo (Vincent) Arciresi is a politician and administrator in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He chaired the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer from 1990 until its dissolution in 1998 and the successor Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île from 1998 to 2014. He has also sought election to the House of Commons of Canada.

Montreal City in Quebec, Canada

Montreal is the most populous municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec and the second-most populous municipality in Canada. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill in the heart of the city. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard. It has a distinct four-season continental climate with warm to hot summers and cold, snowy winters.

Quebec Province of Canada

Quebec is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario and the bodies of water James Bay and Hudson Bay; to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador; and to the south by the province of New Brunswick and the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is historically and politically considered to be part of Central Canada.

The Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer was a Catholic school board located on the Island of Montreal in Quebec, Canada. It oversaw French and English schools in the former municipalities of Anjou, Saint-Leonard, Pointe-aux-Trembles and Montreal-Est.

Contents

Early life and career

Arciresi was born in Italy and moved to Canada in 1966. Before entering public life, he owned a construction company and was founding president of the Federation of Sicilian Associations in Canada. [4]

Italy republic in Southern Europe

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km2 (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.

Federal politics

Arciresi won the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for Anjou—Rivière-des-Prairies in the buildup to the 1988 Canadian federal election, defeating Michael Stante; there were two other candidates, both of whom withdrew prior to the vote. The nomination contest attracted national attention after several thousand people joined the Liberals to participate in the vote, though in the event only 1,500 party members actually turned up. [5] In his acceptance speech, Arciresi highlighted his support for social security, aid to seniors, and multiculturalism, while opposing a proposed free trade agreement with the United States of America. [6] He was not a prominent public figure before winning the nomination, and critics believed his lack of fluency in either French or English would hurt his candidacy. [7]

Liberal Party of Canada oldest federal political party in Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada is the oldest and longest-serving governing political party in Canada. The Liberals form the current government, elected in 2015. The party has dominated federal politics for much of Canada's history, holding power for almost 69 years in the 20th century—more than any other party in a developed country—and as a result, it is sometimes referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".

Multiculturalism Existence of multiple cultural traditions within a single country, usually considered in terms of the culture associated with an aboriginal ethnic group and foreigner ethnic groups; political ideology

The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, of political philosophy, and of colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchangeably, for example, a cultural pluralism in which various ethnic groups collaborate and enter into a dialogue with one another without having to sacrifice their particular identities. It can describe a mixed ethnic community area where multiple cultural traditions exist or a single country within which they do. Groups associated with an aboriginal or autochthonous ethnic group and foreigner ethnic groups are often the focus.

Political experts originally considered Arciresi to be the frontrunner for the general election, but he ultimately fell behind Progressive Conservative star candidate Jean Corbeil. [8] On election day, Corbeil was elected by a margin of almost 20 per cent.

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada former Canadian political party

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC) was a federal political party in Canada.

Jean Corbeil, was a Canadian politician.

Arciresi later became a prominent local supporter of Alfonso Gagliano, who served as the Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) for a neighbouring riding from 1984 to 2002. [9]

Alfonso Gagliano, is a Canadian accountant and a former Liberal Party politician.

School commissioner

Arciresi was first elected to the Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer in 1987 and was re-elected in 1990 and 1994. [10] He was chosen as chair of the commission in December 1990 and held the position until Jérôme-Le Royer's dissolution in 1998. [11]

The Jérôme-Le Royer board was divided by factionalism in the early 1990s. Some francophone parents and commissioners complained that the board was dominated by an Italian-Canadian voting bloc that discriminated against francophone students. Arciresi responded that the accusation was false, and added, "It's been impossible to govern the commission with all the racists we have there." He welcomed a June 1991 decision by provincial education minister Michel Pagé to investigate charges of institutional bias and favouritism. [12] The subsequent investigation found no evidence supporting the charges, though it recommended that commissioners be prohibited from serving concurrently as city councillors to prevent the potential for a conflict-of-interest.

In 1993, new education minister Lucienne Robillard accepted the report of an eleven-month investigation into problems at Jérôme-Le Royer and asked the provincial justice department to investigate allegations of mismanagement. She said that the investigation had focused on three key issues: oversight of education regulations, procedures for board member expenses, and suggestions that Arciresi was in a conflict-of-interest for serving on the executive of a construction firm that had initiated a lawsuit against the commission. Robillard also wrote Arciresi a letter requiring him "to review immediately the administrative procedures, to institute more rigorous handling of public funds, in regards to commissioners' expenses." [13] Arciresi responded that he was the victim of a racist smear campaign initiated by some parents and commissioners, charging that some commissioners did not want to see an allophone serving as chair. He added that the board had already made the improvements required by Robillard, requested that she make her report public, and said that he was not in a conflict-of-interest. [14]

Jérôme-Le Royer was restructured as the Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île in 1998. Arciresi was elected to the new board in the 1998 election and was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He has served as chair of the board since its formation.

City councillor

Arciresi was elected to the Saint-Leonard city council in 1990 as a member of Frank Zampino's Parti municipal. He was re-elected without opposition in 1994 and 1998. [15]

Saint-Leonard was amalgamated into the City of Montreal in 2001. Arciresi ran for a seat on the Montreal city council in that year's municipal election as a Vision Montreal candidate and was defeated, finishing fourth in a three-member ward.

Electoral record

Federal and municipal elections

2001 Montreal municipal election results: Councillor, Saint-Léonard (three members elected)
1998 Saint-Leonard municipal election results: Councillor, Ward Eight
1994 Saint-Leonard municipal election results: Councillor, Ward Eight
1990 Saint-Leonard municipal election results: Councillor, Ward Eight
Canadian federal election, 1988 : Honoré-Mercier
PartyCandidateVotes%±%Expenditures
     Progressive Conservative Jean Corbeil 27,45151.54$43,927
Liberal Vincent Arciresi 17,42132.71$39,082
New Democratic Vincent Marchione6,68712.56$11,055
Green Mario Paul1,2172.29$0
    N/A (Marxist-Leninist)Catherine Commandeur4830.91$130
Total valid votes53,259 100.00
Total rejected ballots1,338
Turnout54,597 74.02
Electors on the lists73,763
Source: Report of the Chief Electoral Officer, Thirty-fourth General Election, 1988.

School commission elections

2007 Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île election: Trustee, District Eight
CandidateVotes%
(x)Vincenzo Arciresiaccl.
Source Élections scolaires 2007: Liste des candidates et candidats élus; Éducation, Loisir et Sport Québec; accessed 14 October 2011.
2003 Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île election: Trustee, District Eight
CandidateVotes%
(x)Vincenzo Arciresiaccl.
Source "School board races won by acclamation," Montreal Gazette, 23 October 2003, p. 6.
1998 Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Île election: Trustee, District Eight
CandidateVotes%
Vincenzo Arciresi54560.96
Gabriella Andreoni34939.04
Total votes894100
Source Commission scolaire de la Pointe-de-L'Île — 06-01 (Election Results, 1998), Le Directeur général des élections du Québec.
1994 Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer election: Trustee, District Eight
CandidateVotes%
(x)Vincenzo Arciresiaccl.
Source "List of winners in Montreal Island board elections," Montreal Gazette, 21 November 1994, p. 6.
1990 Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer election: Trustee, District Eleven
CandidateVotes%
(x)Vincenzo Arciresielected
Source "More school board vote results," Montreal Gazette, 21 November 1990, p. 3.
1987 Commission scolaire Jérôme-Le Royer election: Trustee, District Eight
CandidateVotes%
Vincenzo Arciresi1,13645.90
Tino Fargnoli87235.23
Pierre Légaré32613.17
Rene Tranchemontagne1415.70
Total votes2,475100
Source "Winners of election for boards on island," Montreal Gazette, 16 November 1987, p. 6.

References

  1. Pierre Rouillard represented the commission's eighth ward from 1990 to 1994.
  2. Domenico Moschella represented the commission's eleventh ward from 1987 to 1990.
  3. Dominic Perri represesented the commission's eleventh ward after 1994.
  4. "Italians fire up interest in new riding," Montreal Gazette, 20 August 1988, p. 6; Patricia Poirier, "Montreal riding fails to pull Liberal crowd," Globe and Mail, 22 August 1998, p. 4.
  5. "Where democracy trips up; Most popular candidate doesn't always survive parties' nomination process," Montreal Gazette, 17 September 1988, p. 6. The two candidates who resigned were Normand Biron and Alfredo Falco. Biron, a francophone Quebecer, charged that the nomination process was biased against non-Italians; other party members rejected this accusation. Falco resigned after charging that the party had allowed too many Liberals from other ridings to join the association. See "Italian bloc shows clout as Liberal nominated", Montreal Gazette, 22 August 1988, p. 1. Stante was a thirty-two-year-old financial analyst who later became a prominent figure with the Canadian-Italian Business and Professional Association and the National Congress of Italian Canadians. See "Grit nomination fails to meet expectations", Ottawa Citizen, 22 August 1998, p. 5; Agata De Santis, "Business group offers job network to youths," Montreal Gazette, 24 December 1996, p. 4; "The National Congress of Italian Canadians Responds to Minister Kenney's Announcement Regarding the Community Historical Recognition Program: A Shameful Attempt to Divide and Conquer" [press release], Canada NewsWire, 23 March 2009. Falco had previously called for Liberal leader John Turner's resignation. The Anjou—Rivière-des-Prairies Liberal association had endorsed Falco prior to his resignation; this decision was criticized by the party leadership, which said that associations were expected to remain neutral. Falco later served as president of the National Council of Italian Canadians. See "Divisions widen in Quebec wing over Turner," Montreal Gazette, 4 May 1988, p. 1; "Grit nomination fails to meet expectations," Ottawa Citizen, 22 August 1988, p. 5; Alexander Norris, "Federalism isn't defeated, ethnic leaders argue; Cultural communities," Montreal Gazette, 27 October 1992, p. 4.
  6. Patricia Poirier, "Montreal riding fails to pull Liberal crowd," Globe and Mail, 22 August 1988, p. 4.
  7. "It's up to the voters" [editorial], Montreal Gazette, 23 August 1988, p. 2; Patricia Poirier, "Ethics, integrity to be campaign theme Montreal Liberals seek comeback," Globe and Mail, 7 September 1988, p. 3; "Mount Royal Conservatives nominate computer salesman," Montreal Gazette, 16 September 1988, p. 3.
  8. "Liberal Leader John Turner opened a two-day...," Postmedia News, 15 September 1988, p. 1; Patricia Poirer, "Montreal Tories forced to talk free trade," Montreal Gazette, 14 November 1988, p. 11.
  9. Alexander Norris, "Gagliano justifiably confident: Liberal minister and chief organizer faces little opposition in one of the country's most Italian ridings," Montreal Gazette, 12 May 1997, p. 14; Allison Lampert, "'Flagrant lack of vegetables' denied in firm Morselli founded," Montreal Gazette, 27 May 2005, p. 4.
  10. "More school board vote results," Montreal Gazette, 21 November 1990, p. 3; "A school board primer; Board by board details," Montreal Gazette, 12 November 1994, p. 2; "Results: Commission Scolaire de la Pointe-de-l'Ile," Montreal Gazette, 15 June 1998, p. 4.
  11. "Brosseau elected as Catholic board head," Montreal Gazette, 4 December 1990, p. 3.
  12. Andy Riga, "Probe ordered into claims board favors anglo pupils," Montreal Gazette, 15 June 1991, p. 5.
  13. "Probe sought of mismanagement at Jerome Le Royer school board," Montreal Gazette, 30 April 1993, p. 3.
  14. Aaron Derfel, "I'm a victim of smears, school board chairman says," Montreal Gazette, 1 May 1993, p. 5.
  15. Mike King, "Zampino, 8 councillors acclaimed in St. Leonard," Montreal Gazette, 18 October 1994, p. 6; Irwin Block, "Second acclamation in a row for Zampino," Montreal Gazette, 15 October 1998, p. 6.