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York will be well represented in Wednesday’s provincial election with a total of at least 32 candidates, including York students, alumni and current and former faculty members.
Of course, at the top of the list in prominence in this campaign is Progressive Conservative leader John Tory (LLB ’78), a graduate of York’s Osgoode Hall Law School. There are seven Osgoode alumni running in this election, three for the Liberals, two for the Conservatives and one each for the NDP and the Green Party.
Right: John Tory
There are four current students among the candidates, two for the NDP, one for the Conservatives and one for the Communist Party.
Eight Liberals with York affiliations are running this time around, led by Finance Minister Greg Sorbara (BA ’78, LLB ’81) and Attorney General Michael Bryant (LLB ’92). Seeking seats across the GTA, often as incumbents, the York Libs include graduates from the Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Education, Glendon, Osgoode and the Schulich School of Business.
Left: Greg Sorbara
The NDP is fielding Professor Gail McCabe, who teaches sociology at Glendon and is an academic adviser at Calumet College, in Mississauga-Streestville. She has seven fellow New Democrats from York running, including students Andy Arifin in Markham-Unionville and Mani Singh in Brampton-Springdale, and grads from the Faculty of Arts and Osgoode.
Right: Gail McCabe
As for the Conservatives, another six York people are seeking office, in addition to leader Tory. One, Shane O’Toole, is a student who took a term off to campaign; the others hail from the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, Schulich and Osgoode.
There are six York alumni running for the Green Party, including Faculty of Arts graduate Gregory Laxton (MA ’04), who is credited by some with putting proportional representation on the political agenda after he wrested a promise in public from then-opposition leader Dalton McGuinty to put the issue to a vote if he became premier. The Green candidates are all from different faculties, including Osgoode, the Schulich School of Business and the Faculties of Arts, Environmental Studies, Fine Arts and Science & Engineering.
For a list of York-connected candidates, see the table below.
Live Coverage of Election 2007
Join the Master of Calumet College, Professor David Leyton-Brown, on election night, Oct. 10, from 7 to 11pm in the Common Room, 100 Calumet College, to view and discuss the provincial election results as they unfold.
Also taking part in the discussion will be political scientist Fred Fletcher, University Professor emeritus and Calumet Fellow, who is also director of York’s Graduate Program in Culture & Communication, and Robert Drummond, dean of the Faculty of Arts and an expert on Ontario provincial politics.
Everyone is welcome to come and share their opinions and thoughts. Light refreshments will be served.
York Candidates in the 2007 Provincial Election
| Name | Party | Riding | Deg/Yr | Faculty | |
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Shona Bracken | COM | Toronto Danforth | student | |
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Jim Reeves | GRN | York Simcoe | MBA ’70 | Schulich School of Business |
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Jerry Schulman | GRN | Etobicoke Lakeshore | BFA ’84 | Faculty of Fine Arts |
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Gregory Laxton | GRN | Ottawa Centre | MA ’04 | Faculty of Arts |
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Steve D’sa | GRN | St. Paul’s | BSc ’94 | Faculty of Science & Engineering |
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Patrick Kraemer | GRN | Toronto Danforth | LLB ’05 | Osgoode Hall Law School |
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Jessica Fracassi | GRN | Esex | BES ’01 | Faculty of Environmental Studies |
 |
Wayne Arthurs | LIB | Pickering-Scarborough East | BA ’72 | Faculty of Arts |
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Margarett Best | LIB | Scarborough-Guildwood | LLB ’95 | Osgoode Hall Law School |
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Michael Bryant | LIB | St. Paul’s | LLB ’92 | Osgoode Hall Law School |
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Aileen Carroll | LIB | Barrie | BEd ’89 | Faculty of Education |
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Laura Hammer | LIB | Whitby-Oshawa | BA ’96 | Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies |
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Helena Jaczek | LIB | Oak Ridges-Markham | MBA ’94 | Schulich School of Business |
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Mario Racco | LIB | Thornhill | BA ’81 | Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies |
|
Gregory Sorbara | LIB | Vaughan | BA ’78, LLB ’81 | Glendon, Osgoode |
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Sylvia Watson | LIB | Parkdale-High Park | BA ’76, LLB ’79 | Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, Osgoode Hall Law School |
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Cheri DiNovo | NDP | Parkdale-High Park | BA ’94 | Faculty of Arts |
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Janice Hagan | NDP | Oak Ridges-Marakham | BA ’86 | Faculty of Arts |
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Peter Kormos | NDP | Welland | BA ’75, LLB ’78 | Faculty of Arts |
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Andrea Nemeth | NDP | Etobicoke-Lakeshore | BA ’94, MA ’98 | Faculty of Arts |
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Felicite Stairs | NDP | Renfrew-Nippissin-Pembroke | LLB ’89 | Osgoode Hall Law School |
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Rick Morelli | NDP | Vaughan | BA ’89 | Faculty of Arts |
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Gail McCabe | NDP | Mississauga-Streetsville | BA ’96, MA ’98, PhD ’05 | Professor, Glendon, Academic Adviser Calumet |
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Mani Singh | NDP | Brampton-Springdale | student | |
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Andy Arifin | NDP | Markham-Unionville | student | |
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Chris Corrigan | PC | Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | Former lecturer at Glendon | |
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Gary Crawford | PC | Scarborough Southwest | BFA ’83 | Faculty of Fine Arts |
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Gerry Martiniuk | PC | Cambridge | LLB ’62 | Osgoode Hall Law School |
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Carman McLelland | PC | Brampton-Springdale | MBA ’73 | Schulich School of Business |
|
Shane O’Toole | PC | York-West | student | |
 |
John Tory | PC | Don Valley West (LLB ’78) | LLB ’78 | Osgoode Hall Law School |
 |
Mohamed Kassim | PC | Etobicoke North | MA ’97 | Faculty of Arts |
COM – Communist Party of Canada; GRN – Green Party of Ontario; LIB – Ontario Liberal Party; NDP – Ontario New Democratic Party; PC – Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario