Elinor CaplanPC(born May 20, 1944) is a businesswoman and former politician in Ontario,Canada.She served in theLegislative Assembly of Ontariofrom 1985 to 1997, and was aMember of Parliamentin theHouse of Commons of Canadafrom 1997 to 2004. ALiberal,she served as acabinet ministerin the provincial government ofDavid Petersonand the federal government ofJean Chrétien.
Elinor Caplan | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament forThornhill | |
| In office 1997–2004 | |
| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Susan Kadis |
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1985–1997 | |
| Preceded by | John Reesor Williams |
| Succeeded by | David Caplan |
| Constituency | Oriole |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elinor Hershorn May 20, 1944 Toronto,Ontario,Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Mayer Wilfred Caplan (b. 1935, m. 1963) |
| Children | David Caplan(1964-2019), Mark Caplan, Meredith,Zane Caplansky |
| Profession | Civil servant |
Background
editShe was born in Toronto to Samuel S. Hershorn, a textile manufacturer, and his wife Thelma (Goodman) Hershorn, both of whose families had come to Canada from Russian Poland.[1]Caplan attendedOakwood Collegiate Institutein Toronto,[2]and thenCentennial College.She then worked in real estate heading Elinor Caplan and Associates from 1973 to 1978. Her husband, Wilfred, sought election to the provincial legislature in the1977 election,but was defeated.[3]Caplan isJewish,and is a longtime member of Canadian Hadassah-WIZO, a women'sZionistorganization.
Politics
editMunicipal
editShe ran for office in 1978, when she was elected to theNorth Yorkmunicipal council as an alderman.[1][4]
Provincial
editShe ran for the provincial legislature in the1981 election,but lost toProgressive ConservativeDavid Rotenbergin the constituency ofWilson Heights.[5]
She was elected to the Ontario legislature in the1985 election,defeating Progressive Conservative incumbentJohn Williamsby over 4,000 votes in theNorth Yorkriding ofOriole.[6]The Liberal Party formed aminority governmentafter this election, and Caplan was appointed asChair of the Management Board of Cabineton June 26, 1985. She resigned her portfolio on June 16, 1986, following accusations of a conflict of interest relating to her husband's business dealings; while protesting her innocence, she claimed she had lost the confidence of the house. Caplan was subsequently exonerated by a parliamentary commission.
Caplan won a landslide re-election victory in theprovincial election of 1987,[7]She was reappointed to Peterson's cabinet on September 29, 1987, asMinister of Health.She held this position until the Liberals were defeated by theOntario New Democratic Partyin the1990 election.Caplan defeated NDP candidate Lennox Farrell by just over 2,000 votes in the 1990 campaign, and remained a prominent figure in the official opposition, serving as Deputy House Leader in 1994–95.[8]
In the1995 election,Caplan narrowly retained her seat against a challenge from Progressive Conservative Paul Sutherland.[9]She served as Chief OppositionWhipfrom 1995 to 1996, and retired from the legislature on May 1, 1997. (She was succeeded as the MPP for Oriole by her son,David Caplan,who went on to serve as a cabinet minister in the government ofDalton McGuinty.) In 1996, she supportedJoseph Cordianofor the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
Provincial Cabinet posts
editFederal politics
editCaplan was elected to the federal House of Commons in the1997 election,defeating her closest opponent by more than 14,000 votes in the riding ofThornhill.[10]She served asparliamentary secretaryto theMinister of Healthin 1998–99, and was appointed to cabinet asMinister of Citizenship and Immigrationon August 3, 1999.
In the2000 federal election,Caplan faced an inexperienced opponent from theCanadian Allianceand was easily re-elected.[11]After a cabinet shuffle on January 15, 2002, Caplan was appointedMinister of National Revenue.She was dropped from cabinet whenPaul Martinreplaced Chrétien asPrime Ministerin December 2003. She did not seek re-election in the2004 election.
Federal Cabinet posts
editAfter politics
editIn late 2004, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty appointed Caplan to lead a provincial inquiry into the state of home-care medical services.
References
edit- ^abBrown, Michael."Elinor Caplan".Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia.Retrieved2015-10-05.
- ^Gasner, Cynthia (May 15, 2008)."Oakwood CI marks 100 years".Canadian Jewish News.
- ^"Ontario provincial election results riding by riding".The Globe and Mail.June 10, 1977. p. D9.
- ^"Metro Elections: How you voted".The Toronto Star.November 14, 1978. pp. A12–A13.
- ^Canadian Press (1981-03-20)."Election results for Metro Toronto ridings".The Windsor Star.Windsor, Ontario. p. 22.Retrieved2014-03-06.
- ^"Results of vote in Ontario election".The Globe and Mail.May 3, 1985. p. 13.
- ^"Results from individual ridings".The Windsor Star.September 11, 1987. p. F2.
- ^"Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results".The Globe and Mail.September 7, 1990. p. A12.
- ^"Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate".Elections Ontario. June 8, 1995. Archived fromthe originalon March 19, 2014.Retrieved2014-03-02.
- ^"Final Results Riding by Riding".Calgary Herald.June 4, 1997. p. A5.
- ^"Election Results".Star - Phoenix.Saskatoon, SK. November 28, 2000. p. A8.