Dianne Esther CunninghamOOnt(born December 5, 1939) is a formerpoliticianinOntario,Canada. She was aProgressive Conservativemember of theLegislative Assembly of Ontariofrom 1988 to 2003, and acabinet ministerin the governments ofMike Harris[1]andErnie Eves.
Dianne Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
| In office 1999–2003 | |
| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Deb Matthews |
| Constituency | London North Centre |
| In office 1988–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Van Horne |
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished |
| Constituency | London North |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 5, 1939 Toronto,Ontario,Canada |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Background
editCunningham worked as an elementary school teacher in private life, and entered politics by winning a seat on theLondon, Ontarioschool boardin 1973. She retained that position for fifteen years, and also served as a Planning Officer for theOntario Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Politics
editCunningham was elected to the Ontario legislature for theridingofLondon Northin a 1988by-election.The riding had previously beenLiberal,and bordered on the seat belonging to LiberalPremierDavid Peterson;Cunningham's victory made her a rising star in the small Torycaucus.She ran for theleadershipof the then third-place Conservatives in 1990, losing toMike Harrisin the party's firstone member, one voteelection for leader. She was considered aRed Tory,but was hurt by comparisons toBrian Mulroney,Canada's unpopularProgressive ConservativePrime Minister.Her loss to Harris led to a major shift in the political orientation of the party.[citation needed]
Cunningham was re-elected in the1990 provincial election,which was won by theNew Democratic Party.[2]During the next five years, the Tories developed a series of right-wing policy initiatives which became known as the "Common Sense Revolution".Cunningham was not a major contributor to this process. She did, however, serve as her party's Deputy Leader and CaucusWhipfrom 1990 to 1995.
She was easily re-elected in the1995 provincial election,which the Tories won.[3]While not in the Harris government's inner circle, she was appointed tocabinetin the minor portfolios ofMinister of Intergovernmental AffairsandMinister responsible for Women's Issues.[4]She retained these positions throughout the Harris government's first term. In 1998, she supportedHugh Segalfor the leadership of theProgressive Conservative Party of Canada.
In theprovincial election of 1999,Cunningham narrowly defeatedNew Democratic PartyMember of Provincial Parliament(MPP)Marion Boydin the redistributed riding ofLondon North Centre(the Harris government had previously reduced the number of provincial ridings from 130 to 103, forcing many MPPs to run against one another).[5]Following the election, she was promoted toMinister of Training, Colleges and Universities,and retained that portfolio for the next four years.[6]She was also re-appointed as Minister responsible for Women's Issues on February 8, 2001. In 2002, she supportedErnie Evesto replace Mike Harris as party leader.
Cunningham was often criticized for the way her department managed the elimination ofOAClevels from Ontario's high-school system. The decision reduced the standard high-school honours degree program from five years to four, and resulted in a "double cohort" of new university students when the policy first came into effect. University entrance marks were raised to what some considered high levels; for example, theUniversity of Western Ontarioraised their entrance cutoff to an 80% average. Because of this, many students were unable to attend the university of their choice, and poor departmental planning was frequently blamed.
She ran for re-election in the2003 election,but lost toDeb Matthewsby over 6,000 votes in the landslide victory that brought theOntario Liberal Partyto power.[7]
Cabinet posts
editLater life
editAfter the election, she was appointed Director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management.
References
edit- ^Barclay, Linwood (1998-11-01).Mike Harris Made Me Eat My Dog.ECW Press. pp.46,96–97.ISBN978-1-55022-368-2.Retrieved9 April2011.
- ^"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 30, 2014.Retrieved2014-03-02.
- ^"Mike Harris' cabinet".The Spectator.Hamilton, Ont. June 27, 1995. p. A7.
- ^"Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate".Elections Ontario. June 3, 1999. Archived fromthe originalon March 30, 2014.Retrieved2014-03-02.
- ^"Ontario Cabinet".The Spectator.Hamilton, Ont. June 18, 1999. p. C8.
- ^"Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate".Elections Ontario. October 2, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon March 30, 2014.Retrieved2014-03-02.