Alvin Curling
Encyclopedia
Alvin Curling is a prominent Black Canadian
. He was Canada
's envoy to the Dominican Republic
from 2005-2006. A former politician
in Ontario
, Canada
, he was Speaker
of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
until he resigned on August 19, 2005 to accept his diplomatic appointment. He had been a Liberal
MPP for twenty years, from 1985 to 2005.
and at York University
in Toronto
. He began working as an educator in 1972, and served as President of the World Literacy of Canada organization from 1981 to 1984, as well as working in the Jamaican Canadian Association.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1985
as a Liberal
in the suburban Toronto riding of Scarborough North. Curling defeated Progressive Conservative
candidate Carole Noble by about 8,000 votes. His personal total of 30,504 votes was a provincial record at the time.
The Liberals formed a minority government
after this election, and Curling was appointed Minister of Housing on June 26, 1985. He was the first Black Canadian to hold a cabinet
-level position in Ontario. During his time as minister of Housing, he expanded the parameters of Ontario's rent control program, and announced a $500 million initiative for new urban housing. Curling was easily re-elected in the provincial election of 1987
, and was appointed Minister of Skills Development
on September 29, 1987. He served in this capacity until August 2, 1989, when he was dropped from cabinet.
in the 1990 election
, although Curling managed to retain his riding by about 4,000 votes. He was also re-elected without much difficulty in the face of Progressive Conservative majority government
s of 1995
and 1999
(on the latter occasion, he was re-elected in the redistributed riding of Scarborough—Rouge River
). From 1996 to 1999, he served as Deputy House Leader
for the Liberals.
In 1995, he gained notoriety for his 18-hour filibuster
-like protest against the Mike Harris
government's Omnibus Bill 26. When Curling was ordered expelled from the legislature for using what was judged to be unparliamentary language
, he refused to leave his seat, and a knot of fellow Liberal and NDP opposition members formed a cordon around him to prevent his physical removal. Reports stated that when legislature staff saw Frances Lankin
, NDP MPP and a former prison guard, among the cordon, they backed off. Curling claimed his protest was meant to highlight a lack of public consultation in the Harris government's bill.
Curling supported Joseph Cordiano
for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership in 1996 (Ottawa Citizen, 21 November 1996).
, and Curling was elected Speaker of the Legislature without opposition on November 19, 2003.
Curling soon faced criticism over how objectively he was performing his duties as Speaker. Opposition MPPs, including New Democrat Peter Kormos
and Conservative John Baird, suggested that Curling favoured his Liberal colleagues, sanctioning Conservative and NDP members for behaviour he would more often let slide from Liberals. Curling had also been criticized for attending Liberal Party fundraiser while Speaker as previous Speakers had avoided attending such events. In late March 2005, Kormos announced plans to introduce a resolution calling on Curling to resign from the post, and it was rumoured Conservatives were considering a similar call.
Curling is now a Senior Fellow at CIGI (International Economic Governance) in Waterloo, Ontario
and Co-Chair of the Premier’s Task Force on the Review of the Roots of Youth Violence. In the mid-2000s, Curling was honoured by the government of Jamaica with a Rank of Distinction. He holds the title of Commander.
Black Canadian
'Black Canadians is a designation used for people of Black African descent, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The term specifically refers to Canadians with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin...
. He was Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's envoy to the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
from 2005-2006. A former politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, he was Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
until he resigned on August 19, 2005 to accept his diplomatic appointment. He had been a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
MPP for twenty years, from 1985 to 2005.
Early career
Curling was educated at Seneca CollegeSeneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
and at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He began working as an educator in 1972, and served as President of the World Literacy of Canada organization from 1981 to 1984, as well as working in the Jamaican Canadian Association.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1985
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...
as a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
in the suburban Toronto riding of Scarborough North. Curling defeated Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
candidate Carole Noble by about 8,000 votes. His personal total of 30,504 votes was a provincial record at the time.
The Liberals formed a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
after this election, and Curling was appointed Minister of Housing on June 26, 1985. He was the first Black Canadian to hold a cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
-level position in Ontario. During his time as minister of Housing, he expanded the parameters of Ontario's rent control program, and announced a $500 million initiative for new urban housing. Curling was easily re-elected in the provincial election of 1987
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...
, and was appointed Minister of Skills Development
Ministry of Skills Development (Ontario)
The Ministry of Skills Development was a department of the Executive Council of Ontario from 1985 to 1993....
on September 29, 1987. He served in this capacity until August 2, 1989, when he was dropped from cabinet.
In opposition
The Liberals were defeated by the NDPOntario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
in the 1990 election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
, although Curling managed to retain his riding by about 4,000 votes. He was also re-elected without much difficulty in the face of Progressive Conservative majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
s of 1995
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
and 1999
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
(on the latter occasion, he was re-elected in the redistributed riding of Scarborough—Rouge River
Scarborough—Rouge River
Scarborough—Rouge River is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988....
). From 1996 to 1999, he served as Deputy House Leader
House Leader
In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament and an expert in parliamentary procedure...
for the Liberals.
In 1995, he gained notoriety for his 18-hour filibuster
Filibuster
A filibuster is a type of parliamentary procedure. Specifically, it is the right of an individual to extend debate, allowing a lone member to delay or entirely prevent a vote on a given proposal...
-like protest against the Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
government's Omnibus Bill 26. When Curling was ordered expelled from the legislature for using what was judged to be unparliamentary language
Unparliamentary language
In a Westminster system, unparliamentary language is words or phrases that are deemed to be inappropriate for use in the House whilst it is in session. This includes, but is not limited to the suggestion of dishonesty or profanity. The most prohibited case is any suggestion that another member is...
, he refused to leave his seat, and a knot of fellow Liberal and NDP opposition members formed a cordon around him to prevent his physical removal. Reports stated that when legislature staff saw Frances Lankin
Frances Lankin
Frances Lankin, PC is a former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister. On November 30, 2010, Frances Lankin was appointed by the province to co-chair, along with Dr. Munir Sheikh, a comprehensive review of social assistance in Ontario...
, NDP MPP and a former prison guard, among the cordon, they backed off. Curling claimed his protest was meant to highlight a lack of public consultation in the Harris government's bill.
Curling supported Joseph Cordiano
Joseph Cordiano
Joseph Cordiano is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was formerly a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and a cabinet minister in the government of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty.-Early life:...
for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership in 1996 (Ottawa Citizen, 21 November 1996).
Speaker of the Legislature
The Liberals returned to power following the provincial election of 2003Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and Curling was elected Speaker of the Legislature without opposition on November 19, 2003.
Curling soon faced criticism over how objectively he was performing his duties as Speaker. Opposition MPPs, including New Democrat Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel...
and Conservative John Baird, suggested that Curling favoured his Liberal colleagues, sanctioning Conservative and NDP members for behaviour he would more often let slide from Liberals. Curling had also been criticized for attending Liberal Party fundraiser while Speaker as previous Speakers had avoided attending such events. In late March 2005, Kormos announced plans to introduce a resolution calling on Curling to resign from the post, and it was rumoured Conservatives were considering a similar call.
After politics
Curling resigned his seat in the Legislative Assembly on August 19, 2005 to accept a diplomatic posting as Canada's ambassador to the Dominican Republic. He was recalled from this position in 2006.Curling is now a Senior Fellow at CIGI (International Economic Governance) in Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
and Co-Chair of the Premier’s Task Force on the Review of the Roots of Youth Violence. In the mid-2000s, Curling was honoured by the government of Jamaica with a Rank of Distinction. He holds the title of Commander.