Carolyn Bennett
Encyclopedia
Carolyn Ann Bennett, PC
, MP
(born December 20, 1950) is the Member of Parliament
for the riding of St. Paul's, a constituency located in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. She is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
, and was formerly a candidate for its leadership.
. She obtained a degree in medicine from the University of Toronto
in 1974 and received her certification in family medicine in 1976. Bennett worked as a family physician at Wellesley Hospital
and Women's College Hospital
in Toronto from 1977 to 1997 and was a founding partner in Bedford Medical Associates. She was also president of the medical staff association of Women's College Hospital and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Bennett served on the boards of Havergal College, Women's College Hospital, the Ontario Medical Association
, and the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto.
In 1986, Bennett received the Royal Life Saving Society Service Cross, a Commonwealth
award recognizing her more than twenty years of distinguished service. In 1990, she was named as one of Simpson's "Women Who Make a Difference". She was the recipient of the coveted EVE Award for contributing to the advancement of women in politics in 2002, and in 2003 received the first ever CAMIMH Mental Health Champion Award. Bennett is also author of Kill or Cure? How Canadians Can Remake their Health Care System, published in October 2000. In 2004, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
for her contributions to medicine, especially women's health.
She is married to Canadian film producer Peter O'Brian. They have two sons.
as a candidate of the Ontario Liberal Party
. Running in the riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick
, she lost to Progressive Conservative
candidate Isabel Bassett
by about 3,500 votes.
Bennett was far more successful in the 1997 federal election
, defeating her closest opponent in St. Paul's by almost 15,000 votes. She was re-elected by increased margins in the elections of 2000
and 2004
.
for Public Health. The Minister of State (Public Health) assists the Minister of Health
.
Bennett was chair of the Canada-Israel
Friendship Group from 1999 to 2003 and is a member of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel
.
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In the 2006 election
, Bennett defeated two main challengers who were both touted as star candidates, Peter Kent
of the Conservatives and Paul Summerville
of the New Democratic Party.
Bennett was re-elected, but lost her cabinet position as the Liberals were defeated. She became only the third opposition MP in the history of St. Paul's. The riding had once been considered a bellwether
, but the Liberals have dominated it since their landslide in 1993
. In opposition, she was appointed the Liberal Party's critic of Social Development.. She is currently the Liberal critic for Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development, and Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus.
She announced on April 24, 2006 that she would pursue the leadership of the party. On September 15, 2006, she withdrew from the leadership race and threw her support behind former Ontario Premier Bob Rae
.
In 2007, she attended to fellow member of parliament Ujjal Dosanjh
when he suffered a mild heart attack outside the Canadian House of Commons
, until Dosanjh could be taken to the hospital.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
, MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(born December 20, 1950) is the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the riding of St. Paul's, a constituency located 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...
, 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...
. She is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, and was formerly a candidate for its leadership.
Background
Bennett grew up in Toronto and attended Havergal CollegeHavergal College
Havergal College is an independent boarding and day school for girls from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Named for English hymn composer, author and humanitarian Frances Ridley Havergal, the school was founded in 1894 by a group of men led by The Honourable H...
. She obtained a degree in medicine from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1974 and received her certification in family medicine in 1976. Bennett worked as a family physician at Wellesley Hospital
Wellesley Hospital
The Wellesley Hospital was a teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada affiliated with the University of Toronto. It was founded by Dr. Herbert Bruce as a private hospital, but became publicly operated in 1942....
and Women's College Hospital
Women's College Hospital
Women's College Hospital, or The New Women's College Hospital is a teaching hospital in downtown Toronto. It currently functions as an independent ambulatory care hospital. The Physician-in-chief is Dr. Jim Ruderman....
in Toronto from 1977 to 1997 and was a founding partner in Bedford Medical Associates. She was also president of the medical staff association of Women's College Hospital and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Bennett served on the boards of Havergal College, Women's College Hospital, the Ontario Medical Association
Ontario Medical Association
The Ontario Medical Association is a professional organization for physicians in Ontario, Canada founded in 1880. It represents and, to a certain degree, governs approximately 24,000 physicians in Ontario. The association's main office is located at 150 Bloor St. West in Toronto. The current...
, and the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto.
In 1986, Bennett received the Royal Life Saving Society Service Cross, a Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
award recognizing her more than twenty years of distinguished service. In 1990, she was named as one of Simpson's "Women Who Make a Difference". She was the recipient of the coveted EVE Award for contributing to the advancement of women in politics in 2002, and in 2003 received the first ever CAMIMH Mental Health Champion Award. Bennett is also author of Kill or Cure? How Canadians Can Remake their Health Care System, published in October 2000. In 2004, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada is a national medical society in Canada, representing over 3,000 obstetricians/gynecologists, family physicians, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals in the field of sexual reproductive health...
for her contributions to medicine, especially women's health.
She is married to Canadian film producer Peter O'Brian. They have two sons.
Entry into politics
Bennett first ran for public office in the 1995 Ontario provincial electionOntario 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...
as a candidate of the Ontario Liberal Party
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...
. Running in the riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick
St. Andrew—St. Patrick
St. Andrew—St. Patrick was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that returned Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park....
, she lost to 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 Isabel Bassett
Isabel Bassett
Isabel Bassett is a Canadian broadcaster and former politician. From 1999 until 2005 she was the chair and CEO of TVOntario/TFO, Ontario's provincial public television network. She has been a controversial figure at times, but is also a highly regarded pioneer in Canadian...
by about 3,500 votes.
Bennett was far more successful in the 1997 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1997
The Canadian federal election of 1997 was held on June 2, 1997, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 36th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's Liberal Party of Canada won a second majority government...
, defeating her closest opponent in St. Paul's by almost 15,000 votes. She was re-elected by increased margins in the elections of 2000
Canadian federal election, 2000
The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament of the Canadian House of Commons of the 37th Parliament of Canada....
and 2004
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
.
Appointment to cabinet
On December 12, 2003, after Martin became Prime Minister, he appointed Bennett as his Minister of StateMinister of state (Canada)
A Minister of State is a junior cabinet minister in the Canadian Cabinet, usually given specific responsibilities to assist a senior cabinet minister in a specific area....
for Public Health. The Minister of State (Public Health) assists the Minister of Health
Minister of Health (Canada)
The Minister of Health is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's health department and the enforcing the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Health Act, the law governing Medicare...
.
Bennett was chair of the Canada-Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
Friendship Group from 1999 to 2003 and is a member of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel
Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel
Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel is an organization of pro-Israel parliamentarians in the Liberal Party of Canada. The group was founded in 2002, and includes MPs such as Irwin Cotler, Joe Volpe and Carolyn Bennett. Former parliamentarians Stephen Owen and Jim Peterson were also members. As...
.
In opposition
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, Bennett defeated two main challengers who were both touted as star candidates, Peter Kent
Peter Kent
Peter Kent, PC, MP is a Conservative member of parliament for the riding of Thornhill, and the current Minister of the Environment in the 28th Canadian Ministry.Previously, he was Deputy Editor of Global Television, a Canadian TV network...
of the Conservatives and Paul Summerville
Paul Summerville
Paul Summerville is an economist, equity research director, and Asian regional head at several prominent global investment banks , and Wellington Management...
of the New Democratic Party.
Bennett was re-elected, but lost her cabinet position as the Liberals were defeated. She became only the third opposition MP in the history of St. Paul's. The riding had once been considered a bellwether
Bellwether
A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.The term is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram leading his flock of sheep.The movements of...
, but the Liberals have dominated it since their landslide in 1993
Canadian federal election, 1993
The Canadian federal election of 1993 was held on October 25 of that year to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Fourteen parties competed for the 295 seats in the House at that time...
. In opposition, she was appointed the Liberal Party's critic of Social Development.. She is currently the Liberal critic for Aboriginal Affairs & Northern Development, and Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus.
She announced on April 24, 2006 that she would pursue the leadership of the party. On September 15, 2006, she withdrew from the leadership race and threw her support behind former Ontario Premier Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
.
In 2007, she attended to fellow member of parliament Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dosanjh
Ujjal Dev Singh Dosanjh, PC, QC, is a Sikh Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as 33rd Premier of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001 and as a Liberal Party of Canada Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011 including a stint as Minister of Health from 2004 until 2006 when the party lost...
when he suffered a mild heart attack outside the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
, until Dosanjh could be taken to the hospital.