Charles Sousa
Encyclopedia
Charles Sousa is a politician in Ontario, Canada
. He is the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Mississauga South
, and is the province's Minister of Labour
in the Cabinet
of Premier
Dalton McGuinty
. Prior to his appointment to Cabinet in December 2010, Sousa served as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade
Sousa grew up in Mississauga, and is currently living in Clarkson with his wife Zenaida and their three children.
in 1982 with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration. In 1991, he completed a fellowship at the Institute of Canadian Bankers
. He then earned an Executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business
at the University of Western Ontario
in 1994.
(RBC) Financial Group for more than 20 years. Among his roles was Director of Business Development - Commercial Financial Services, Director of Government & Community Affairs promoting RBC's strategic initiatives and Senior Manager of Marketing at RBC Dominion Securities
’ head office. Prior to working with RBC
, he owned and operated a factoring
company that offered financial services to small businesses.
. In 2003, he was appointed to represent Canada as a director to the International Chamber of Commerce
. He is a past president of the Federation of Portuguese-Canadian
Business & Professionals and member of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Toronto (EUCOCIT). He was also an ambassador for the Credit Valley Hospital
Foundation and an honourary Chair of the Rainbow Ball Foundation.
In 2003, Sousa received a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his service to the community. In 2009, he was inducted as a Commander (Comendador) to the Order of Merit (Portugal).
for the federal Liberal nomination in 2004, but was defeated in a tightly fought campaign. He ran for the federal Liberal nomination in Mississauga-Erindale in 2006 but was defeated as well. He served as co-chair of future PC leader John Tory
's campaign for mayor of Toronto in the 2006 election
, being part of the leadership of the group "Grits for Tory."
, defeating incumbent Tim Peterson
. Formerly a Liberal, Peterson had crossed the floor in March 2007 to join the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
(PC Party). Analysts had expected the vote to be extremely close — however, Sousa ultimately won the riding with 46.8 per cent of the popular vote, and by a margin of just over 5,000 votes more than Peterson.
and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Government
& Consumer Services.
In 2008, Sousa introduced a private member's bill to track and report industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) waste. He also introduced a private member's bill to improve Financial literacy
education.
As a parliamentary assistant, Sousa ushered the passage of Open for Business legislation to make it easier and faster to conduct business in Ontario. He also facilitated passage of the Payday Loans
Act to protect Ontario consumers against predatory lending.
In 2011, Charles introduced an passed Bill 160 - the Occupational Health and Safety Statute Law Amendment Act to create a Chief Prevention Officer and a new prevention council within Ontario's Ministry of Labour
. He also introduced and received unanimous support for Bill 181, the Fire Protection and Prevention Amendment Act (2011), addressing protection for Ontario firefighters and duty of fair representation.
Sousa chairs an industry caucus at Queen’s Park and sat on the Clarkson Airshed Study Advisory Committee, as well as the Petro-Canada
Public Liaison Committee. He also sits on the Lakeview and Port Credit
community advisory committees.
|-
|Charles Sousa
|align="right"|19,195
|align="right"|46.8%
|align="right"|+3.0%
|-
|Tim Peterson
|align="right"|14,114
|align="right"|34.4%
|align="right"|-8.8%
|-
|Ken Cole
|align="right"|3,745
|align="right"|9.1%
|align="right"|-0.7%
|-
|David Johnston
|align="right"|3,627
|align="right"|8.8%
|align="right"|+6.4%
|-
|Samantha Toteda
|align="right"|345
|align="right"|0.8%
|align="right"|-0.6%
|}
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 is the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Mississauga South
Mississauga South (provincial electoral district)
Mississauga South is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1975....
, and is the province's Minister of Labour
Ministry of Labour (Ontario)
The Ministry of Labour is responsible for labour issues in the Canadian province of Ontario.The Ministry of Labour and its agencies are responsible for employment equity and rights, occupational health and safety, and labour relations....
in the Cabinet
Executive Council of Ontario
The Executive Council of Ontario plays an important role in theGovernment of Ontario, in accordance with the Westminster system....
of Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
. Prior to his appointment to Cabinet in December 2010, Sousa served as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (Ontario)
The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade in the Canadian province of Ontario is responsible for programs to attract and retain business and economic development in the province...
Sousa grew up in Mississauga, and is currently living in Clarkson with his wife Zenaida and their three children.
Education
Charles Sousa graduated from Wilfrid Laurier UniversityWilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid Laurier University is a university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It also has campuses in Brantford, Ontario, Kitchener, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario and a future proposed campus in Milton, Ontario. It is named in honour of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh Prime Minister of Canada....
in 1982 with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration. In 1991, he completed a fellowship at the Institute of Canadian Bankers
Canadian Bankers Association
The Canadian Bankers Association is a financial lobbying group that works on behalf of 52 domestic banks, foreign bank subsidiaries and foreign bank branches operating in Canada and their 267,000 employees. The CBA was organized in Montreal in 1891, making it one of Canada’s oldest interest...
. He then earned an Executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business
Richard Ivey School of Business
The Richard Ivey School of Business is located on the University of Western Ontario campus in London, Ontario, Canada, and is consistently rated as the top business school in Canada. It is offered, along with a range of other programs, by the University of Western Ontario, but is managed separately...
at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in 1994.
Business Career
Before joining government, Sousa worked at Royal Bank of CanadaRoyal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
(RBC) Financial Group for more than 20 years. Among his roles was Director of Business Development - Commercial Financial Services, Director of Government & Community Affairs promoting RBC's strategic initiatives and Senior Manager of Marketing at RBC Dominion Securities
RBC Dominion Securities
RBC Dominion Securities is the brand used by Royal Bank of Canada for full service brokerage services primarily in Canada. It forms part of RBC's Wealth Management division. Established in Toronto in 1901, it originally focused on government and municipal but diversified into war bonds during...
’ head office. Prior to working with RBC
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
, he owned and operated a factoring
Factoring (finance)
Factoring is a financial transaction whereby a business job sells its accounts receivable to a third party at a discount...
company that offered financial services to small businesses.
Community Involvement
Sousa has been a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, a director with the American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Toronto Board of TradeToronto Board of Trade
The Toronto Board of Trade is Toronto's chamber of commerce, the largest local chamber of commerce in Canada, representing more than 10,000 business and individual members with about 500,000 employees across Canada and annual revenues of more than $200 billion .It is a non-profit organization with...
. In 2003, he was appointed to represent Canada as a director to the International Chamber of Commerce
International Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
. He is a past president of the Federation of Portuguese-Canadian
Portuguese Canadians
Portuguese Canadians are both Canadians born with Portuguese descent or citizenship or Portuguese born with Canadian descent or citizenship . According to StatCan, in 2006, there were 410,850 persons of Portuguese descent living in Canada, or 1.3% of the nation's total population...
Business & Professionals and member of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Toronto (EUCOCIT). He was also an ambassador for the Credit Valley Hospital
Credit Valley Hospital
Credit Valley Hospital is a regional hospital located in Mississauga, Ontario. It primarily serves the communities of north Mississauga; the villages of Streetsville, Meadowvale, Erin Mills and the surrounding area...
Foundation and an honourary Chair of the Rainbow Ball Foundation.
In 2003, Sousa received a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his service to the community. In 2009, he was inducted as a Commander (Comendador) to the Order of Merit (Portugal).
Political Career
Sousa ran against sitting Mississauga South MP Paul SzaboPaul Szabo
Paul John Mark Szabo is a Canadian politician. He is a former member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Mississauga South for the Liberal Party.-Early life and education:...
for the federal Liberal nomination in 2004, but was defeated in a tightly fought campaign. He ran for the federal Liberal nomination in Mississauga-Erindale in 2006 but was defeated as well. He served as co-chair of future PC leader John Tory
John Tory
John Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster...
's campaign for mayor of Toronto in the 2006 election
Toronto municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Toronto municipal election took place on 13 November 2006 to elect a mayor and 44 city councillors in Toronto, Ontario. In addition, school trustees were elected to the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire de district du Centre-Sud-Ouest...
, being part of the leadership of the group "Grits for Tory."
2007 Election
Sousa won the riding in the 2007 provincial electionOntario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, defeating incumbent Tim Peterson
Tim Peterson
Tim Peterson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Greater Toronto Area riding of Mississauga South...
. Formerly a Liberal, Peterson had crossed the floor in March 2007 to join the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
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...
(PC Party). Analysts had expected the vote to be extremely close — however, Sousa ultimately won the riding with 46.8 per cent of the popular vote, and by a margin of just over 5,000 votes more than Peterson.
Member of Provincial Parliament
Sousa sits on the Cabinet Committees on Economic & Environmental Resources Policy and Legislation & Regulations. He was previously a member of the Standing Committee on Finance & Economic Affairs and has held the positions of Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development & TradeMinistry of Economic Development and Trade (Ontario)
The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade in the Canadian province of Ontario is responsible for programs to attract and retain business and economic development in the province...
and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Government
Ministry of Government Services (Ontario)
The Ministry of Government Services is responsible for the delivery and management of government operations. Its goal is to provide cost-effective services to all residents and businesses and to the Ontario Public Service. It replaced the former Management Board Secretariat and the former Ministry...
& Consumer Services.
In 2008, Sousa introduced a private member's bill to track and report industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) waste. He also introduced a private member's bill to improve Financial literacy
Financial literacy
Financial literacy is the ability to understand finance. More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions through their understanding of finances...
education.
As a parliamentary assistant, Sousa ushered the passage of Open for Business legislation to make it easier and faster to conduct business in Ontario. He also facilitated passage of the Payday Loans
Payday loan
A payday loan is a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. The loans are also sometimes referred to as cash advances, though that term can also refer to cash provided against a prearranged line of credit such as a credit card...
Act to protect Ontario consumers against predatory lending.
In 2011, Charles introduced an passed Bill 160 - the Occupational Health and Safety Statute Law Amendment Act to create a Chief Prevention Officer and a new prevention council within Ontario's Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour (Ontario)
The Ministry of Labour is responsible for labour issues in the Canadian province of Ontario.The Ministry of Labour and its agencies are responsible for employment equity and rights, occupational health and safety, and labour relations....
. He also introduced and received unanimous support for Bill 181, the Fire Protection and Prevention Amendment Act (2011), addressing protection for Ontario firefighters and duty of fair representation.
Sousa chairs an industry caucus at Queen’s Park and sat on the Clarkson Airshed Study Advisory Committee, as well as the Petro-Canada
Petro-Canada
Petro-Canada was a crown corporation of Canada in the field of oil and natural gas. It was headquartered in the Petro-Canada Centre in Calgary, Alberta. In August, 2009, Petro-Canada merged with Suncor Energy, a deal in which Suncor investors received approximately 60 per cent ownership of the...
Public Liaison Committee. He also sits on the Lakeview and Port Credit
Port Credit, Ontario
Port Credit is found at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, within the southcentral area of the city of Mississauga...
community advisory committees.
Electoral Record
|-
|Charles Sousa
|align="right"|19,195
|align="right"|46.8%
|align="right"|+3.0%
|-
|Tim Peterson
Tim Peterson
Tim Peterson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Greater Toronto Area riding of Mississauga South...
|align="right"|14,114
|align="right"|34.4%
|align="right"|-8.8%
|-
|Ken Cole
|align="right"|3,745
|align="right"|9.1%
|align="right"|-0.7%
|-
|David Johnston
|align="right"|3,627
|align="right"|8.8%
|align="right"|+6.4%
|-
|Samantha Toteda
|align="right"|345
|align="right"|0.8%
|align="right"|-0.6%
|}