Chaviva Hosek
Encyclopedia
Chaviva Milada Hošek, OC
(born 6 October 1946) is a Canadian
academic, feminist and former politician.
Jewish family living in Bohemia
and raised in Montreal
. She received her undergraduate degree from McGill University
and earned a doctorate
in English literature from Harvard
in 1973 (specializing in the poetry of Walt Whitman
).
She worked as a professor of English Literature at the University of Toronto
for thirteen years. An active feminist
, she served as president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
from 1984 to 1986. She later described her time at the NAC as "the harshest political experience I ever had", claiming that the group was polarized by internal divisions during this period.http://google.com/search?q=cache:EiZalqoYsx4J:www.rabble.ca/politics.shtml%3Fx%3D36727+%22Chaviva+Hosek%22+Israel&hl=en Hosek was named B'nai Brith Woman of the Year in 1984 and received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 1986 for Community and Public Service.
, Hošek sought and won a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
as the Liberal
Member of Provincial Parliament for the Toronto
constituency of Oakwood
, defeating Ontario New Democratic Party
incumbent Tony Grande
by 1,331 votes. She was immediately appointed to David Peterson
's cabinet as Minister of Housing, and embarked on a program to expand social housing.
Hošek resigned from cabinet on October 1, 1989, due to charges that she had hired a developer in her department. Hosek had also attracted controversy by not reappointing popular former Toronto mayor John Sewell
to the board of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority. She was later cleared by the provincial auditor of any wrongdoing.
The Peterson government was defeated in the 1990 Ontario election
, Hosek lost her riding to Tony Rizzo
of the NDP by 2,280 votes.
's caucus
research bureau in 1990. Along with Paul Martin
, she co-authored Creating Opportunity, as the party's campaign platform for the 1993 federal election
was called. After Liberal leader Jean Chrétien
became Prime Minister of Canada
, Hosek was appointed Director of Policy and Research in the Prime Minister's Office, and wrote the Liberal platforms for the 1997
and 2000 federal elections
In 2001, Hošek left the PMO to become president and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
.
On October 27, 2002, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa
.
On October 5, 2006, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
On June 25, 2009, she received an honorary doctorate from York University
(Ontario).
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born 6 October 1946) is a Canadian
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...
academic, feminist and former politician.
Background
The child of Holocaust survivors, Hošek was born to a HungarianHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Jewish family living in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and raised in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. She received her undergraduate degree from McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and earned a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in English literature from Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1973 (specializing in the poetry of Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
).
She worked as a professor of English Literature at 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...
for thirteen years. An active feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, she served as president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women
National Action Committee on the Status of Women
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women is a Canadian feminist activist organization. NAC was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations made in the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada's 1970 report on matters such as...
from 1984 to 1986. She later described her time at the NAC as "the harshest political experience I ever had", claiming that the group was polarized by internal divisions during this period.http://google.com/search?q=cache:EiZalqoYsx4J:www.rabble.ca/politics.shtml%3Fx%3D36727+%22Chaviva+Hosek%22+Israel&hl=en Hosek was named B'nai Brith Woman of the Year in 1984 and received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 1986 for Community and Public Service.
Politics
In the 1987 Ontario electionOntario 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...
, Hošek sought and won a seat in 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...
as the 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...
Member of Provincial Parliament for the 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...
constituency of Oakwood
Oakwood (electoral district)
Oakwood was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 1975 provincial election, and was retained until redistribution in 1999. It was abolished into Davenport, Eglinton—Lawrence, York South—Weston and St. Paul's...
, defeating Ontario New Democratic Party
Ontario 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...
incumbent Tony Grande
Tony Grande
Anthony William Grande was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1987, as a member of the New Democratic Party .-Background:...
by 1,331 votes. She was immediately appointed to David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
's cabinet as Minister of Housing, and embarked on a program to expand social housing.
Hošek resigned from cabinet on October 1, 1989, due to charges that she had hired a developer in her department. Hosek had also attracted controversy by not reappointing popular former Toronto mayor John Sewell
John Sewell
John Sewell, CM is a Canadian political activist and writer on municipal affairs; he was the mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1978 to 1980.-Background:...
to the board of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority. She was later cleared by the provincial auditor of any wrongdoing.
The Peterson government was defeated in the 1990 Ontario 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....
, Hosek lost her riding to Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995....
of the NDP by 2,280 votes.
Later life
Hošek became director of the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal 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...
's caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...
research bureau in 1990. Along with Paul Martin
Paul Martin
Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC , also known as Paul Martin, Jr. is a Canadian politician who was the 21st Prime Minister of Canada, as well as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, she co-authored Creating Opportunity, as the party's campaign platform for the 1993 federal election
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...
was called. After Liberal leader Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
became Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
, Hosek was appointed Director of Policy and Research in the Prime Minister's Office, and wrote the Liberal platforms for the 1997
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...
and 2000 federal elections
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....
In 2001, Hošek left the PMO to become president and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research enables Canadian researchers to work on international research teams that are custom built to transform their fields of study...
.
On October 27, 2002, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
.
On October 5, 2006, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.
On June 25, 2009, she received an honorary doctorate from 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....
(Ontario).
External links
- Hosek heads scientific research body March 1, 2001 article in the Canadian Jewish NewsCanadian Jewish NewsThe Canadian Jewish News is a weekly, English-language tabloid-sized newspaper serving Canada's Jewish community. Though independent, the newspaper has been, since 1971, owned by a group of Jewish leaders involved with Canadian Jewish Congress...
. - Canadian Who's Who