Dave Levac
Encyclopedia
David Joseph "Dave" Levac (born April 6, 1954) is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, representing the riding
of Brant
for the Ontario Liberal Party
. He is the current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, having been elected on November 21, 2011.
Born in in Brantford, Ontario
, Levac was educated at Wilfrid Laurier University
, Queen's University and Niagara University
. He became a teacher in the early 1980s, and a principal in Brantford in 1989. Levac received the Canada 125 Medal in 1993, was named OECTA Distinguished Teacher in 1994 for his work in conflict resolution programs, and was named Brantford's Citizen of the Year in 1997 by readers of the Brantford Expositor
. He also served as co-ordinator of Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Visit to Brantford in 1997. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
in 2002.
Levac was first elected to public office in the 1999 provincial election
, defeating Progressive Conservative
Alayne Sokoloski by 956 votes in Brant. His victory was somewhat unexpected, in that most surrounding ridings were won by the Progressive Conservatives in this cycle. The Conservatives won a majority government in this election, and Levac sat as an opposition member for the next four years.
The Liberals won a majority government in the 2003 provincial election
and Levac again defeated Sokoloski, this time by over 10,000 votes. Many anticipated that he would be appointed Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, as he had served as his party's official critic in a number of security-related portfolios since 1999. Instead, that position was given to Monte Kwinter
, and Levac was named chief government whip
.
On April 9, 2009 Dave Levac, along with cosponsers Cheri DiNovo and Frank Klees passed bill 147 – The Holodomor Memorial Day Act, This was the first piece of legislation in the Province’s history to introduced with Tri-Partisan sponsorship. This historic legislation recognizes the victims of the Ukrainian famine.
On January 25, 2010, Levac was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
|Dave Levac
|align="right"|21,166
|align="right"|46.98
|-
|Alayne Sokoloski
|align="right"|20,210
|align="right"|44.86
|-
|David Sharpe
|align="right"|2,889
|align="right"|6.41
|-
|Graham Mcrae
|align="right"|495
|align="right"|1.1
|-
|Eleanor T. Hyodo
|align="right"|294
|align="right"|0.65
|}
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 is a member 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...
, representing the riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of Brant
Brant (provincial electoral district)
Brant is a provincial electoral district in southwestern, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.It was created in 1999 from all of Brantford and part of Brant—Haldimand....
for 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...
. He is the current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the presiding officer of the provincial legislature. Since 1990 the position has been elected by MPPs using a secret ballot. Previously, the Speaker had been appointed by the Premier of Ontario after consultation with the Leader of the...
, having been elected on November 21, 2011.
Born in in Brantford, 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....
, Levac was educated at Wilfrid Laurier University
Wilfrid 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....
, Queen's University and Niagara University
Niagara University
Niagara University is a Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition, located in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. Originally founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, it became Niagara University in 1883. The University is still run by...
. He became a teacher in the early 1980s, and a principal in Brantford in 1989. Levac received the Canada 125 Medal in 1993, was named OECTA Distinguished Teacher in 1994 for his work in conflict resolution programs, and was named Brantford's Citizen of the Year in 1997 by readers of the Brantford Expositor
Brantford Expositor
The Brantford Expositor is an English language newspaper based in Brantford, Ontario and owned by Osprey Media Group Inc. a subsidiary of Sun Media...
. He also served as co-ordinator of Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Visit to Brantford in 1997. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of the accession to the throne of Queen Elizabeth II...
in 2002.
Levac was first elected to public office in the 1999 provincial election
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....
, defeating 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...
Alayne Sokoloski by 956 votes in Brant. His victory was somewhat unexpected, in that most surrounding ridings were won by the Progressive Conservatives in this cycle. The Conservatives won a majority government in this election, and Levac sat as an opposition member for the next four years.
The Liberals won a majority government in the 2003 provincial election
Ontario 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 Levac again defeated Sokoloski, this time by over 10,000 votes. Many anticipated that he would be appointed Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, as he had served as his party's official critic in a number of security-related portfolios since 1999. Instead, that position was given to Monte Kwinter
Monte Kwinter
Monte Kwinter is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1985, was a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson from 1985 to 1990, and was re-appointed to a cabinet position when the Liberals returned to power under Dalton...
, and Levac was named chief government whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
.
On April 9, 2009 Dave Levac, along with cosponsers Cheri DiNovo and Frank Klees passed bill 147 – The Holodomor Memorial Day Act, This was the first piece of legislation in the Province’s history to introduced with Tri-Partisan sponsorship. This historic legislation recognizes the victims of the Ukrainian famine.
On January 25, 2010, Levac was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
Electoral record
|-|Dave Levac
|align="right"|21,166
|align="right"|46.98
|-
|Alayne Sokoloski
|align="right"|20,210
|align="right"|44.86
|-
|David Sharpe
|align="right"|2,889
|align="right"|6.41
|-
|Graham Mcrae
|align="right"|495
|align="right"|1.1
|-
|Eleanor T. Hyodo
|align="right"|294
|align="right"|0.65
|}