Dianne Poole
Encyclopedia
Dianne Poole is a former politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. She served as a Liberal
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1987 to 1995.
Poole has a Bachelor of Arts
degree in Sociology
from Trent University
, and was a law clerk and social worker before entering political life. She also served as chair of the Women's Perspective Advisory Committee, and was a member of the French Immersion Task Force of the Toronto Board of Education.
Poole first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 general election
, losing to Progressive Conservative
David McFadden
by 914 votes in the Toronto
constituency of Eglinton
. She ran again in the 1987 provincial election
, and defeated McFadden by 695 votes amid a landslide victory for the Liberals. In 1989, she was promoted to the position of parliamentary assistant.
The Liberals were defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election
, and Poole was re-elected by only 173 votes over Progressive Conservative candidate Ann Vanstone. She served as the Liberal critic for Housing from 1990 to 1993, and for the JobsOntario program from 1993 to 1995.
In 1994, Poole was one of only three Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), along with Jean Poirier
and Tim Murphy, who supported Bill 167, a bill brought forward by the government of Bob Rae
to extend spousal benefits to same-sex couples. Poole also called for the Ontario Film Review Board
to impose greater restrictions on sexually explicit and violent materials entering the country. She was generally regarded as being on the left wing of the party.
The narrow margin of Poole's victory in 1990 made her constituency a prime PC target in 1995. She lost to Progressive Conservative fundraiser Bill Saunderson
by about 4,500 votes, as the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government provincially.
After leaving politics, Poole became the president of Politrain, Inc. She supported Gerard Kennedy
for the Liberal Party leadership in 1996.
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...
. She served 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...
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...
from 1987 to 1995.
Poole has a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
from Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
, and was a law clerk and social worker before entering political life. She also served as chair of the Women's Perspective Advisory Committee, and was a member of the French Immersion Task Force of the Toronto Board of Education.
Poole first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 general election
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...
, losing 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...
David McFadden
David McFadden
David William McFadden is a Canadian poet, fiction writer, and travel writer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and first started working there as a proofreader for the Hamilton Spectator newspaper. As he grew more renowned as a poet he quit the newspaper and became a full-time writer in 1976...
by 914 votes in 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 Eglinton
Eglinton (provincial electoral district)
Eglinton was a provincial electoral district located in Toronto, Ontario. From 1926 until 1999 it elected members to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. At its abolishment in 1999 it consisted of the neighbourhoods of Davisville and Lawrence Park in the north end of the old city of Toronto. It was...
. She ran again in the 1987 provincial election
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 defeated McFadden by 695 votes amid a landslide victory for the Liberals. In 1989, she was promoted to the position of parliamentary assistant.
The Liberals were defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial 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....
, and Poole was re-elected by only 173 votes over Progressive Conservative candidate Ann Vanstone. She served as the Liberal critic for Housing from 1990 to 1993, and for the JobsOntario program from 1993 to 1995.
In 1994, Poole was one of only three Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), along with Jean Poirier
Jean Poirier
Jean Poirier is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1984 to 1995.-Background:Poirier was educated at the University of Waterloo, receiving a B.E.S. degree in 1972...
and Tim Murphy, who supported Bill 167, a bill brought forward by the government of 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....
to extend spousal benefits to same-sex couples. Poole also called for the Ontario Film Review Board
Ontario Film Review Board
The Ontario Film Review Board is an agency of the government of the Canadian province of Ontario that is responsible for that province's motion picture rating system...
to impose greater restrictions on sexually explicit and violent materials entering the country. She was generally regarded as being on the left wing of the party.
The narrow margin of Poole's victory in 1990 made her constituency a prime PC target in 1995. She lost to Progressive Conservative fundraiser Bill Saunderson
Bill Saunderson
William J. Saunderson is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris....
by about 4,500 votes, as the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government provincially.
After leaving politics, Poole became the president of Politrain, Inc. She supported Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada...
for the Liberal Party leadership in 1996.