Eric Hoskins
Encyclopedia
Eric William Hoskins, OC
, MSC
(born November 29, 1960) is a Canadian
administrator and politician. Hoskins was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in a by-election
on September 17, 2009, representing St. Paul's
as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party
. Hoskins was named the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration January 18, 2010.
He is the former president of War Child Canada
. He is a physician
who has focused his career on assisting civilians, particularly children, in war zones. He has worked with the United Nations
and non-governmental organizations in some of the world's worst conflict areas including Sudan
, Ethiopia
, Eritrea
, Somalia
, Sierra Leone
, Iraq
, Burundi
, Afghanistan
and Pakistan
. Hoskins has also provided commentary to the media both in Canada
and internationally on various humanitarian-related issues.
for high school, Hoskins completed a B.Sc.
degree in Chemistry at McMaster University
in 1982 and graduated with an M.D.
degree from McMaster's Medical School in 1985. Subsequently, Hoskins was awarded a Rhodes scholarship
and continued his studies at the University of Oxford
where he completed a Ph.D.
degree in public health and epidemiology. In addition to these degrees, Hoskins holds graduate level degrees from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
, The University of Aberdeen, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
.
Having seen the impact of war on Iraqi children, Hoskins lobbied the Canadian government to release over 2 million dollars of frozen Iraqi assets held in Canadian banks, and spent the following two years overseeing the purchase and distribution of food and medicine to tens of thousands of at-risk Iraqi children.
In 1997, Hoskins was asked to join the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy
, as his Senior Policy Advisor. While at the Department of Foreign Affairs, he was responsible for contributing to Canadian foreign policy in the areas of human rights, human security, humanitarian affairs, peacebuilding, war-affected children and Africa. He later also served as an Advisor to the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict at the United Nations, and has been involved in setting United Nations policy on issues concerning the protection of children living with war.
, a multimillion-dollar Canadian charitable organization that works to raise funds for relief and development programs in support of war-affected children around the world. Working alongside his wife, War Child Executive Director Samantha Nutt
, Hoskins has helped the organization develop international relief programs and spread awareness of the issues facing war-affected children.
As President of War Child Canada, Hoskins has been a frequent contributor to Maclean's magazine on war-related issues. He is a regular commentator on CTV
, CBC
and other major broadcast networks concerning the impact of war on civilians.
in Canada's Lester B. Pearson Peace Medal and was later awarded the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross
for his work in war-torn communities around the world.
In addition to receiving the United Nations Association in Canada's Lester B. Pearson Peace Medal and the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross, Hoskins has been awarded the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Citation for Citizenship, Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Award, and a McMaster University Distinguished Alumni Award.
Hoskins and his wife, Samantha Nutt
, received Honorary Doctorates of Law from McMaster University
in May, 2005 for their work promoting human rights and their role in delivering humanitarian assistance to some of the world's most vulnerable populations. Hoskins also has honorary degrees from Brock and Niagara Universities.
In April 2008, Hoskins received the honour of Officer of the Order of Canada for his humanitarian work.
nominee in the riding of Haldimand—Norfolk
for the 40th Canadian federal election
. He was defeated by Conservative candidate, Diane Finley
, coming in second, on October 14, 2008.
On August 12, 2009, Hoskins was nominated to be the Ontario Liberal Party's candidate in the St. Paul's
by-election. His opponents were Toronto Sun
columnist Sue-Ann Levy running for the Progressive Conservatives
, Julian Heller of the Ontario New Democratic Party
and Chris Chopik of the Greens
. The by-election, which Hoskins won, was held on September 17, 2009. Hoskins was named the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration January 18, 2010.
|Eric Hoskins
|align="right"|13192
|align="right"|47.60
|align="right"|
|Sue-Ann Levy
|align="right"|7851
|align="right"|28.33
|align="right"|
|Julian Heller
|align="right"|4677
|align="right"|16.88
|align="right"|
|Chris Chopik
|align="right"|1515
|align="right"|5.47
|align="right"|
|John Kittredge
|align="right"|161
|align="right"|0.58
|align="right"|
|-
|bgcolor=pink|
|Special Needs
|Danish Ahmed
|align="right"|95
|align="right"|0.34
|align="right"|
|Marius Frederick
|align="right"|84
|align="right"|0.30
|align="right"|
|Paul McKeever
|align="right"|61
|align="right"|0.22
|align="right"|
|Independent
|John C. Turmel
|align="right"|52
|align="right"|0.19
|align="right"|
|Independent
|Rajendra Rama
|align="right"|24
|align="right"|0.09
|align="right"|
|}
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...
, MSC
Meritorious Service Cross
The Meritorious Service Cross is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, generally through his or her viceroy-in-Council...
(born November 29, 1960) 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...
administrator and politician. Hoskins was elected to 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...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on September 17, 2009, representing St. Paul's
St. Paul's (provincial electoral district)
St. Paul's is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999.The small but densely-populated riding covers the area to the north of Downtown Toronto...
as a member 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...
. Hoskins was named the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration January 18, 2010.
He is the former president of War Child Canada
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
. He is a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who has focused his career on assisting civilians, particularly children, in war zones. He has worked with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and non-governmental organizations in some of the world's worst conflict areas including Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Hoskins has also provided commentary to the media both in 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...
and internationally on various humanitarian-related issues.
Education
After he attended Simcoe Composite Schoolfor high school, Hoskins completed a B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Chemistry at McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in 1982 and graduated with an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from McMaster's Medical School in 1985. Subsequently, Hoskins was awarded a Rhodes scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
and continued his studies at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
where he completed a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in public health and epidemiology. In addition to these degrees, Hoskins holds graduate level degrees from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a constituent college of the federal University of London, specialising in public health and tropical medicine...
, The University of Aberdeen, and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada ' , French: Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada, is a national, private, nonprofit organization established in 1929 by a special Act of Parliament to oversee the medical education of specialists in Canada...
.
Working in conflict areas
From 1987-1990, Hoskins lived and worked in Sudan providing humanitarian relief to Ethiopian refugees in eastern Sudan, and to displaced civilians in southern Sudan. In 1991, Hoskins co-founded the International Study Team, and led a group of international experts to examine the impact of war on the civilian population in Iraq. The study provided a detailed humanitarian assessment of post-Gulf War Iraq.Having seen the impact of war on Iraqi children, Hoskins lobbied the Canadian government to release over 2 million dollars of frozen Iraqi assets held in Canadian banks, and spent the following two years overseeing the purchase and distribution of food and medicine to tens of thousands of at-risk Iraqi children.
In 1997, Hoskins was asked to join the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Axworthy
Lloyd Norman Axworthy, PC, OC, OM is a prominent Canadian politician, statesman and University President from Manitoba. He is best known for having served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien...
, as his Senior Policy Advisor. While at the Department of Foreign Affairs, he was responsible for contributing to Canadian foreign policy in the areas of human rights, human security, humanitarian affairs, peacebuilding, war-affected children and Africa. He later also served as an Advisor to the Office of the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict at the United Nations, and has been involved in setting United Nations policy on issues concerning the protection of children living with war.
War Child Canada
Hoskins is the co-founder and current President of War Child CanadaWar Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
, a multimillion-dollar Canadian charitable organization that works to raise funds for relief and development programs in support of war-affected children around the world. Working alongside his wife, War Child Executive Director Samantha Nutt
Samantha Nutt
Samantha Joan Nutt, , C.M., O.Ont., LL.D., FRCPC, CCFP, is a co-founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada. She is a physician with more than thirteen years of experience working in war zones. Since the beginning of her career, Nutt has focused on providing assistance to war-affected women...
, Hoskins has helped the organization develop international relief programs and spread awareness of the issues facing war-affected children.
As President of War Child Canada, Hoskins has been a frequent contributor to Maclean's magazine on war-related issues. He is a regular commentator on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, CBC
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
and other major broadcast networks concerning the impact of war on civilians.
Awards and recognition
At the age of 33, Eric became the youngest recipient of the United Nations AssociationUnited Nations Association
The United Nations Associations are non-governmental organizations that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of a member state and the United Nations, raise public awareness of the UN and its work, promote the general goals of the UN and act as an advisory body...
in Canada's Lester B. Pearson Peace Medal and was later awarded the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross
Meritorious Service Cross
The Meritorious Service Cross is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, one of the two Meritorious Service Decorations gifted by the Canadian monarch, generally through his or her viceroy-in-Council...
for his work in war-torn communities around the world.
In addition to receiving the United Nations Association in Canada's Lester B. Pearson Peace Medal and the Governor General's Meritorious Service Cross, Hoskins has been awarded the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Citation for Citizenship, Canada's Top 40 Under 40 Award, and a McMaster University Distinguished Alumni Award.
Hoskins and his wife, Samantha Nutt
Samantha Nutt
Samantha Joan Nutt, , C.M., O.Ont., LL.D., FRCPC, CCFP, is a co-founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada. She is a physician with more than thirteen years of experience working in war zones. Since the beginning of her career, Nutt has focused on providing assistance to war-affected women...
, received Honorary Doctorates of Law from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in May, 2005 for their work promoting human rights and their role in delivering humanitarian assistance to some of the world's most vulnerable populations. Hoskins also has honorary degrees from Brock and Niagara Universities.
In April 2008, Hoskins received the honour of Officer of the Order of Canada for his humanitarian work.
Politics
On April 21, 2007, Hoskins was chosen as the LiberalLiberal 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...
nominee in the riding of Haldimand—Norfolk
Haldimand—Norfolk
Haldimand—Norfolk is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1997, and since 2004. Its Member of Parliament is Conservative Diane Finley...
for the 40th Canadian federal election
40th Canadian federal election
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. He was defeated by Conservative candidate, Diane Finley
Diane Finley
Diane Finley, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. She serves as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Of the 12 MPs in the Priorities and Planning Committee of cabinet , known as the inner cabinet, she is the only woman...
, coming in second, on October 14, 2008.
On August 12, 2009, Hoskins was nominated to be the Ontario Liberal Party's candidate in the St. Paul's
St. Paul's (provincial electoral district)
St. Paul's is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999.The small but densely-populated riding covers the area to the north of Downtown Toronto...
by-election. His opponents were Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
columnist Sue-Ann Levy running for the Progressive Conservatives
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...
, Julian Heller of the 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...
and Chris Chopik of the Greens
Green Party of Ontario
The Green Party of Ontario is a political party in Ontario, Canada. The party is led by Mike Schreiner. It has never held any seats in the Ontario Legislative Assembly; however, the party did see significant gains in the 2007 provincial election, earning 8% of the popular vote with some candidates...
. The by-election, which Hoskins won, was held on September 17, 2009. Hoskins was named the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration January 18, 2010.
Electoral record
|Eric Hoskins
|align="right"|13192
|align="right"|47.60
|align="right"|
|Sue-Ann Levy
|align="right"|7851
|align="right"|28.33
|align="right"|
|Julian Heller
|align="right"|4677
|align="right"|16.88
|align="right"|
|Chris Chopik
|align="right"|1515
|align="right"|5.47
|align="right"|
|John Kittredge
|align="right"|161
|align="right"|0.58
|align="right"|
|-
|bgcolor=pink|
|Special Needs
Party for People with Special Needs
The Party for People with Special Needs is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada, founded in 2007 and having contested the 2007 provincial election...
|Danish Ahmed
|align="right"|95
|align="right"|0.34
|align="right"|
|Marius Frederick
|align="right"|84
|align="right"|0.30
|align="right"|
|Paul McKeever
Paul McKeever
Paul McKeever leads the Freedom Party of Ontario and the unregistered Freedom Party of Canada, two political parties advocating laissez-faire capitalism. McKeever graduated from Trent University with an Honours Bachelor of Science in 1989 and a Master of Arts from the University of Western Ontario...
|align="right"|61
|align="right"|0.22
|align="right"|
|Independent
|John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel
John C. Turmel is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the Guinness Book of Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost having contested 75 elections and lost 74...
|align="right"|52
|align="right"|0.19
|align="right"|
|Independent
|Rajendra Rama
|align="right"|24
|align="right"|0.09
|align="right"|
|}