Frances Lankin
Encyclopedia
Frances Lankin, PC
is a former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister. On November 30, 2010, Frances Lankin was appointed by the province to co-chair, along with Dr. Munir Sheikh, a comprehensive review of social assistance in Ontario. She is originally from London, Ontario
.
to study criminology. Due to a provincial government hiring freeze, Lankin was unable to get a position in her desired field working in probation and parole, so she accepted a position as a correctional officer. Lankin was one of the first women correctional officers to work at the Don Jail
, an all-male institution. After four years, Lankin became a probation and parole officer before taking a position with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
(OPSEU).
Lankin was a very active member of OPSEU, where she focused on many issues of concern to women workers. She took a position as Equal Opportunity Coordinator with the union, working on such issues as paid maternity leave, pay equity and childcare. While at OPSEU, Lankin helped found the Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare and was provincial spokesperson for the Equal Pay Coalition. She eventually became an economic researcher and finally a full-time negotiator for the Union. During her time at OPSEU, Lankin was appointed by the provincial government to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal for a 3-year term.
riding
of Beaches—Woodbine in the 1990 provincial election
, succeeding retiring NDP MPP Marion Bryden
. The NDP under Bob Rae
won its first-ever majority government in this election, and Lankin, then thirty-six years old, was appointed to cabinet
on October 1, 1990 as Minister of Government Services and Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet. These positions gave her considerable authority over the provincial civil service.
Lankin was promoted to Minister of Health on April 22, 1991. She soon developed a reputation as one of the most proficient ministers in Rae's government, and won praise for her attention to administrative detail. She also became one of Rae's most trusted ministers, and a part of his "inner circle".
On February 3, 1993, Lankin was shifted to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. Here, she reversed her previous opposition to spending cutbacks, and pursued policies of fiscal restraint that were unpopular with many NDP supporters. Previously a defender of universal free drug coverage for senior citizens, she now supported Finance Minister Floyd Laughren
's introduction of user fees.
The Rae government was defeated in the provincial election of 1995
, although Lankin was re-elected in Beaches-Woodbine by about 3,000 votes over her nearest opponent.
When Rae resigned as NDP leader in 1996, she declared herself a candidate to succeed him. She was regarded as the frontrunner in this race, and was strongly supported by senior members of the Rae government and the party establishment. However, this identification actually damaged her popularity among party delegates who were disappointed by the rightward shifts of the Rae government. Rival candidate Peter Kormos
accused her in the leadership debate of bearing responsibility for the "social contract
", which forced open collective bargaining agreements with public sector unions and was deeply unpopular with labour, and for the Rae government's abandonment of a promise to institute a publicly run auto insurance system.
Lankin's actual position in relation to the "social contract" was somewhat complicated. She initially opposed the Rae government's plans to revisit existing labour contracts, and personally warned Rae of the fallout that would result from organized labour. She later considered resigning from cabinet over the issue on two separate occasions, but ultimately chose to remain because (she argued) it would give her the opportunity to moderate the legislation. She did, in fact, replace Rae's initial plans for outright wage rollbacks with requirements that workers above a certain income level take unpaid leave days. Even in this moderated form, however, the legislation was highly unpopular and strained the NDP's relations with the labour movement.
As a result of criticisms from Kormos and others, many of Lankin's potential supporters went to rival candidate Howard Hampton
, who had also been a cabinet minister in the Rae government, but was not part of Rae's inner circle. Hampton defeated Lankin on the third ballot by fewer than 200 votes. (See Ontario CCF/NDP Leadership Conventions
.)
While in opposition, she wrote and submitted a private-members' bill banning the use of restraints on elderly patients. Her bill was unanimously carried by all parties in the Legislature and became one of two private members bills submitted and passed by Lankin, a very rare accomplishment for a third-party opposition MPP.
In the 1999 Ontario election
, which reduced the NDP to only nine seats, Lankin scored a convincing re-election victory in the redistributed riding of Beaches—East York. Lankin resigned her seat in 2001 to accept a position as president and CEO of United Way Toronto.
Lankin has served on the boards of several not-for-profit and charitable organizations in addition to her leading role at United Way Toronto. Over the years, she has served on the boards of Equal Voice
, The Canadian Club, The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE), Altruvest Charitable Services and Seneca College
. She co-chaired the Toronto City Summit in June 2002 and 2003.
In 2006, she co-chaired a federal government Blue Ribbon Panel, which made recommendations for improving how the federal government distributes grants and contributions to charities and other organizations. Currently, she is a member of the Toronto City Summit Alliance Steering Committee and the University of Toronto's School of Public Policy Advisory Committee.
In 2007, Lankin led United Way Toronto in its most successful fundraising campaign to date, raising $108 million for the community.
In 2009, Lankin was sworn in to the Queen's Privy Council of Canada, appointed by the Prime Minister as a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee
, which provides an external review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
.
Lankin stepped down as head of the United Way in 2010.
|Frances Lankin
|align="right"| 19,703
|align="right"| 45.9
|align="right"| +3.5
|-
|Judy Burns
|align="right"| 12,776
|align="right"| 29.8
|align="right"| -1.1
|-
|Bill Buckingham
|align="right"| 9,332
|align="right"| 21.8
|align="right"| -2.3
|-
|Michael Schulman
|align="right"| 431
|align="right"| 1.0
|align="right"| -
|-
|Dan Largy
|align="right"| 264
|align="right"| 0.6
|align="right"| -
|-
|Donalda G. Fredeen
|align="right"| 230
|align="right"| 0.5
|align="right"| -0.1
|-
|Steve Rutchinski
|align="right"| 164
|align="right"| 0.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
|-
|Frances Lankin
|align="right"| 10,862
|align="right"| 42.4
|align="right"| -16.0
|-
|Lynda Buffett
|align="right"| 7,923
|align="right"| 30.9
|align="right"| +16.6
|-
|Stephen Lautens
|align="right"| 6,158
|align="right"| 24.1
|align="right"| -1.6
|-
|Brad Allen
|align="right"| 319
|align="right"| 1.2
|align="right"| -
|-
|Miguel Figueroa
|align="right"| 169
|align="right"| 0.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Donalda G. Fredeen
|align="right"| 162
|align="right"| 0.6
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
|-
|Frances Lankin
|align="right"| 14,381
|align="right"| 58.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|Beryl Potter
|align="right"| 6,329
|align="right"| 25.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Kevin Forest
|align="right"| 3,535
|align="right"| 14.3
|align="right"| -
|-
|Sam Vitulli
|align="right"| 400
|align="right"| 1.6
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
First Ballot>
Candidate
Delegate Support
Percentage
+/-*
Howard Hampton
649
33.7%
Frances Lankin
611
31.7%
Peter Kormos
434
22.5%
Tony Silipo
232
12.0%
Total
1,926
100.0%
Second Ballot>
Candidate
Delegate Support
Percentage
+/-*
Howard Hampton
806
42.4%
8.7%
Frances Lankin
691
36.4%
4.7%
Peter Kormos
402
21.2%
9.2%
Total
1,899
100.0%
Third Ballot>
Candidate
Delegate Support
Percentage
+/-*
Howard Hampton
971
54.9%
12.5%
Frances Lankin
793
44.8%
8.4%
Total
1,769
100.0%
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
The Queen's Privy Council for Canada ), sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council, is the full group of personal consultants to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs, though responsible government requires the sovereign or her viceroy,...
is a former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister. On November 30, 2010, Frances Lankin was appointed by the province to co-chair, along with Dr. Munir Sheikh, a comprehensive review of social assistance in Ontario. She is originally from London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
.
Early career
Lankin started her career as the executive director of a childcare centre before attending the University of TorontoUniversity 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...
to study criminology. Due to a provincial government hiring freeze, Lankin was unable to get a position in her desired field working in probation and parole, so she accepted a position as a correctional officer. Lankin was one of the first women correctional officers to work at the Don Jail
Don Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
, an all-male institution. After four years, Lankin became a probation and parole officer before taking a position with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is a trade union that represents about 120,000 employees in the broader public service of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The current president of OPSEU is Warren "Smokey" Thomas. Prior to Thomas OPSEU was headed by Leah Casselman. Casselman was the...
(OPSEU).
Lankin was a very active member of OPSEU, where she focused on many issues of concern to women workers. She took a position as Equal Opportunity Coordinator with the union, working on such issues as paid maternity leave, pay equity and childcare. While at OPSEU, Lankin helped found the Ontario Coalition for Better Childcare and was provincial spokesperson for the Equal Pay Coalition. She eventually became an economic researcher and finally a full-time negotiator for the Union. During her time at OPSEU, Lankin was appointed by the provincial government to the Workers' Compensation Appeals Tribunal for a 3-year term.
Political career
Lankin was elected Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the TorontoToronto
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...
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 Beaches—Woodbine 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....
, succeeding retiring NDP MPP Marion Bryden
Marion Bryden
Marion Helen Bryden is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1990.-Background:...
. The NDP under 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....
won its first-ever majority government in this election, and Lankin, then thirty-six years old, was appointed to cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
on October 1, 1990 as Minister of Government Services and Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet. These positions gave her considerable authority over the provincial civil service.
Lankin was promoted to Minister of Health on April 22, 1991. She soon developed a reputation as one of the most proficient ministers in Rae's government, and won praise for her attention to administrative detail. She also became one of Rae's most trusted ministers, and a part of his "inner circle".
On February 3, 1993, Lankin was shifted to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. Here, she reversed her previous opposition to spending cutbacks, and pursued policies of fiscal restraint that were unpopular with many NDP supporters. Previously a defender of universal free drug coverage for senior citizens, she now supported Finance Minister Floyd Laughren
Floyd Laughren
Floyd Laughren is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He sat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1998 as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, and served as Finance Minister and Deputy Premier in the government of Bob Rae.-Background:Laughren's childhood was far...
's introduction of user fees.
The Rae government was defeated in the provincial election of 1995
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
, although Lankin was re-elected in Beaches-Woodbine by about 3,000 votes over her nearest opponent.
When Rae resigned as NDP leader in 1996, she declared herself a candidate to succeed him. She was regarded as the frontrunner in this race, and was strongly supported by senior members of the Rae government and the party establishment. However, this identification actually damaged her popularity among party delegates who were disappointed by the rightward shifts of the Rae government. Rival candidate Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel...
accused her in the leadership debate of bearing responsibility for the "social contract
Social contract
The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept...
", which forced open collective bargaining agreements with public sector unions and was deeply unpopular with labour, and for the Rae government's abandonment of a promise to institute a publicly run auto insurance system.
Lankin's actual position in relation to the "social contract" was somewhat complicated. She initially opposed the Rae government's plans to revisit existing labour contracts, and personally warned Rae of the fallout that would result from organized labour. She later considered resigning from cabinet over the issue on two separate occasions, but ultimately chose to remain because (she argued) it would give her the opportunity to moderate the legislation. She did, in fact, replace Rae's initial plans for outright wage rollbacks with requirements that workers above a certain income level take unpaid leave days. Even in this moderated form, however, the legislation was highly unpopular and strained the NDP's relations with the labour movement.
As a result of criticisms from Kormos and others, many of Lankin's potential supporters went to rival candidate Howard Hampton
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...
, who had also been a cabinet minister in the Rae government, but was not part of Rae's inner circle. Hampton defeated Lankin on the third ballot by fewer than 200 votes. (See Ontario CCF/NDP Leadership Conventions
Ontario CCF/NDP leadership conventions
The Ontario New Democratic Party elects its leaders by secret ballot of the party members and/or their delegates at leadership elections, as did its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation . The party leader can be challenged for the leadership at the party's biennial convention...
.)
While in opposition, she wrote and submitted a private-members' bill banning the use of restraints on elderly patients. Her bill was unanimously carried by all parties in the Legislature and became one of two private members bills submitted and passed by Lankin, a very rare accomplishment for a third-party opposition MPP.
In the 1999 Ontario 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....
, which reduced the NDP to only nine seats, Lankin scored a convincing re-election victory in the redistributed riding of Beaches—East York. Lankin resigned her seat in 2001 to accept a position as president and CEO of United Way Toronto.
United Way Toronto
Lankin has been the president and CEO of United Way Toronto since 2001, guiding the organization through its transformation from a trusted fundraiser to an organization dedicated to addressing underlying root causes of social problems. Under Lankin’s leadership, United Way Toronto has engaged in a number of strategic initiatives that aim to improve the lives of individuals, families and neighbourhoods in Toronto including:- a five-year plan to develop social infrastructure and engage residents in priority neighbourhoods identified in conjunction with the City of Toronto
- partnerships with government, business and labour to focus attention and resources on United Way Toronto’s key priority areas: neighbourhoods, youth and newcomers
- development of social research reports such as Losing Ground: The Persistent Growth of Family Poverty in Canada’s Largest City, Decade of Decline: Poverty and Income Inequality in the City of Toronto in the 1990s and Poverty by Postal Code: The Geography of Neighbourhood Poverty to identify and highlight challenges faced by the most underserved inner-suburbs of Toronto
- building and strengthening United Way Toronto’s network of health and social service agencies through funding and development of agency capacity and leadership
- mobilization of the community’s volunteer and financial resources
Lankin has served on the boards of several not-for-profit and charitable organizations in addition to her leading role at United Way Toronto. Over the years, she has served on the boards of Equal Voice
Equal Voice
Founded in 2001 by Rosemary Speirs and Donna Dasko Equal Voice: Electing More Women in Canada is a multi-partisan, non-governmental, non-profit organization that promotes the election of more women in Canadian politics...
, The Canadian Club, The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE), Altruvest Charitable Services and Seneca College
Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
. She co-chaired the Toronto City Summit in June 2002 and 2003.
In 2006, she co-chaired a federal government Blue Ribbon Panel, which made recommendations for improving how the federal government distributes grants and contributions to charities and other organizations. Currently, she is a member of the Toronto City Summit Alliance Steering Committee and the University of Toronto's School of Public Policy Advisory Committee.
In 2007, Lankin led United Way Toronto in its most successful fundraising campaign to date, raising $108 million for the community.
In 2009, Lankin was sworn in to the Queen's Privy Council of Canada, appointed by the Prime Minister as a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee
Security Intelligence Review Committee
The Security Intelligence Review Committee is an independent agency of the government of Canada empowered to oversee and review the operations of Canada's security service, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and investigate complaints against CSIS...
, which provides an external review of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service is Canada's national intelligence service. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Canada's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, within Canada and abroad.Its...
.
Lankin stepped down as head of the United Way in 2010.
Awards
- 2003, Queen's Jubilee Medal
- 2004, United Way of Canada’s Award of Excellence
- 2007, Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) CEO of the Year for Excellence in Public Relations
- 2007, Toronto Star Laurel Award for Losing Ground, United Way’s report on family poverty in Toronto
- 2008, named one of More Magazine’s Top 40 over 40 in the Fighting-for-equality category
- 2008, Equal Voice EVE Award for her achievements in political life and her efforts to advance the cause of electing more women in Canada
- 2008, Consumers’ Choice Woman of the Year award
- 2008, Italian Chamber of Commerce of Toronto's Community Builder Award
- 2009, Honorary Doctor of Laws, Queen's University, Kingston
- 2010, Honorary Doctor of Laws, Ryerson University, Toronto
Provincial record
|-|Frances Lankin
|align="right"| 19,703
|align="right"| 45.9
|align="right"| +3.5
|-
|Judy Burns
|align="right"| 12,776
|align="right"| 29.8
|align="right"| -1.1
|-
|Bill Buckingham
|align="right"| 9,332
|align="right"| 21.8
|align="right"| -2.3
|-
|Michael Schulman
|align="right"| 431
|align="right"| 1.0
|align="right"| -
|-
|Dan Largy
|align="right"| 264
|align="right"| 0.6
|align="right"| -
|-
|Donalda G. Fredeen
|align="right"| 230
|align="right"| 0.5
|align="right"| -0.1
|-
|Steve Rutchinski
|align="right"| 164
|align="right"| 0.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
|-
|Frances Lankin
|align="right"| 10,862
|align="right"| 42.4
|align="right"| -16.0
|-
|Lynda Buffett
|align="right"| 7,923
|align="right"| 30.9
|align="right"| +16.6
|-
|Stephen Lautens
|align="right"| 6,158
|align="right"| 24.1
|align="right"| -1.6
|-
|Brad Allen
|align="right"| 319
|align="right"| 1.2
|align="right"| -
|-
|Miguel Figueroa
Miguel Figueroa
Miguel Figueroa has been the leader of the Communist Party of Canada since 1992.- Early political career :Figueroa was born in Montreal, and has been a member of the CPC since 1977. He has held many positions within the CPC, including party organizer in Vancouver from 1978 to 1985, and leader of...
|align="right"| 169
|align="right"| 0.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Donalda G. Fredeen
|align="right"| 162
|align="right"| 0.6
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
|-
|Frances Lankin
|align="right"| 14,381
|align="right"| 58.4
|align="right"| -
|-
|Beryl Potter
|align="right"| 6,329
|align="right"| 25.7
|align="right"| -
|-
|Kevin Forest
|align="right"| 3,535
|align="right"| 14.3
|align="right"| -
|-
|Sam Vitulli
|align="right"| 400
|align="right"| 1.6
|align="right"| -
|-
|}
1996 leadership convention
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...
Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel...
Tony Silipo
Tony Silipo is a former Canadian politician.Silipo was educated at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall at York University, and began practising law in 1984...
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...
Peter Kormos
Peter Kormos is a politician in Ontario, Canada. A former lawyer, he was first elected as an Ontario New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Welland constituency in a 1988 provincial by-election. He replaced veteran NDP legislator Mel...
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...