Joseph Cordiano
Encyclopedia
Joseph Cordiano is a former politician in Ontario
, Canada
. He was formerly a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, and a cabinet minister in the government of Liberal
Premier
Dalton McGuinty
.
and the University of Toledo
in Ohio
, graduating from the latter with a Master's Degree
in Business Administration. Before entering political life, he was the owner and General Manager of Cash Rolls of Canada.
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Odoardo Di Santo
by 221 votes in the Toronto riding of Downsview. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the redistributed riding of Lawrence in the provincial election of 1987. Cordiano was not appointed to cabinet during the government of Liberal Premier David Peterson
(1985–1990), but served as Parliamentary Assistant to a number of ministers.
The Liberals were upset by the NDP in the provincial election of 1990
and Cordiano faced a difficult challenge from NDP candidate Shalom Schachter, winning by 11786 votes to 10179. He subsequently emerged as a prominent voice for the provincial Liberal Party within Toronto. The provincial election of 1995
saw Cordiano win his riding by a comfortable margin — the provincial swing was to the Progressive Conservative Party
, but the PCs did not have enough support in Lawrence to seriously compete for the riding.
When Lyn McLeod
resigned as Liberal leader in 1996, Cordiano announced his candidacy to succeed her. At first, many saw him as the leading challenger to frontrunner Gerard Kennedy
, who was regarded as representing the left-wing of the party. Cordiano, in turn, was seen by many as representing the party's establishment, while holding some right-wing leanings.
The leadership convention was held in November 1996
. Cordiano finished second to Kennedy on the first ballot, but was unable to build upon his position in later counts. Dalton McGuinty
tied him for second place on the third ballot, and overtook him on the fourth. Cordiano supported McGuinty on the fifth ballot, and was thereby largely responsible for McGuinty's victory over Kennedy for the party's leadership. Cordiano was subsequently named as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and held this position until 1998. His replacement by Gerry Phillips as Deputy Leader angered some in the province's Italian community.
Cordiano and Kennedy were again rivals in the provincial election of 1999, this time for the Liberal nomination in the redistributed riding of York South—Weston
. Kennedy was convinced by the party leadership to run elsewhere, and Cordiano won an easy victory in the election which followed. The Progressive Conservatives were re-elected in the general election, however, and Cordiano remained on the opposition benches. In 2000, he was appointed opposition critic for financial institutions.
The Liberals won the provincial election of 2003
, and Cordiano won another easy victory in York South—Weston. On October 23, 2003, Cordiano was named Minister for Economic Development and Trade.
In June 2005. Joseph Cordiano faced calls for his resignation after it was discovered that he had billed $17,000 for personal expenses to his riding association. These expenses included meals in Paris
and Milan
, as well as theatre tickets in London
. Cordiano insisted that these expenses were related to riding activities, and refused to resign. McGuinty defended Cordiano in public, claiming he had "complete confidence" in the minister.
Cordiano is the cousin of former federal MP
and Cabinet Minister Tony Ianno
.
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 was formerly 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...
, and a cabinet minister in the government of 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...
Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
.
Early life
Cordiano was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Italian immigrants. He was educated at 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...
and the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, graduating from the latter with a Master's Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Business Administration. Before entering political life, he was the owner and General Manager of Cash Rolls of Canada.
Political career
Cordiano was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1985Ontario 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...
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Odoardo Di Santo
Odoardo Di Santo
Odoardo Di Santo is a politician and administrator in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985, as a member of the New Democratic Party ....
by 221 votes in the Toronto riding of Downsview. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the redistributed riding of Lawrence in the provincial election of 1987. Cordiano was not appointed to cabinet during the government of Liberal Premier 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....
(1985–1990), but served as Parliamentary Assistant to a number of ministers.
The Liberals were upset by the NDP in the provincial election of 1990
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 Cordiano faced a difficult challenge from NDP candidate Shalom Schachter, winning by 11786 votes to 10179. He subsequently emerged as a prominent voice for the provincial Liberal Party within Toronto. 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...
saw Cordiano win his riding by a comfortable margin — the provincial swing was to the Progressive Conservative Party
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...
, but the PCs did not have enough support in Lawrence to seriously compete for the riding.
When Lyn McLeod
Lyn McLeod
Lyn McLeod is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 2003. McLeod was a cabinet minister in the Liberal government of David Peterson from 1987 to 1990, and served as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 1992 to 1996.-Background - Pre...
resigned as Liberal leader in 1996, Cordiano announced his candidacy to succeed her. At first, many saw him as the leading challenger to frontrunner 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...
, who was regarded as representing the left-wing of the party. Cordiano, in turn, was seen by many as representing the party's establishment, while holding some right-wing leanings.
The leadership convention was held in November 1996
Ontario Liberal Party leadership convention, 1996
First Ballot :*KENNEDY, Gerard 770*CORDIANO, Joseph 557*DUNCAN, Dwight 464*McGUINTY, Dalton 450*GERRETSEN, John 152*CASTRILLI, Anna-Marie 141*KELLS, Greg 24...
. Cordiano finished second to Kennedy on the first ballot, but was unable to build upon his position in later counts. Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
tied him for second place on the third ballot, and overtook him on the fourth. Cordiano supported McGuinty on the fifth ballot, and was thereby largely responsible for McGuinty's victory over Kennedy for the party's leadership. Cordiano was subsequently named as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and held this position until 1998. His replacement by Gerry Phillips as Deputy Leader angered some in the province's Italian community.
Cordiano and Kennedy were again rivals in the provincial election of 1999, this time for the Liberal nomination in the redistributed riding of York South—Weston
York South—Weston
York South—Weston is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.-Electoral district:It is in the west-end of Toronto. The riding has a largely working class and immigrant population...
. Kennedy was convinced by the party leadership to run elsewhere, and Cordiano won an easy victory in the election which followed. The Progressive Conservatives were re-elected in the general election, however, and Cordiano remained on the opposition benches. In 2000, he was appointed opposition critic for financial institutions.
The Liberals won the provincial election of 2003
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 Cordiano won another easy victory in York South—Weston. On October 23, 2003, Cordiano was named Minister for Economic Development and Trade.
In June 2005. Joseph Cordiano faced calls for his resignation after it was discovered that he had billed $17,000 for personal expenses to his riding association. These expenses included meals in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, as well as theatre tickets in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Cordiano insisted that these expenses were related to riding activities, and refused to resign. McGuinty defended Cordiano in public, claiming he had "complete confidence" in the minister.
Resignation
Cordiano resigned from the cabinet and the legislature on September 18, 2006 citing a desire to spend more time with his family.Cordiano is the cousin of former federal MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and Cabinet Minister Tony Ianno
Tony Ianno
Tony Ianno, PC is a businessman and a former Canadian politician. He served as a Liberal Party of Canada MP representing Trinity-Spadina and Minister of Families and Caregivers .-Personal life:...
.