Lily Oddie
Encyclopedia
Lily Oddie, formerly known as Lily Oddie Munro (born September 27, 1937) is a former provincial politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. She is best known for having been involved in a fundraising scandal involving Patti Starr
.
Oddie married prominent Liberal
politician John Munro on June 27, 1978, and took his surname. John Munro's career would also be undone by scandal in the 1980s, although he was later exonerated of any wrongdoing. The couple would later divorce, at which time Oddie returned to using her original name.
and Dalhousie University
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
, earning a Ph.D.
She worked as a psychologist after her graduation, and was involved in such organizations as Hamilton Status of Women, the Canadian Association for Adult Education and the American Education Research Association.
in a by-election
on December 31, 1984. A Liberal
, she lost Sheila Copps
's former riding of Hamilton Centre
to Mike Davison
of the New Democratic Party
by 55 votes.
She ran again for the Liberals in the 1985 provincial election
. This election was a watershed moment in Ontario politics, as the Progressive Conservative Party
which had governed Ontario since 1943 was brought to a precarious minority government
status under Frank Miller
's leadership. The Ontario Liberal Party
under David Peterson
dramatically increased the size of their caucus, and Oddie defeated Davison by 384 votes in a rematch from the previous year.
on June 26, 1985. She was re-elected with an increased majority in the 1987 provincial election
, and was named Minister of Culture and Communications
on September 29, 1987.
scandal. Starr had been accused of improperly diverting money from the Toronto
section of the National Council of Jewish Women
to the Liberal Party, following donations to the NCJW from corporations linked to the Tridel
company of developers (to which Starr was also linked). In the course of investigations surrounding the scandal, it was revealed that Oddie had made use of such donations in her 1987 campaign.
Oddie was not formally accused of wrongdoing, and it is unclear if she had any involvement in the scandal beyond accepting contributions from Starr. Nonetheless, the controversy was deemed significant enough that she resign her portfolio.
She ran for re-election in the 1990 provincial election
, but was defeated by David Christopherson
of the NDP. She has not sought a return to political life since this time.
who was seeking refugee status because of her claims that she faced persecution for her Christian
beliefs was overturned. Oddie had repeatedly asked Pin Xian Xin "What is your favourite parabola
?" Overturning Oddie's decision in the case, Justice Leonard Mandamin of the Federal Court of Canada
assumed that Oddie had meant to say parable
and ruled that "A parabola is a mathematical curve and not a Biblical story," concluding that "The applicant cannot be faulted for the confusion."
Oddie is also on the board of governors for Mohawk College
in Hamilton
.
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 is best known for having been involved in a fundraising scandal involving Patti Starr
Patti Starr
Patricia "Patti" Starr was the chair of Ontario Place from 1987 to 1989 and involved in a scandal that damaged the Liberal government of David Peterson in the late 1980s, contributing to its defeat in the 1990 provincial election...
.
Oddie married prominent Liberal
Liberal 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...
politician John Munro on June 27, 1978, and took his surname. John Munro's career would also be undone by scandal in the 1980s, although he was later exonerated of any wrongdoing. The couple would later divorce, at which time Oddie returned to using her original name.
Education
She was educated at the University of AlbertaUniversity of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
and Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, earning a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
She worked as a psychologist after her graduation, and was involved in such organizations as Hamilton Status of Women, the Canadian Association for Adult Education and the American Education Research Association.
Political career
Oddie first ran for the Legislative Assembly of OntarioLegislative 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 December 31, 1984. 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...
, she lost Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
's former riding of Hamilton Centre
Hamilton Centre
Hamilton Centre is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004.It was created in 2003 from parts of Hamilton East, Hamilton West and Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot ridings....
to Mike Davison
Mike Davison
Michael Norman Davison is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1981 and again from 1984 to 1985 as a member of the New Democratic Party. He was arrested on criminal charges in 2004.Davison was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and...
of the 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...
by 55 votes.
She ran again for the Liberals in the 1985 provincial 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...
. This election was a watershed moment in Ontario politics, as 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...
which had governed Ontario since 1943 was brought to a precarious minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
status under Frank Miller
Frank Miller (politician)
Frank Stuart Miller, was a Canadian politician, who served as the 19th Premier of Ontario for four months in 1985.-Early life and political career:...
's leadership. 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...
under 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....
dramatically increased the size of their caucus, and Oddie defeated Davison by 384 votes in a rematch from the previous year.
Cabinet
The Liberals formed a minority government after the election, with assistance from the Ontario NDP. Oddie was appointed Minister of Citizenship and CultureMinistry of Citizenship and Immigration (Ontario)
The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration is responsible for citizenship and immigration issues in the Canadian province of Ontario. Overall immigration and citizenship policy is still held by the federal government....
on June 26, 1985. She was re-elected with an increased majority 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 was named Minister of Culture and Communications
Ministry of Culture (Ontario)
The Ministry of Culture in the Canadian province of Ontario was responsible for the development of policies and programs and the operation of programs related to arts, cultural industries, heritage sectors and libraries, in Ontario...
on September 29, 1987.
Controversy
On August 2, 1989, Oddie was dropped from cabinet after being implicated in the Patti StarrPatti Starr
Patricia "Patti" Starr was the chair of Ontario Place from 1987 to 1989 and involved in a scandal that damaged the Liberal government of David Peterson in the late 1980s, contributing to its defeat in the 1990 provincial election...
scandal. Starr had been accused of improperly diverting money from 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...
section of the National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Jewish Women
The National Council of Jewish Women defines itself as a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action...
to the Liberal Party, following donations to the NCJW from corporations linked to the Tridel
Tridel
Tridel is a major real estate developer based in Toronto, Canada. It is the largest builder of condominiums in the Toronto area. Since being founded in the 1930s it has built some 70,000 homes.-Growth:...
company of developers (to which Starr was also linked). In the course of investigations surrounding the scandal, it was revealed that Oddie had made use of such donations in her 1987 campaign.
Oddie was not formally accused of wrongdoing, and it is unclear if she had any involvement in the scandal beyond accepting contributions from Starr. Nonetheless, the controversy was deemed significant enough that she resign her portfolio.
She ran for re-election 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....
, but was defeated by David Christopherson
David Christopherson
David Christopherson is a Canadian politician. Since 2004, he has represented the riding of Hamilton Centre in the Canadian House of Commons. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the provincial government of Bob Rae...
of the NDP. She has not sought a return to political life since this time.
Later career
As of 2008, she sits as an adjudicator on the Immigration and Refugee Board. In 2008, a decision by her to reject an applicant from the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
who was seeking refugee status because of her claims that she faced persecution for her Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
beliefs was overturned. Oddie had repeatedly asked Pin Xian Xin "What is your favourite parabola
Parabola
In mathematics, the parabola is a conic section, the intersection of a right circular conical surface and a plane parallel to a generating straight line of that surface...
?" Overturning Oddie's decision in the case, Justice Leonard Mandamin of the Federal Court of Canada
Federal Court of Canada
The Federal Court of Canada was a national court of Canada that heard some types of disputes arising under the central government's legislative jurisdiction...
assumed that Oddie had meant to say parable
Parable
A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human...
and ruled that "A parabola is a mathematical curve and not a Biblical story," concluding that "The applicant cannot be faulted for the confusion."
Oddie is also on the board of governors for Mohawk College
Mohawk College
Mohawk College is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology located in the Golden Horseshoe of Ontario, Canada. Mohawk has three main campuses: the Fennell Campus located in Hamilton, the Brantford Campus located in Brantford and the STARRT Institute located in Stoney Creek, as well as the...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
.