Margarett Best
Encyclopedia
Margarett Best is a Canadian
politician. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
in the 2007 provincial election
, representing the riding
of Scarborough—Guildwood
. She is a member of the Liberal Party
.
. She holds a Mutual Fund Certificate from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada.
She is a mother, an avid gardener who loves the arts and has a passion for writing. In 2006 she was awarded the African Canadian Achievement Award for excellence in parenting and another African Canadian Award in 2011 for Excellence in Politics.
In 2008, she was conferred with a Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree by the Northern Caribbean University
. Best has also received the BBPA Women of Distinction Award and, in October 2009, was bestowed with a 2009 National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada Award in the Distinguished Services category of Equality/Social Justice. She was named one of Canada's most influential women in Sports and Physical Activity in 2010 and received a City of Toronto Diversity Award in 2011.
In 2008, she introduced a bill that would ban smoking in cars when children were present. The bill called the Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act would impose a fine of $250 for transgressors.
In August 2010, the name of the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport was changed to include sports as part of the Ministry's name to reflect the fact that sport was a key component of her Ministerial responsibilities. She was a key part of the team led by Premier Dalton McGuinty in the successful bid for the Pan/Parapan American Games.
.
Best was re-elected in 2011, beating Conservative candidate by 6,649 votes. Best bettered the Conservatives by an even wider margin than in 2007. Best made history by becoming the first African-Canadian woman to be re-elected to the Provincial Legislature in the Province of Ontario.
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...
politician. She 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 the 2007 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, representing the 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 Scarborough—Guildwood
Scarborough—Guildwood (provincial electoral district)
Scarborough—Guildwood is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in Legislative Assembly of Ontario since the 2007 provincial election.It was created in 2003 from parts of Scarborough Southwest and Scarborough Centre....
. She is a member of the 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...
.
Background
Best, an African Canadian lawyer and community activist, was born in Jamaica. She was educated at the University of Toronto at Scarborough and Osgoode Hall Law SchoolOsgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
. She holds a Mutual Fund Certificate from the Investment Funds Institute of Canada.
She is a mother, an avid gardener who loves the arts and has a passion for writing. In 2006 she was awarded the African Canadian Achievement Award for excellence in parenting and another African Canadian Award in 2011 for Excellence in Politics.
In 2008, she was conferred with a Honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree by the Northern Caribbean University
Northern Caribbean University
The Northern Caribbean University is a tertiary level academic facility in Mandeville, Manchester, west-central Jamaica run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
. Best has also received the BBPA Women of Distinction Award and, in October 2009, was bestowed with a 2009 National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada Award in the Distinguished Services category of Equality/Social Justice. She was named one of Canada's most influential women in Sports and Physical Activity in 2010 and received a City of Toronto Diversity Award in 2011.
Politics
A member of the Ontario Legislature, she was appointed Minister of Health Promotion after the 2007 election. Her ministry supports a wide range of programs and services that include chronic disease prevention, physical activity, sport participation, injury prevention and mental wellness.In 2008, she introduced a bill that would ban smoking in cars when children were present. The bill called the Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act would impose a fine of $250 for transgressors.
In August 2010, the name of the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport was changed to include sports as part of the Ministry's name to reflect the fact that sport was a key component of her Ministerial responsibilities. She was a key part of the team led by Premier Dalton McGuinty in the successful bid for the Pan/Parapan American Games.
.
Best was re-elected in 2011, beating Conservative candidate by 6,649 votes. Best bettered the Conservatives by an even wider margin than in 2007. Best made history by becoming the first African-Canadian woman to be re-elected to the Provincial Legislature in the Province of Ontario.