Steve Offer
Encyclopedia
Steven Offer is a former politician
in Ontario, Canada
. He was a Liberal
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1985 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson
.
Offer has a Bachelor of Arts
degree from York University
, and a law degree from Osgoode Hall
.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election
, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative
Terry Jones by 1,424 votes in Mississauga North
. The Liberal party formed a minority government
after the election, and Offer served as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations
from June 26, 1985 to September 1987.
Offer was easily re-elected in the 1987 provincial election
, in which the Liberal party won a landslide majority. He continued serving as a parliamentary assistant until August 2, 1989, when he was promoted to cabinet as Solicitor General.
In 1990, Offer was challenged for the Liberal nomination in Mississauga North by a representative of the local Sikh
community, who claimed that the Peterson government was insufficiently responsive to the concerns of minorities. He won the challenge, and was narrowly re-elected in the 1990 provincial election
, defeating New Democratic Party
candidate John Foster by 1,442 votes. The Liberals unexpectedly lost the provincial election to the NDP, and Offer moved to the opposition benches. In opposition, he served as his party's critic for Labour and Environment.
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 provincial election
, and Offer lost to Tory candidate John Snobelen
by over 4,000 votes. He has not sought a return to the provincial legislature since this time.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario, 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 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...
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...
from 1985 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of 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....
.
Offer has a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, and a law degree from Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
.
He was first elected to the Ontario legislature 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...
, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative
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...
Terry Jones by 1,424 votes in Mississauga North
Mississauga North
Mississauga North was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1988.This riding was created in 1976 from parts of Halton and Mississauga ridings....
. The Liberal party formed a 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...
after the election, and Offer served as parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations
Ministry of Consumer and Business Services (Ontario)
The Former Ministry of Consumer and Business Services in the Canadian province of Ontario was responsible for government relations with citizens and businesses. These included the provision of birth, death and marriage certificates, land registry, government publications, fraud investigations and...
from June 26, 1985 to September 1987.
Offer was easily re-elected 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...
, in which the Liberal party won a landslide majority. He continued serving as a parliamentary assistant until August 2, 1989, when he was promoted to cabinet as Solicitor General.
In 1990, Offer was challenged for the Liberal nomination in Mississauga North by a representative of the local Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
community, who claimed that the Peterson government was insufficiently responsive to the concerns of minorities. He won the challenge, and was narrowly re-elected 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....
, defeating 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...
candidate John Foster by 1,442 votes. The Liberals unexpectedly lost the provincial election to the NDP, and Offer moved to the opposition benches. In opposition, he served as his party's critic for Labour and Environment.
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 provincial election
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...
, and Offer lost to Tory candidate John Snobelen
John Snobelen
John Snobelen is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris....
by over 4,000 votes. He has not sought a return to the provincial legislature since this time.