Susan Kadis
Encyclopedia
Susan R. Kadis is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. She was the Liberal
Member of Parliament for Thornhill
in the Canadian House of Commons
from 2004 to 2008.
, Ontario
, she received a Bachelor of Sociology from York University
. A breast cancer
survivor, Kadis has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
.
In the late 1980s, Kadis was appointed as co-chair to a community group called Parents Advocating Student Support. She called for a provincial investigation into the practices of the York Board of Education
and sought help from Ontario Education Minister
Sean Conway
. She alleged that the board was being anti-semitic based on allegations that there were a disproportionate number of students of the Jewish faith that had failed a grade, including her own son. She succeeded in getting the province to investigate. As a result the province then retested the students that had originally failed a grade.
In 1995 she started a local newspaper called the Thornhill Times that published for one year until the spring of 1996.
She is a cousin of Lorne Michaels
, the executive producer and creator of Saturday Night Live
.
from 1988 to 1994. From 1997 to 2004, she was a municipal councillor.
nomination for the riding of Thornhill in 2003, but was defeated by fellow municipal councillor Mario Racco
.
candidate in the 2004 federal election
on June 28, 2004, in the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA) riding of Thornhill
. She officially resigned her position as city councillor after being elected. During that session of Parliament, Kadis was elected chair of the Liberal Party's GTA caucus as well as chair of the standing committee on the status of women. One of her accomplishments as MP was successfully introducing a bill that created a national Alzheimer's strategy.
In May 2005 the Liberal Women's Caucus criticized some opposition Conservatives members of making sexist remarks regarding Belinda Stronach
's defection to the Liberal party. Kadis said "...criticism is expected, understandable. Sexism is not. The bottom line is that Ms. Stronach's statements were not gender-based, but the response, disappointingly, was very much overtly gender-based." She also appeared in an interview, defending Governor General Michaëlle Jean
against allegations of separatism.
Kadis had announced that she would be endorsing MP Michael Ignatieff
for the 2006 Liberal leadership election and had been appointed as his GTA
co-chair for his campaign. However, on October 11, Kadis, who is a member of both the Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel
and Canada Israel Friendship Group, withdrew her support over comments made by Ignatieff on the war in Lebanon. She later endorsed Bob Rae
and following Rae's loss on the 3rd ballot, she endorsed Stéphane Dion
.
In the 2006 federal election
, Kadis was re-elected as the MP in Thornhill with 53% of the vote. Kadis obtained 29,934 votes, achieving about 11,000 votes over any other candidate. During her time in oppoosition, she served as associate critic for infrastructure and communities and later as critic for science and research. She served as Vice-Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee.
Kadis was appointed to the Caucus Committee on Economic Prosperity and Vice Chair of the Health Committee after Stéphane Dion
's election as party leader. In addition, she was appointed the chair of a Task Force on Cultural Communities-at-Risk. She was not included in Dion's Shadow Cabinet until 23 January 2008, when she was appointed Critic for National Revenue.
In the 2008 federal election
, she was defeated by Conservative
candidate Peter Kent
by over 5,200 votes.
Michael Di Biase
in his unsuccessful bid for re-election during the 2006 Vaughan municipal election
.
Kadis endorsed a number of candidates in the Ontario general election, 2007
. She endorsed former Thornhill Liberal MPP Mario Racco
in his unsuccessful bid for re-election and successful Richmond Hill Liberal candidate Reza Moridi
.
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 was the 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...
Member of Parliament for Thornhill
Thornhill (electoral district)
Thornhill is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.It covers the community of Thornhill, Ontario, which is made up of portions of Vaughan and Markham, and was created in 1996 from parts of...
in the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
from 2004 to 2008.
Background
Born in 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...
, 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....
, she received a Bachelor of Sociology 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....
. A breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
survivor, Kadis has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is a charitable organization which raises money to advance research, education, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. Established in 1986, it works to fund, support, and advocate for education and awareness programs, early diagnosis and treatment of breast...
.
In the late 1980s, Kadis was appointed as co-chair to a community group called Parents Advocating Student Support. She called for a provincial investigation into the practices of the York Board of Education
York Region District School Board
The York Region District School Board, also known as YRDSB, is the English-language public school board for York Regional Municipality located in Ontario, Canada. The York Region District School Board is currently the province's third largest school board, with an enrollment of over 115,000 students...
and sought help from Ontario Education Minister
Ministry of Education (Ontario)
The Ministry of Education is the agency of the Ontario government in the Canadian province of Ontario responsible for government policy, funding, curriculum planning and direction in all levels of public education, including elementary and secondary schools.This Ministry is responsible for...
Sean Conway
Sean Conway
Sean Conway is a Canadian university professor and administrator. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson...
. She alleged that the board was being anti-semitic based on allegations that there were a disproportionate number of students of the Jewish faith that had failed a grade, including her own son. She succeeded in getting the province to investigate. As a result the province then retested the students that had originally failed a grade.
In 1995 she started a local newspaper called the Thornhill Times that published for one year until the spring of 1996.
She is a cousin of Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels, CM is a Canadian-American television producer, writer, and comedian best known for creating and producing Saturday Night Live and producing the various film and TV projects that spun off from it.-Early life:...
, the executive producer and creator of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
Municipal
In 1988 Kadis was elected as a York School Board Trustee. She served as school board trustee in VaughanVaughan, Ontario
Vaughan is a city in York Region north of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Vaughan is the fastest growing municipality in Canada achieving a population growth rate of 80.2% between 1996–2006, according to Statistics Canada having nearly doubled in population since 1991. Vaughan is located in Southern...
from 1988 to 1994. From 1997 to 2004, she was a municipal councillor.
Provincial
Kadis ran for the provincial Liberal PartyOntario 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...
nomination for the riding of Thornhill in 2003, but was defeated by fellow municipal councillor Mario Racco
Mario Racco
Mario G. Racco is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He sat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Greater Toronto Area riding of Thornhill for the Liberal Party from 2003 to 2007....
.
Federal
She was elected to the House of Commons as a LiberalLiberal 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...
candidate in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
on June 28, 2004, in the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
(GTA) riding of Thornhill
Thornhill (electoral district)
Thornhill is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.It covers the community of Thornhill, Ontario, which is made up of portions of Vaughan and Markham, and was created in 1996 from parts of...
. She officially resigned her position as city councillor after being elected. During that session of Parliament, Kadis was elected chair of the Liberal Party's GTA caucus as well as chair of the standing committee on the status of women. One of her accomplishments as MP was successfully introducing a bill that created a national Alzheimer's strategy.
In May 2005 the Liberal Women's Caucus criticized some opposition Conservatives members of making sexist remarks regarding Belinda Stronach
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach, PC is a Canadian businessperson, philanthropist and former politician. She was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the floor to join the Liberals...
's defection to the Liberal party. Kadis said "...criticism is expected, understandable. Sexism is not. The bottom line is that Ms. Stronach's statements were not gender-based, but the response, disappointingly, was very much overtly gender-based." She also appeared in an interview, defending Governor General Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation, from 2005 to 2010....
against allegations of separatism.
Kadis had announced that she would be endorsing MP Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
for the 2006 Liberal leadership election and had been appointed as his GTA
GTA
- Events :*Golden Tap Awards, an annual beer awards event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada*Golden Ticket Awards, the most prestigious awards in the amusement industry- Media :*Grand Theft Auto , a 1977 film directed by Ron Howard...
co-chair for his campaign. However, on October 11, Kadis, who is a member of both the Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel
Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel
Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel is an organization of pro-Israel parliamentarians in the Liberal Party of Canada. The group was founded in 2002, and includes MPs such as Irwin Cotler, Joe Volpe and Carolyn Bennett. Former parliamentarians Stephen Owen and Jim Peterson were also members. As...
and Canada Israel Friendship Group, withdrew her support over comments made by Ignatieff on the war in Lebanon. She later endorsed 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....
and following Rae's loss on the 3rd ballot, she endorsed Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
.
In the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, Kadis was re-elected as the MP in Thornhill with 53% of the vote. Kadis obtained 29,934 votes, achieving about 11,000 votes over any other candidate. During her time in oppoosition, she served as associate critic for infrastructure and communities and later as critic for science and research. She served as Vice-Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee.
Kadis was appointed to the Caucus Committee on Economic Prosperity and Vice Chair of the Health Committee after Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Dion
Stéphane Maurice Dion, PC, MP is a Canadian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for the riding of Saint-Laurent–Cartierville in Montreal since 1996. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and the Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons from 2006 to 2008...
's election as party leader. In addition, she was appointed the chair of a Task Force on Cultural Communities-at-Risk. She was not included in Dion's Shadow Cabinet until 23 January 2008, when she was appointed Critic for National Revenue.
In the 2008 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
, she was defeated by Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate Peter Kent
Peter Kent
Peter Kent, PC, MP is a Conservative member of parliament for the riding of Thornhill, and the current Minister of the Environment in the 28th Canadian Ministry.Previously, he was Deputy Editor of Global Television, a Canadian TV network...
by over 5,200 votes.
Endorsements
Kadis endorsed Vaughan, Ontario MayorMayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Michael Di Biase
Michael Di Biase
Michael Di Biase is a Regional Councillor in Vaughan, an exurb of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was first elected to the city's council in 1986. Following the death of Mayor Lorna Jackson in 2002, Di Biase was appointed acting mayor by virtue of his position as senior regional councilor...
in his unsuccessful bid for re-election during the 2006 Vaughan municipal election
Vaughan municipal election, 2006
The City of Vaughan 2006 Municipal Election took place on 13 November 2006. One mayor, three regional councillors and five local councillors were elected for the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada...
.
Kadis endorsed a number of candidates in the Ontario general election, 2007
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...
. She endorsed former Thornhill Liberal MPP Mario Racco
Mario Racco
Mario G. Racco is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He sat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Greater Toronto Area riding of Thornhill for the Liberal Party from 2003 to 2007....
in his unsuccessful bid for re-election and successful Richmond Hill Liberal candidate Reza Moridi
Reza Moridi
Reza Moridi is a Canadian politician, and the first Iranian-Canadian elected to a provincial or federal legislature in Canada. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2007 provincial election, representing the riding of Richmond Hill...
.
External links
- How'd they Vote? Voting record and statements in the House of Commons (javascript video)