Tina Molinari
Encyclopedia
Tina R. Molinari is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. She is a Justice of the Peace
and was a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1999 to 2003, serving as an associate minister and member of the Cabinet in the government of Ernie Eves
.
in 1988. She served as chair of the board from 1994 to 1998, and was also given a Catholic School Trustees Association Trustee Award of Merit in 1998.
, defeating Liberal
candidate Dan Ronen in the riding of Thornhill
. Molinari's bid for election was almost derailed early in the campaign when one of her pollsters asked constituents how they felt about being represented by a candidate who was the son of a Holocaust
survivor (Ronen's father had survived internment at Auschwitz, and Thornhill has a large Orthodox Jewish population). She overcame this controversy, however, and defeated Ronen by 343 votes.
Ernie Eves
replaced Mike Harris
as Premier of Ontario
on April 15, 2002, and named Molinari as an Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with responsibility for urban affairs.
There were some who believed that Molinari would be re-elected in the provincial election of 2003
, because of her party's support for a tax credit to parents who send their children to private or denominational schools. This issue is very important to some members of Toronto's Jewish community, and Dan Ronen even chose to endorse Molinari for re-election because of her party's stand on this single issue.
While she polled better than most other Tories in the Greater Toronto Area
, however, Molinari was not able to overcome a provincial shift to the Liberals and lost to local councillor Mario Racco
by 796 votes.
In 2004, Molinari was appointed to a high-profile post in Catholic Missions in Canada. Some regarded this appointment as controversial, given Molinari's pro-choice
views on abortion
. She has organized and hosted an annual fundraiser to raise funds for Catholic Missions within Canada.
, and lost to Sandra Yeung Racco, the wife of the former Thornhill MPP who unseated Molinari in 2003.
On May 18, 2007, Ontario’s Attorney General
Michael Bryant
announced Molinari’s appointment as a justice of the peace.
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 a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and was a 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...
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 1999 to 2003, serving as an associate minister and member of the Cabinet in the government of Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
.
School trustee
Molinari had an extensive career as a school trustee before entering provincial politics. She served as president of a local Parent Teacher Association, and was elected to the York Catholic District School BoardYork Catholic District School Board
The York Catholic District School Board is the publicly funded English-language Catholic school district authority for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Its head office is in Aurora....
in 1988. She served as chair of the board from 1994 to 1998, and was also given a Catholic School Trustees Association Trustee Award of Merit in 1998.
Provincial politician
Molinari was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1999Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating 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...
candidate Dan Ronen in the 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...
. Molinari's bid for election was almost derailed early in the campaign when one of her pollsters asked constituents how they felt about being represented by a candidate who was the son of a Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
survivor (Ronen's father had survived internment at Auschwitz, and Thornhill has a large Orthodox Jewish population). She overcame this controversy, however, and defeated Ronen by 343 votes.
Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
replaced Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
as Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
on April 15, 2002, and named Molinari as an Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing with responsibility for urban affairs.
There were some who believed that Molinari would be re-elected in 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....
, because of her party's support for a tax credit to parents who send their children to private or denominational schools. This issue is very important to some members of Toronto's Jewish community, and Dan Ronen even chose to endorse Molinari for re-election because of her party's stand on this single issue.
While she polled better than most other Tories 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...
, however, Molinari was not able to overcome a provincial shift to the Liberals and lost to local 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....
by 796 votes.
In 2004, Molinari was appointed to a high-profile post in Catholic Missions in Canada. Some regarded this appointment as controversial, given Molinari's pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
views on abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. She has organized and hosted an annual fundraiser to raise funds for Catholic Missions within Canada.
Municipal politics
Molinari campaigned for the Ward Four council seat in the 2006 Vaughan municipal electionVaughan 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...
, and lost to Sandra Yeung Racco, the wife of the former Thornhill MPP who unseated Molinari in 2003.
On May 18, 2007, Ontario’s Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
Michael Bryant
Michael Bryant (politician)
Michael J. Bryant is former public administrator and former politician in Ontario, Canada. A Harvard-trained lawyer, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the electoral district of St. Paul's for the Ontario Liberal Party from 1999 until 2009...
announced Molinari’s appointment as a justice of the peace.