Dominic Agostino
Encyclopedia
Dominic Agostino was a Canadian
politician who represented the riding
of Hamilton East for the Liberal Party in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1995 until his death in 2004.
, Italy
, Agostino was raised in Hamilton
, Ontario
and attended Mohawk College
in that city. He worked as rehabilitation counsellor with the Ontario March of Dimes
, and was a special assistant to Ontario Minister of Culture Lily Munro from 1985 to 1987.
Agostino was elected as a Catholic separate school
board trustee in the Hamilton-Wentworth board at the age of 21, serving from 1980 to 1987. He campaigned in the 1985 provincial election
in Hamilton Mountain
, and finished third against New Democrat Brian Charlton
. He then served as an alderman
on the Hamilton City Council from 1987 until the provincial election of 1995
, when he was elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton East.
Agostino was the first Liberal candidate to win the riding since 1937, and the first member of Hamilton's Italian community to win a provincial election anywhere in the city. He defeated Andrew MacKenzie, the son of outgoing New Democratic Party Labour Minister Robert W. MacKenzie, by about 4,000 votes.
The 1995 election was won by the Progressive Conservative Party
, and Agostino quickly emerged as a prominent figure in the parliamentary opposition. He became a leading spokesperson for the Liberal Party's left wing, and gained particular praise for his performance as the party's Environment Critic from 1996 to 1999.
In 1996, Agostino supported Gerard Kennedy
's unsuccessful bid for the party leadership. He was re-elected without difficulty in the provincial election of 1999
, and served as Chief Opposition Whip
from 1999 to 2002. Unlike some others in his party, he supported the City of Hamilton's amalgamation in 2000.
The Liberals won a majority government in the provincial election of 2003
, although Agostino was re-elected with a somewhat reduced margin of victory. To the surprise of many in the province, he was not appointed to the first cabinet
of Dalton McGuinty
in October 2003. This was widely interpreted as a snub, but subsequent events cast the decision in a much different light: Agostino died on March 24, 2004, of liver cancer
. He had been battling the disease for some time and had undergone surgery during the 2003 campaign, although this information was not made public until his death.
In a by-election
to fill his legislative seat held on May 13, 2004, his brother Ralph, a Catholic separate school
board trustee, failed to retain the Hamilton East seat for the Liberal Party, falling far behind city councillor and NDP candidate Andrea Horwath
.
-based gay
community magazine fab
published a piece titled "Why Did He Die a Straight Man?" The piece, by Eleanor Brown, noted that Agostino was gay, and alleged that he was in the closet
about his sexuality. The fact that he was gay was widely known within the gay community — he had participated in Toronto's Gay Pride parade, was active in the gay communities in Toronto and Hamilton, and had voted in favour of gay rights legislation — but was largely unknown otherwise.
Initial media reports on his death stated that he was married, erroneously naming Agostino's sister-in-law Rose as his wife. This was quickly retracted by the media, and attributed to a journalist's misinterpretation of the government press release announcing Agostino's death ("Our thoughts and love are with Dominic’s mother Theresa, his brother Ralph and his wife Rose, Dominic’s sister Mary and her husband Tony, and Dominic’s beloved nieces and nephews.") However, some gay activists in Ontario have alleged that the error was committed intentionally to protect Agostino's public image.
While no reference to his sexuality was made at his funeral held in Hamilton, Premier Dalton McGuinty
acknowledged Agostino's partner Andrew during a private service in downtown Toronto attended by political activists from all three major parties.
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 who represented 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 Hamilton East for the Liberal Party in 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 1995 until his death in 2004.
Biography
Born in SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Agostino was raised 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...
, 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....
and attended 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 that city. He worked as rehabilitation counsellor with the Ontario March of Dimes
Ontario March of Dimes
Ontario March of Dimes is a Canadian charitable organization which provides programs and services to people of all ages with physical disabilities in Ontario. Its headquarters are in Toronto...
, and was a special assistant to Ontario Minister of Culture Lily Munro from 1985 to 1987.
Agostino was elected as a Catholic separate school
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
board trustee in the Hamilton-Wentworth board at the age of 21, serving from 1980 to 1987. He campaigned 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...
in Hamilton Mountain
Hamilton Mountain
Hamilton Mountain is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968. The riding is located in the Hamilton, Ontario region....
, and finished third against New Democrat Brian Charlton
Brian Charlton
Brian Albert Charlton is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae....
. He then served as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
on the Hamilton City Council from 1987 until the provincial election of 1995
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...
, when he was elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton East.
Agostino was the first Liberal candidate to win the riding since 1937, and the first member of Hamilton's Italian community to win a provincial election anywhere in the city. He defeated Andrew MacKenzie, the son of outgoing New Democratic Party Labour Minister Robert W. MacKenzie, by about 4,000 votes.
The 1995 election was won by 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...
, and Agostino quickly emerged as a prominent figure in the parliamentary opposition. He became a leading spokesperson for the Liberal Party's left wing, and gained particular praise for his performance as the party's Environment Critic from 1996 to 1999.
In 1996, Agostino supported Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Kennedy
Gerard Michael Kennedy is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as Ontario's Minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada...
's unsuccessful bid for the party leadership. He was re-elected without difficulty in the provincial election of 1999
Ontario 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....
, and served as Chief Opposition Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
from 1999 to 2002. Unlike some others in his party, he supported the City of Hamilton's amalgamation in 2000.
The Liberals won a majority government 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....
, although Agostino was re-elected with a somewhat reduced margin of victory. To the surprise of many in the province, he was not appointed to the first cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
of Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
in October 2003. This was widely interpreted as a snub, but subsequent events cast the decision in a much different light: Agostino died on March 24, 2004, of liver cancer
Hepatocellular carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common type of liver cancer. Most cases of HCC are secondary to either a viral hepatitide infection or cirrhosis .Compared to other cancers, HCC is quite a rare tumor in the United States...
. He had been battling the disease for some time and had undergone surgery during the 2003 campaign, although this information was not made public until his death.
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....
to fill his legislative seat held on May 13, 2004, his brother Ralph, a Catholic separate school
Separate school
In Canada, separate school refers to a particular type of school that has constitutional status in three provinces and statutory status in three territories...
board trustee, failed to retain the Hamilton East seat for the Liberal Party, falling far behind city councillor and NDP candidate Andrea Horwath
Andrea Horwath
Andrea Horwath , is a Canadian activist and politician. She is the Leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party in Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Hamilton Centre, and was chosen as the party's leader at its 2009 leadership convention.She is...
.
Sexuality
Shortly after his death, the 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...
-based gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
community magazine fab
Fab (magazine)
fab is a Canadian magazine which targets the gay community. The magazine publishes biweekly issues in Toronto, Ontario. It publishes alternate weeks to the city's other biweekly gay publication, Xtra!...
published a piece titled "Why Did He Die a Straight Man?" The piece, by Eleanor Brown, noted that Agostino was gay, and alleged that he was in the closet
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
about his sexuality. The fact that he was gay was widely known within the gay community — he had participated in Toronto's Gay Pride parade, was active in the gay communities in Toronto and Hamilton, and had voted in favour of gay rights legislation — but was largely unknown otherwise.
Initial media reports on his death stated that he was married, erroneously naming Agostino's sister-in-law Rose as his wife. This was quickly retracted by the media, and attributed to a journalist's misinterpretation of the government press release announcing Agostino's death ("Our thoughts and love are with Dominic’s mother Theresa, his brother Ralph and his wife Rose, Dominic’s sister Mary and her husband Tony, and Dominic’s beloved nieces and nephews.") However, some gay activists in Ontario have alleged that the error was committed intentionally to protect Agostino's public image.
While no reference to his sexuality was made at his funeral held in Hamilton, Premier Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
acknowledged Agostino's partner Andrew during a private service in downtown Toronto attended by political activists from all three major parties.