Keith Mondesir
Encyclopedia
Keith Raymond Rufus Mondesir (born January 23, 1948) is a Saint Lucia
n politician. He has been a United Workers Party
member of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia
and a member of the Saint Lucian cabinet since 2006, serving in the administrations of John Compton
and Stephenson King
.
, grew up in Saint Lucia, and later moved to Canada
. His ministerial biography indicates that he graduated from George Brown College
and later earned a Bachelor of Science
degree from the University of Waterloo
, a further Bachelor of Science degree in Optometry
from the University of Aston in Birmingham, and a Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Houston
in Texas
. He worked as an optometrist in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, for twenty-six years.
In 2000, the office of the Manitoba ombudsman received a complaint alleging that Mondesir had sold and disclosed patient information to Lenscrafters
International Inc. As a result of the complaint, Mondesir became the first medical professional in Manitoba to be charged under the provisions of the province's Personal Health Information Act. His attorney, former cabinet minister Sidney Green
, said that Mondesir had done nothing wrong and had not disclosed any health information or anything that could not be found in a telephone book.
On May 17, 2002, Mondesir pleaded guilty in the Provincial Court of Manitoba
to disclosing personal health information to DPD Software Ltd. As the result of a plea bargain
, he received an absolute discharge.
, while still residing in Canada, Mondesir ran for a seat in the Saint Lucian assembly as a National Alliance
candidate in Anse-la-Raye/Canaries. He finished second against incumbent candidate Cyprian Lansiquot
of the governing Saint Lucia Labour Party
.
Mondesir later returned to Saint Lucia on a full-time basis and joined the opposition United Workers Party
, becoming one of its leading spokespersons and running for the party leadership in 2003. In 2005, he was the UWP's spokesperson on agriculture.
Minister
The UWP won a majority government
under John Compton
's leadership in the 2006 general election
, and Mondesir was narrowly elected over Lansiquot in Anse-la-Raye/Canaries. When Compton formed a new administration on 19 December 2006, he appointed Mondesir as the country's minister of home affairs and national security. Shortly thereafter, Mondesir said the UWP would honour the previous government's commitment to allow Caricom nationals who had lived illegally in Saint Lucia over the last three years to seek full citizenship.
Mondesir was demoted to minister of national mobilization and physical development on 6 June 2007, following a public dispute with the country's police leadership. There is a news dispatch from August 2007 suggesting he had been returned to home affairs and national security by this time. In any event, when Stephenson King
succeeded Compton as prime minister in September 2007, Mondesir's role was restructured as the minister of health, wellness, family affairs, national mobilisation, human services and gender relations.
Workers at the St. Lucian ministry of health took labour action against Mondesir in November 2007 in a bid to remove him from office. The action ended after Mondesir's permanent secretary was transferred to a different government department and Prime Minister King worked out an agreement with the ministerial workers' union.
Mondesir has developed health service links between Saint Lucia and Taiwan
. He also accompanied Prime Minister King on a visit to Cuba
in 2010 that was intended to build relations between the two countries.
In February 2011, Mondesir announced that Saint Lucia was planning to complete a new general hospital by the following year. He indicated that the health ministry would expand its services for the institution rather than contracting out to the private sector.
Mondesir delivered a statement to the United Nations General Assembly
in June 2011 on Saint Lucia's policy for addressing HIV
/AIDS
.
Tuxedo Villas controversy
In August 2008, the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party accused the King administration of allowing Mondesir to classify part of his Tuxedo Villas private residence as a tourism facility in order to take advantage of duty-free government concessions. Opposition leader Kenny Anthony
subsequently brought the matter to court, and a High Court judge overturned Mondesir's tourism contract in August 2009 on the grounds of a perceived conflict-of-interest. Mondesir later repaid fifteen thousand dollars to the office of the Comptroller of Customs for duty-free concessions.
In June 2010, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States's Court of Appeals ruled that the concessions offered by the King government to Mondesir were inappropriate. King dismissed attorney-general Nicholas Frederick from office over his handling of the matter. Mondesir retained his position.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
n politician. He has been a United Workers Party
United Workers Party (Saint Lucia)
The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:...
member of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia
House of Assembly of Saint Lucia
The Parliament of Saint Lucia has two chambers. The House of Assembly is the popular elected chamber of the Legislature. It has 17 members, elected for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-Current Composition:...
and a member of the Saint Lucian cabinet since 2006, serving in the administrations of John Compton
John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, KBE, PC was the first, fifth and eighth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia in 1979, from 1982 to 1996, and from 2006 until his death. Compton, who previously led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, was the country's first leader when it became independent...
and Stephenson King
Stephenson King
Stephenson Toby King was the sixth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He represents the constituency of Castries North for the United Workers Party in the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia. King won the elections in 2006, unseating the incumbent Minister of Agriculture Ignatius Jean...
.
Early life and career in Canada
Mondesir was born in CastriesCastries
Castries , population 10,634, aggl. 37,963 , is the capital city of Saint Lucia, a country in the Caribbean. The district with the same name had a population of 61,341 in 2001-05-22, and stretches over an area of ....
, grew up in Saint Lucia, and later moved to 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...
. His ministerial biography indicates that he graduated from George Brown College
George Brown College
George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario...
and later earned a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
, a further Bachelor of Science degree in Optometry
Optometry
Optometry is a health care profession concerned with eyes and related structures, as well as vision, visual systems, and vision information processing in humans. Optometrists, or Doctors of Optometry, are state licensed medical professionals trained to prescribe and fit lenses to improve vision,...
from the University of Aston in Birmingham, and a Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He worked as an optometrist in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, for twenty-six years.
In 2000, the office of the Manitoba ombudsman received a complaint alleging that Mondesir had sold and disclosed patient information to Lenscrafters
LensCrafters
LensCrafters is an international retailer of prescription eyewear, and prescription sunglasses, and the largest optical chain in the United States, with about 90 stores in California alone. It was founded in 1983 in the U.S. and has subsequently expanded to over 850 stores in Canada, the United...
International Inc. As a result of the complaint, Mondesir became the first medical professional in Manitoba to be charged under the provisions of the province's Personal Health Information Act. His attorney, former cabinet minister Sidney Green
Sidney Green
Sidney Green is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He twice ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Manitoba, served in the cabinet of Premier Edward Schreyer, and later formed the Progressive Party of Manitoba....
, said that Mondesir had done nothing wrong and had not disclosed any health information or anything that could not be found in a telephone book.
On May 17, 2002, Mondesir pleaded guilty in the Provincial Court of Manitoba
Provincial Court of Manitoba
The Provincial Court of Manitoba hears cases relating to criminal law and family law and other statutes.- Current Judges:- Former Judges:-External links:*...
to disclosing personal health information to DPD Software Ltd. As the result of a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, he received an absolute discharge.
Political career
In 2001Saint Lucian general election, 2001
General elections were held in Saint Lucia on 3 December 2001. The result was a victory for the Saint Lucia Labour Party, which won fourteen of the seventeen seats. Voter turnout was 52.3%.-Results:...
, while still residing in Canada, Mondesir ran for a seat in the Saint Lucian assembly as a National Alliance
National Alliance (Saint Lucia)
The National Alliance was a political party in Saint Lucia led by George Odlum. It contested the 2001 general elections, but received only 3.7% of the vote and failed to win a seat....
candidate in Anse-la-Raye/Canaries. He finished second against incumbent candidate Cyprian Lansiquot
Cyprian Lansiquot
Cyprian Lansiquot is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician. He was a Labour Party member of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006 and served as a parliamentary secretary.-Private career:...
of the governing Saint Lucia Labour Party
Saint Lucia Labour Party
The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:...
.
Mondesir later returned to Saint Lucia on a full-time basis and joined the opposition United Workers Party
United Workers Party (Saint Lucia)
The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:...
, becoming one of its leading spokespersons and running for the party leadership in 2003. In 2005, he was the UWP's spokesperson on agriculture.
Minister
The UWP won a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
under John Compton
John Compton
Sir John George Melvin Compton, KBE, PC was the first, fifth and eighth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia in 1979, from 1982 to 1996, and from 2006 until his death. Compton, who previously led Saint Lucia under British rule from 1964 to 1979, was the country's first leader when it became independent...
's leadership in the 2006 general election
Saint Lucian general election, 2006
The 2006 Saint Lucia general election took place in Saint Lucia on 11 December 2006. The election was fought between the Saint Lucia Labour Party and the United Workers Party which between them dominated politics in Saint Lucia...
, and Mondesir was narrowly elected over Lansiquot in Anse-la-Raye/Canaries. When Compton formed a new administration on 19 December 2006, he appointed Mondesir as the country's minister of home affairs and national security. Shortly thereafter, Mondesir said the UWP would honour the previous government's commitment to allow Caricom nationals who had lived illegally in Saint Lucia over the last three years to seek full citizenship.
Mondesir was demoted to minister of national mobilization and physical development on 6 June 2007, following a public dispute with the country's police leadership. There is a news dispatch from August 2007 suggesting he had been returned to home affairs and national security by this time. In any event, when Stephenson King
Stephenson King
Stephenson Toby King was the sixth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia. He represents the constituency of Castries North for the United Workers Party in the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia. King won the elections in 2006, unseating the incumbent Minister of Agriculture Ignatius Jean...
succeeded Compton as prime minister in September 2007, Mondesir's role was restructured as the minister of health, wellness, family affairs, national mobilisation, human services and gender relations.
Workers at the St. Lucian ministry of health took labour action against Mondesir in November 2007 in a bid to remove him from office. The action ended after Mondesir's permanent secretary was transferred to a different government department and Prime Minister King worked out an agreement with the ministerial workers' union.
Mondesir has developed health service links between Saint Lucia and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He also accompanied Prime Minister King on a visit to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 2010 that was intended to build relations between the two countries.
In February 2011, Mondesir announced that Saint Lucia was planning to complete a new general hospital by the following year. He indicated that the health ministry would expand its services for the institution rather than contracting out to the private sector.
Mondesir delivered a statement to the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
in June 2011 on Saint Lucia's policy for addressing HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
Tuxedo Villas controversy
In August 2008, the opposition Saint Lucia Labour Party accused the King administration of allowing Mondesir to classify part of his Tuxedo Villas private residence as a tourism facility in order to take advantage of duty-free government concessions. Opposition leader Kenny Anthony
Kenny Anthony
Kenny Davis Anthony is a Saint Lucian politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006. As leader of the Saint Lucia Labour Party, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2011 and returned to office as Prime Minister on 30 November 2011 following the 2011...
subsequently brought the matter to court, and a High Court judge overturned Mondesir's tourism contract in August 2009 on the grounds of a perceived conflict-of-interest. Mondesir later repaid fifteen thousand dollars to the office of the Comptroller of Customs for duty-free concessions.
In June 2010, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States's Court of Appeals ruled that the concessions offered by the King government to Mondesir were inappropriate. King dismissed attorney-general Nicholas Frederick from office over his handling of the matter. Mondesir retained his position.
Electoral record
| Keith Mondesir | United Workers Party United Workers Party (Saint Lucia) The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:... |
2,132 | 51.00 |
| (x)Cyprian Lansiquot Cyprian Lansiquot Cyprian Lansiquot is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician. He was a Labour Party member of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006 and served as a parliamentary secretary.-Private career:... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party Saint Lucia Labour Party The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:... |
2,042 | 48.85 |
| Kensley Peter | Independent | 6 | 0.14 |
| Total valid votes | 4,180 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Spoiled ballots | 81 | ||
| Total votes casts | 4,261 | 60.35 | |
| Total electorate | 7,060 |
| (x)Cyprian Lansiquot Cyprian Lansiquot Cyprian Lansiquot is a Saint Lucian lawyer and politician. He was a Labour Party member of the House of Assembly of Saint Lucia from 1997 to 2006 and served as a parliamentary secretary.-Private career:... |
Saint Lucia Labour Party Saint Lucia Labour Party The Saint Lucia Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Saint Lucia. It currently holds ten of the 17 seats in the House of Assembly.-History:... |
2,061 | 58.65 |
| Keith Mondesir | National Alliance National Alliance (Saint Lucia) The National Alliance was a political party in Saint Lucia led by George Odlum. It contested the 2001 general elections, but received only 3.7% of the vote and failed to win a seat.... |
1,198 | 34.09 |
| Petra Desir | United Workers Party United Workers Party (Saint Lucia) The United Workers Party is a conservative political party in Saint Lucia, led by Prime Minister Stephenson King and previously by John Compton.-History:... |
255 | 7.26 |
| Total valid votes | 3,514 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Spoiled ballots | 116 | ||
| Total votes casts | 3,630 |