Mike Colle
Encyclopedia
Michael Colle (born February 1, 1945) is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, representing the riding
of Eglinton—Lawrence
for the Ontario Liberal Party
.
. He worked as a teacher of history and economics for eighteen years, including several years at Michael Power High School and St. Michael's College School
in Toronto
. Colle served on the City of York
municipal council from 1982 to 1985, and on the Metro Toronto Council as a York representative from 1988 to 1994. He was also chair of the Toronto Transit Commission
from 1991 to 1994.
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Tony Rizzo
in the riding of Oakwood
by about 1000 votes. Rizzo had previously voted against his government's same-sex benefits plan, and received little assistance from the Toronto NDP organization. In the provincial election of 1999
, Colle defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative
John Parker by about 9,000 votes in the redistributed riding of Eglinton—Lawrence
. The Progressive Conservatives won both elections, and Colle sat in opposition during this period. In 1996, Colle supported Dwight Duncan
's unsuccessful bid to become Liberal Party leader.
. He was a co-chair of Mel Lastman
's 1997 bid to become Mayor of Toronto. Lastman was also supported by prominent members of the Progressive Conservative Party in Toronto, and was opposed by members of the social democratic New Democratic Party.
, and Colle was re-elected by over 10,000 votes in his own riding. Despite having been a prominent member of the opposition, and some public speculation, he was not initially appointed to the cabinet
by Premier
Dalton McGuinty
. On October 23, 2003, he was named Parliamentary Assistant to Greg Sorbara
, the provincial Finance Minister.
Colle was promoted to cabinet on June 29, 2005 as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. His federal riding counterpart Joseph Volpe held the same portfolio in the federal cabinet
until February 6, 2006.
Colle was criticized for his role in giving out $32 million in government grants to immigrant and cultural groups without official applications or formal statements of purpose. In one case that the auditor general highlighted, the Ontario Cricket Association received $1 million when it asked for $150,000. Premier McGuinty agreed to commission a special report on the matter, to be released in July 2007. Colle was to appear before the Standing Committee on Estimates before the Legislature was prorogued by the Premier. Some believe this was arranged to prevent his testimony from going public.
On July 26, 2007, Premier McGuinty announced that Colle resigned as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Gerry Phillips was sworn in as the new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, in addition to his responsibilities as Minister of Government Services.
. He served as Parliamentary Assistant
to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
from February 2010 to December 2010. Since December 2010, he has been the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children and Youth Services.
On February 24, 2009, Colle introduced the Zero Tolerance to Violence on Public Transit Act, 2009 in an attempt to address the growing incidence of gun violence on Toronto Public Transit.
On March 25, 2009 Colle appeared to buck his own party by introducing Bill 160: The Caregiver and Foreign Worker Recruitment Act, 2009. This was in response to a Toronto Star expose on the abuse of foreign nannies. After some initial reluctance by the government, Colle was able to convince the Labour Minister and the government to intervene to stop the abuse. The government committed to introducing legislation to license "nanny brokers", ban placement fees, and post licensed placement agencies on an online registry.
The McGuinty government introduced Bill 210, Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (Live-in Caregivers and Others), 2009 (EPFNA) on October 21, 2009 and passed the "Nanny Protection Act" on December 15, 2009.
In 2010, Colle took on the issue of bedbugs eventually convincing Health Minister Deb Matthews to provide $5 million to fight the scourge with a bedbug strategy.
Colle has also spent most of his fourth term advocating to get the Eglinton Crosstown LRT built. The provincial government has committed $8 billion for the new Eglinton line that runs along the southern border of his riding of Eglinton-Lawrence. He has been on a personal crusade to get the Crosstown built ever since the Harris government cancelled the Eglinton subway in 1996 even after the tunnel was dug.
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|17,324
|align="right"|43.1
|align="right"|
|-
|Bernie Tanz
|align="right"|15,098
|align="right"|37.5
|align="right"|
|-
|Karin Wiens
|align="right"|4,135
|align="right"|10.3
|align="right"|
|-
|Andrew James
|align="right"|2,899
|align="right"|7.2
|align="right"|
|-
|Tom Gelmon
|align="right"|296
|align="right"|0.7
|align="right"|
|-
|Rina Morra
|align="right"|253
|align="right"|0.6
|align="right"|
|-
|Franz Cauchi
|align="right"|128
|align="right"|0.3
|align="right"|
|-
|Joseph Young
|align="right"|107
|align="right"|0.3
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|23,743
|align="right"|56.89
|align="right"|+0.11
|-
|Corinne Korzen
|align="right"|12,402
|align="right"|29.72
|align="right"|-5.53
|-
|Robin Alter
|align="right"|43,51
|align="right"|10.43
|align="right"|+6.12
|-
|Mark Viitala
|align="right"|1,236
|align="right"|2.96
|align="right"|+1.86
|}
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|24,151
|align="right"|56.78
|-
|John Parker
|align="right"|14,994
|align="right"|35.25
|-
|Jay Waterman
|align="right"|1,835
|align="right"|4.31
|-
|Frank D'Angelo
|align="right"|821
|align="right"|1.93
|-
|Shelly Lipsey
|align="right"|470
|align="right"|1.1
|-
|Neil C. Dickie
|align="right"|263
|align="right"|0.62
|}
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|8,599
|align="right"|
|-
|(x)Tony Rizzo
|align="right"|7,624
|align="right"|
|-
|Courtney Doldron
|align="right"|3,298
|align="right"|
|-
|Joseph Flexer
|align="right"|821
|align="right"|
|-
|Constantine Kritsonis
|align="right"|269
|align="right"|
|-
|Doug Storey
|align="right"|135
|align="right"|
|-
|Nunzio Venuto
|align="right"|100
|align="right"|
|}
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...
. He is a 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...
, representing 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 Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence (provincial electoral district)
Eglinton—Lawrence is a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.It was created in 1999 from parts of Lawrence, York Mills, Wilson Heights, Oakwood, St. Andrew—St...
for the Ontario Liberal Party
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...
.
Background
Colle moved to Canada at a young age, and was educated at Carleton UniversityCarleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
. He worked as a teacher of history and economics for eighteen years, including several years at Michael Power High School and St. Michael's College School
St. Michael's College School
St. Michael's College School is a private, all-boys Roman Catholic day school in Toronto, Canada. Currently administered by the Basilian Fathers, it is the largest school of its kind in Canada, with an enrollment of approximately 1,080 students from grades 7 to 12. St...
in Toronto
Toronto
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...
. Colle served on the City of York
York, Ontario
York is a dissolved municipality in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. Formerly a separate city, it was one of six municipalities that amalgamated in 1998 to form...
municipal council from 1982 to 1985, and on the Metro Toronto Council as a York representative from 1988 to 1994. He was also chair of the Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
from 1991 to 1994.
Provincial politics
Colle was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1995Ontario 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...
, defeating incumbent New Democrat Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995....
in the riding of Oakwood
Oakwood (electoral district)
Oakwood was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada. It was created for the 1975 provincial election, and was retained until redistribution in 1999. It was abolished into Davenport, Eglinton—Lawrence, York South—Weston and St. Paul's...
by about 1000 votes. Rizzo had previously voted against his government's same-sex benefits plan, and received little assistance from the Toronto NDP organization. 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....
, Colle defeated 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...
John Parker by about 9,000 votes in the redistributed riding of Eglinton—Lawrence
Eglinton—Lawrence (provincial electoral district)
Eglinton—Lawrence is a provincial electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.It was created in 1999 from parts of Lawrence, York Mills, Wilson Heights, Oakwood, St. Andrew—St...
. The Progressive Conservatives won both elections, and Colle sat in opposition during this period. In 1996, Colle supported Dwight Duncan
Dwight Duncan
Dwight Duncan, MPP is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is the Minister of Finance in the government of Dalton McGuinty...
's unsuccessful bid to become Liberal Party leader.
First and second terms
Colle championed environmental causes during his time in the legislature including the protection of the Oak Ridges MoraineOak Ridges Moraine
The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough...
. He was a co-chair of Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
's 1997 bid to become Mayor of Toronto. Lastman was also supported by prominent members of the Progressive Conservative Party in Toronto, and was opposed by members of the social democratic New Democratic Party.
Third term
The Liberals won the 2003 electionOntario 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....
, and Colle was re-elected by over 10,000 votes in his own riding. Despite having been a prominent member of the opposition, and some public speculation, he was not initially appointed to the 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 :...
by Premier
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...
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....
. On October 23, 2003, he was named Parliamentary Assistant to Greg Sorbara
Greg Sorbara
Gregory Sam "Greg" Sorbara, MPP a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Vaughan. Sorbara served as the Minister of Finance in the Ontario Liberal Party government of Premier Dalton McGuinty from 2003 to 2007.He resigned on October 11, 2005, following a police investigation involving...
, the provincial Finance Minister.
Colle was promoted to cabinet on June 29, 2005 as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. His federal riding counterpart Joseph Volpe held the same portfolio in the federal cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
until February 6, 2006.
Colle was criticized for his role in giving out $32 million in government grants to immigrant and cultural groups without official applications or formal statements of purpose. In one case that the auditor general highlighted, the Ontario Cricket Association received $1 million when it asked for $150,000. Premier McGuinty agreed to commission a special report on the matter, to be released in July 2007. Colle was to appear before the Standing Committee on Estimates before the Legislature was prorogued by the Premier. Some believe this was arranged to prevent his testimony from going public.
On July 26, 2007, Premier McGuinty announced that Colle resigned as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Gerry Phillips was sworn in as the new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, in addition to his responsibilities as Minister of Government Services.
Fourth term
In October 2007 he was re-elected to serve his fourth term to represent the Eglinton-Lawrence riding. During this term he has held two senior positions in the party. From October 2007 to February 2010 he was Chief Government WhipWhip (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...
. He served as Parliamentary Assistant
Parliamentary Secretary
A Parliamentary Secretary is a member of a Parliament in the Westminster system who assists a more senior minister with his or her duties.In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to...
to the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services
Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (Ontario)
The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is responsible for law enforcement services in the Canadian province of Ontario, including the Ontario Provincial Police, correctional centres, detention centres/jails The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (French:...
from February 2010 to December 2010. Since December 2010, he has been the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children and Youth Services.
On February 24, 2009, Colle introduced the Zero Tolerance to Violence on Public Transit Act, 2009 in an attempt to address the growing incidence of gun violence on Toronto Public Transit.
On March 25, 2009 Colle appeared to buck his own party by introducing Bill 160: The Caregiver and Foreign Worker Recruitment Act, 2009. This was in response to a Toronto Star expose on the abuse of foreign nannies. After some initial reluctance by the government, Colle was able to convince the Labour Minister and the government to intervene to stop the abuse. The government committed to introducing legislation to license "nanny brokers", ban placement fees, and post licensed placement agencies on an online registry.
The McGuinty government introduced Bill 210, Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act (Live-in Caregivers and Others), 2009 (EPFNA) on October 21, 2009 and passed the "Nanny Protection Act" on December 15, 2009.
In 2010, Colle took on the issue of bedbugs eventually convincing Health Minister Deb Matthews to provide $5 million to fight the scourge with a bedbug strategy.
Colle has also spent most of his fourth term advocating to get the Eglinton Crosstown LRT built. The provincial government has committed $8 billion for the new Eglinton line that runs along the southern border of his riding of Eglinton-Lawrence. He has been on a personal crusade to get the Crosstown built ever since the Harris government cancelled the Eglinton subway in 1996 even after the tunnel was dug.
Electoral record
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|17,324
|align="right"|43.1
|align="right"|
|-
|Bernie Tanz
|align="right"|15,098
|align="right"|37.5
|align="right"|
|-
|Karin Wiens
|align="right"|4,135
|align="right"|10.3
|align="right"|
|-
|Andrew James
|align="right"|2,899
|align="right"|7.2
|align="right"|
|-
|Tom Gelmon
|align="right"|296
|align="right"|0.7
|align="right"|
|-
|Rina Morra
|align="right"|253
|align="right"|0.6
|align="right"|
|-
|Franz Cauchi
|align="right"|128
|align="right"|0.3
|align="right"|
|-
|Joseph Young
Joseph Young
Young was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, the eighth child born to John Young and Abigail Howe.In 1830, while he was a preacher for the Methodist Church in Upper Canada, Young was introduced to the Book of Mormon by his younger brother Brigham...
|align="right"|107
|align="right"|0.3
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|23,743
|align="right"|56.89
|align="right"|+0.11
|-
|Corinne Korzen
|align="right"|12,402
|align="right"|29.72
|align="right"|-5.53
|-
|Robin Alter
|align="right"|43,51
|align="right"|10.43
|align="right"|+6.12
|-
|Mark Viitala
|align="right"|1,236
|align="right"|2.96
|align="right"|+1.86
|}
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|24,151
|align="right"|56.78
|-
|John Parker
John Parker (Canadian politician)
John L. Parker is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999. He is now Toronto city councillor for Ward 26, Don Valley West.-Background:...
|align="right"|14,994
|align="right"|35.25
|-
|Jay Waterman
|align="right"|1,835
|align="right"|4.31
|-
|Frank D'Angelo
|align="right"|821
|align="right"|1.93
|-
|Shelly Lipsey
|align="right"|470
|align="right"|1.1
|-
|Neil C. Dickie
|align="right"|263
|align="right"|0.62
|}
|-
|Mike Colle
|align="right"|8,599
|align="right"|
|-
|(x)Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo
Tony Rizzo is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995....
|align="right"|7,624
|align="right"|
|-
|Courtney Doldron
|align="right"|3,298
|align="right"|
|-
|Joseph Flexer
|align="right"|821
|align="right"|
|-
|Constantine Kritsonis
|align="right"|269
|align="right"|
|-
|Doug Storey
|align="right"|135
|align="right"|
|-
|Nunzio Venuto
|align="right"|100
|align="right"|
|}