Ursula Appolloni
Encyclopedia
Ursula Appolloni was a Canadian
Member of Parliament
(MP).
as Ursula Carroll, and she served in Britain's Women's Royal Air Force
from 1948 to 1950. In 1954 she met her husband when she went to the Italian consulate looking for an Italian tutor. They married in 1958 and went to Italy where she became fluent in Italian. Eventually they emigrated to Canada and settled in Toronto. Prior to entering politics, she was a freelance writer. After her election they moved to Ottawa where they remained until her death.
in the 1968 election. In 1974 she ran as the Liberal Party
candidate in the riding of York South against New Democratic Party
leader David Lewis
in the federal election
. Appolloni upset Lewis by 1,863 votes ending Lewis' political career. At his defeat, Lewis joked "One of the basic democratic rights is the right for the people to be wrong." Her husband, Lucio, had been the Liberal candidate in York South in the 1972 election
. He lost to Lewis by almost 5,000 votes.
She remained as MP for York South and its successor riding, York South—Weston
, until she retired in 1984. She was a backbencher
for most of her parliamentary career, except for serving as Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of National Defence
from 1980 to 1982. Issues that she supported during her tenure included the creation of pensions for housewives and putting unemployed youth in the military reserve. She supported the abolition of the death penalty and was an anti-abortionist. Some argued that it was her anti-abortion stance that kept her out of cabinet.
until she diagnosed with lung cancer in June 1994. She died six months later. She was a heavy smoker.
|Liberal
|Ursula Appolloni
|align="right"| 12,485
|New Democratic Party
|David Lewis
|align="right"| 10,622
|Progressive Conservative
|Paul J. Schrieder
|align="right"| 5,557
|Independent
|Richard Sanders
|align="right"| 103
|Marxist-Leninist
| Keith Corkill
|align="right"|102
|Independent
|Robert Douglas Sproule
|align="right"|97
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...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP).
Background
Appolloni was born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
as Ursula Carroll, and she served in Britain's Women's Royal Air Force
Women's Royal Air Force
The Women's Royal Air Force was a women's branch of the Royal Air Force which existed in two separate incarnations.The first WRAF was an auxiliary organization of the Royal Air Force which was founded in 1918. The original intent of the WRAF was to provide female mechanics in order to free up men...
from 1948 to 1950. In 1954 she met her husband when she went to the Italian consulate looking for an Italian tutor. They married in 1958 and went to Italy where she became fluent in Italian. Eventually they emigrated to Canada and settled in Toronto. Prior to entering politics, she was a freelance writer. After her election they moved to Ottawa where they remained until her death.
Politics
Appolloni was first involved in politics when she served as office manager for the campaign on Charles CacciaCharles Caccia
Charles L. Caccia, PC was a Canadian politician.Caccia was a Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons. He represented the Toronto riding of Davenport between 1968 and 2004.Caccia was born in 1930 in Milan, Italy...
in the 1968 election. In 1974 she ran as the Liberal Party
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...
candidate in the riding of York South against New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
leader David Lewis
David Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
in the federal election
Canadian federal election, 1974
The Canadian federal election of 1974 was held on July 8, 1974 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 30th Parliament of Canada. The governing Liberal Party won its first majority government since 1968, and gave Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau his third term...
. Appolloni upset Lewis by 1,863 votes ending Lewis' political career. At his defeat, Lewis joked "One of the basic democratic rights is the right for the people to be wrong." Her husband, Lucio, had been the Liberal candidate in York South in the 1972 election
Canadian federal election, 1972
The Canadian federal election of 1972 was held on October 30, 1972 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 29th Parliament of Canada. It resulted in a slim victory for the governing Liberal Party, which won 109 seats, compared to 107 seats for the opposition Progressive...
. He lost to Lewis by almost 5,000 votes.
She remained as MP for York South and its successor riding, York South—Weston
York South—Weston
York South—Weston is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979.-Electoral district:It is in the west-end of Toronto. The riding has a largely working class and immigrant population...
, until she retired in 1984. She was a backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
for most of her parliamentary career, except for serving as Parliamentary Secretary
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 National Defence
Minister of National Defence (Canada)
The Minister of National Defence is a Minister of the Crown; the Canadian politician within the Cabinet of Canada responsible for the Department of National Defence which oversees the Canadian Forces....
from 1980 to 1982. Issues that she supported during her tenure included the creation of pensions for housewives and putting unemployed youth in the military reserve. She supported the abolition of the death penalty and was an anti-abortionist. Some argued that it was her anti-abortion stance that kept her out of cabinet.
Later life
After leaving politics she worked as an editor for Health and Welfare CanadaHealth and Welfare Canada
Health and Welfare Canada is a former Canadian federal department established in 1944 and split into two separate departments, Health Canada and Human Resources and Labour Canada, in June 1993 by Prime Minister Kim Campbell...
until she diagnosed with lung cancer in June 1994. She died six months later. She was a heavy smoker.
York South
|-|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...
|Ursula Appolloni
|align="right"| 12,485
|New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
|David Lewis
David Lewis (politician)
David Lewis, CC was a Russian-born Canadian labour lawyer and social democratic politician. He was national secretary of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1936 to 1950, and one of the key architects of the New Democratic Party in 1961...
|align="right"| 10,622
|Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
|Paul J. Schrieder
|align="right"| 5,557
|Independent
|Richard Sanders
|align="right"| 103
|Marxist-Leninist
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist–Leninist)
The Communist Party of Canada is a Canadian federal Marxist–Leninist political party.The party is registered with Elections Canada as the Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada...
| Keith Corkill
|align="right"|102
|Independent
|Robert Douglas Sproule
|align="right"|97