Deb Matthews
| Hon. Deb Matthews | |
|---|---|
| MPP for London North Centre | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Dianne Cunningham |
| Minister of Health and Long-Term Care | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office October 7, 2009 |
|
| Preceded by | David Caplan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1953 London, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Residence | London |
Deborah Drake Matthews, Ph.D. (born 1953 in London, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of London North Centre for the Ontario Liberal Party, and is currently the province's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in the government of Premier Dalton McGuinty.
Contents |
[edit] Family life
Deb Matthews is the third of six children born to Joyce Eleanor Matthews and the children of Donald Jeune Matthews. She is the sister of Shelley Peterson, wife of former Ontario Premier David Peterson, and the granddaughter of John Henry (Jack) Matthews, who was the former Mayor of Brampton, Ontario and who previously ran as a CCF candidate. Matthews has three children and four grandchildren.
[edit] Background
Matthews was born in London North Centre and graduated from St. George’s Public School and A.B. Lucas Secondary School. She studied at the University of Western Ontario.
[edit] Work history
Before entering politics, Matthews held a number of positions in various fields. She has experience in the business community, the construction industry, fundraising in the non-profit sector and teaching at the University of Western Ontario. Matthews was honoured twice on the University Students' Council Teaching Honour Roll at the University of Western Ontario.
[edit] Community involvement
Matthews is actively involved in numerous community activities in London. This includes Orchestra London and the Thames Valley Children's Centre. Matthews also served on the advisory boards for the Salvation Army and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and as board member and president of the Big Sisters of London. In 1995-96, Matthews served as the fundraising co-coordinator for the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of London.
[edit] Education
In 2006, Matthews earned her PhD in social demography at the University of Western Ontario. Her dissertation was entitled "Can Immigration Compensate for Below-Replacement Fertility?: The Consequences of the Unbalanced Settlement of Immigrants in Canadian Cities, 2001-2051."[1]
[edit] Politics
Matthews has been involved in the Liberal Party since 1975, when she helped run Peterson's campaign in the old riding of London Centre. She co-chaired the Liberal Party's provincial campaigns in the elections of 1987 and 1995. Matthews was elected as President of the Ontario Liberal Party in 2003 and held the post until resigning in late 2006.
In the 2003 election, Matthews defeated Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Dianne Cunningham by almost 7,000 votes. Her riding includes significant portions of the London Centre riding once represented by her brother-in-law.
On October 23, 2003, she was appointed parliamentary assistant to Sandra Pupatello, Ontario's Minister of Community and Social Services.
In the 2007 election , Matthews defeated Progressive Conservative Rob Alder by over 10,000 votes. She served as Ontario's Minister of Children and Youth Services and Minister Responsible for Women's Issues from October 2007 to October 2009.
On December 4, 2008, Matthews introduced Ontario's Poverty Reduction Strategy as chair of the Cabinet Committee on Poverty Reduction. The long-term reduction plan set a target to reduce the number of children living in poverty by 25 per cent over 5 years.
On October 7, 2009, Matthews was named Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to replace David Caplan.[2]
In the 2011 election, Matthews defeated Progressive Conservative Nancy Branscombe by over 6,000 votes. She was reappointed as Minister of Health and Long-Term Care on October 20, 2011.
In 2012, Matthews came under pressure because of revelations at Ornge, Ontario's air ambulance service. Members of the opposition Progressive Conservative and New Democratic parties called for her to resign, claiming she mishandled the affair. In response to the revelations at Ornge, Matthews announced an OPP investigation. [3] Matthews has stated that she will not resign.[4]
[edit] Electoral record
| Ontario general election, 2011 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Deb Matthews | 19,157 | 43.81% | -2.86% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Nancy Branscombe | 12,628 | 28.88% | +4.40% | |
| New Democrat | Steve Holmes | 9,875 | 22.58% | +6.07% | |
| Green | Kevin Labonte | 1,512 | 3.46% | -8.88% | |
| Ontario general election, 2007 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Deb Matthews | 21,669 | 46.7% | +3.27% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Rob Alder | 11,366 | 24.5% | -4.42% | |
| New Democrat | Steve Holmes | 7,667 | 16.5% | -8.03% | |
| Green | Brett McKenzie | 5,730 | 12.3% | +10.62% | |
| Ontario general election, 2003 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Liberal | Deb Matthews | 20,212 | 43.43% | +22.54% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Dianne Cunningham | 13,460 | 28.92% | -11.29% | |
| New Democrat | Rebecca Coulter | 11,414 | 24.53% | -11.93% | |
| Green | Bronagh Joyce Morgan | 780 | 1.68% | +0.88% | |
| Family Coalition | Craig Smith | 432 | 0.93% | -0.09% | |
| Freedom | Lisa Turner | 242 | 0.52% | +0.18% | |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Deb Matthews' official MPP Site
- Deb Matthews' Ontario Liberal Party biography
- Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History
| Provincial Government of Dalton McGuinty | ||
| Cabinet Posts (2) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| David Caplan | Minister of Health and Long-Term Care 2009- |
Incumbent |
| Mary Anne Chambers | Minister of Children and Youth Services 2007-2009 |
Laurel Broten |
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