Sheila White (politician)

For other bearers of this name, see Sheila White (disambiguation).

Sheila White (born ca. 1954) is a Canadian political activist and a member of the New Democratic Party. She has run for office unsuccessfully five times, to date, in Toronto, Canada.

White worked as a senior aide to then-North York mayor Mel Lastman from 1985 to 1998, in charge of communications, media and community programs. She was then employed for five years as special advisor to Howard Hampton and the Ontario New Democratic Party and worked as media and communications director for the party's 2003 election campaign. She is currently executive assistant to Ontario New Democratic Party Leader and Member of Provincial Parliament for Hamilton East, Andrea Horwath.

White has appeared as a commentator on radio and television political panels.

Family history

White is the daughter of a mixed race couple. Her father, Order of Canada recipient Bill White, was a longtime member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and ran as the party's candidate in Spadina in the 1949 federal election, becoming the first Black Canadian to run for federal office. Both Sheila and her parents are Unitarian Universalists. She is also a cousin of Canadian Senator Donald Oliver and writer George Elliott Clarke, niece of singer Portia White and labour union activist Jack White, and granddaughter of clergyman William A. White, who, during World War I, became the first Black officer in British North America. He led the Second Construction Battalion as chaplain, the only black chaplain in the entire British Army.

Electoral history

White has twice run as a municipal candidate for Toronto City Council in Scarborough's Ward 44, placing second in the 1999 by-election and 2000 municipal election. She ran federally for the NDP in Scarborough—Guildwood in the 2004 federal election.

Subsequently, White was the NDP candidate in the provincial Scarborough—Rouge River by-election in November 2005 to replace Ontario Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament Alvin Curling. Curling had held the riding or predecessors thereto for twenty years prior to his resignation, on August 19, 2005, to accept a diplomatic appointment.

In the ensuing byelection, the riding was won by Toronto city councillor Bas Balkissoon with 58% of the vote. White captured 15% of the vote, finishing third behind Progressive Conservative candidate Cynthia Lai with 24% of the vote. A snowstorm caused the worst voter turnout in 30 years. Only 19% of voters cast a ballot.

White ran again in Scarborough—Rouge River as the NDP candidate in the 2007 provincial election. She again finished third.

Ontario general election, 2007
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Bas Balkissoon	22,362	65.2
	Progressive Conservative	Horace Gooden	4,962	14.5
	New Democrat	Sheila White	4,646	13.5
	Green	Serge Abbat	1,275	3.7
	Family Coalition	Joseph Carvalho	581	1.7
	Libertarian	Alan Mercer	492	1.4

Ontario byelection, November 24, 2005
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	+/-
	Liberal	Bas Balkissoon	9,347	57.6	-6.2
	Progressive Conservative	Cynthia Lai	4,032	24.9	-0.3
	New Democrat	Sheila White	2,425	14.9	+8.9
	Green	Steven Toman	167	1.2	-2.3
	Libertarian	Alan Mercer	100	0.6	-
	Family Coalition	Rina Morra	93	0.6	-0.8
	Freedom	Wayne Simmons	59	0.4	-

Canadian federal election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	John McKay	20,950
	Conservative	Tom Varesh	8,277
	New Democrat	Sheila White	5,885
	Green	Paul Charbonneau	1,106
	Canadian Action	Brenda Thompson	200