Helen Kennedy (born 1958) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician and social activist. She is the executive director of Egale Canada.

Background

Born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, she came to Canada in 1979 at age 21. Kennedy began her career as an activist and change agent with the Industrial Accident Prevention Association, where she became an advocate for workplace safety and people with disabilities, building awareness as editor of the association's magazine. In 1985, she was hired by the Ontario New Democratic Party caucus at Queen's Park. She served the party for 14 years, in opposition and government. During that time, Kennedy founded the East York Tenants Association, which lobbied for rent controls and tenant rights. She also established Citizens for Access, an

awareness campaign Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

to open up public buildings to people with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

Municipal politics

In 1988, she successfully ran for city councillor in East York. Her campaign was the first in Canada to provide campaign literature on tape for the blind. She served until 1991, leaving due to the increased demands of her position at Queen's Park when the NDP won the provincial election and formed the government. In 1999, Kennedy joined Toronto City Councillor Olivia Chow's team at City Hall, as constituency assistant in Ward 20. Following Chow's resignation from city council to run in the 2006 federal election, Kennedy submitted her nomination as a candidate for the municipal elections with Chow's endorsement. In additional to Chow, Kennedy's candidacy was also endorsed by

Green Party of Canada The Green Party of Canada (french: Parti vert du Canada) is a federal political party in Canada, founded in 1983 with a focus on green politics. The Green Party is currently the fifth largest party in the House of Commons by seat count. It el ...

leader Elizabeth May and Conservative Senator

Nancy Ruth Nancy Ruth Rowell Jackman (born January 6, 1942) is a Canadian heiress, activist, philanthropist and former Canadian Senator. She was appointed by Prime Minister Paul Martin, on March 24, 2005. While initially appointed as a Progressive Conse ...

. The seat was won by Adam Vaughan, a former political reporter with

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Egale

In April 2007, she was named executive director of Egale Canada. She is the first woman to head the organization.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Helen 1958 births Living people Ontario municipal councillors LGBT municipal councillors in Canada Canadian LGBT rights activists Canadian lesbian politicians Irish emigrants to Canada Women municipal councillors in Canada Women in Ontario politics 20th-century Canadian politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century Canadian LGBT people 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century Canadian LGBT people