Mary Anne Veronica Chambers, (born September 8, 1950) is a former politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, and is the recently named Chancellor of the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

. She was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 2003 until 2007, and served in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

in the government of

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nearl ...

Background

Chambers was born in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, and emigrated to Canada in 1976. She is a graduate of The Immaculate Conception High School. She was a banker prior to entering political life. She joined

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

in 1976, and was involved in the expansion of computer and electronic services within the organisation. She was also involved in a number of task forces concerning the role of women in the workplace. In 1988, she received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

with a major in Commerce. Chambers was named a Senior Vice-President of the bank in 1998, retiring from the position in December 2002. She is also a former director of ''Grace, Kennedy (Ontario) Ltd.'' and ''Grace Foods International Ltd.'', prominent food distribution companies belonging to a parent organization in Jamaica. Chambers was a member of the

Rouge Valley Health System Rouge Valley Health System (RVHS) was a hospital network in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1998 through the merger of Centenary Health Centre in Toronto and the Ajax and Pickering General Hospital in Ajax, serving the communi ...

, serving as Vice-Chair for a time. She was a member of the Board of Governors at the

from 1993 to 2001, and Vice-Chair of the Governing Council from 1998 to 2001. She helped to author a University policy that no student would be prevented from studying at Toronto for inadequate financial resources. Chambers was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

of Greater

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

from 1994 to 2001, and was President of the

Canadian Club of Toronto The Canadian Club of Toronto, now known as Canadian Club Toronto, is a non-profit speakers' forum in Toronto, Ontario. It meets several times a month to hear speeches given by invited guests from diverse fields, including politics, law, business, ...

from 1998 to 1999. In 2003, she was awarded the Jamaican Prime Ministers Medal of Appreciation for Service to Jamaica by Jamaican

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Percival James Patterson Percival Noel James Patterson, popularly known as P.J. Patterson (born 10 April 1935), is a Jamaican former politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1992 to 2006. He served in office for 14 years, making him the longe ...

, in recognition of her work within Toronto's Jamaican community.

Politics

Chambers was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the provincial election of 2003, as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

in the riding of

Scarborough East Scarborough East was a Canadian electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 2003. It initially consisted the eastern part of the Borough of Scarborough, although its boundaries were adjusted several times. It ...

, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative

Steve Gilchrist Steve Gilchrist (born July 7, 1954) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and served as a cabinet ...

by over 7000 votes. The Liberals won the provincial election, and Chambers was appointed Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities on October 23, 2003. In early 2004, she reaffirmed her government's election pledge not to raise tuition rates. Chambers was appointed Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services in June 2005. On July 11, 2007, she announced that she would not be running for

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

to the Ontario Legislature. In 2015, she was made a member of the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

. On May 17, 2015, she spoke in support of the nomination of NDP candidate Adaoma Patterson for Brampton West.

Cabinet positions

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Mary Anne 1950 births Black Canadian politicians Women government ministers of Canada Jamaican emigrants to Canada Living people Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Members of the Order of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs University of Toronto alumni Women MPPs in Ontario Black Canadian women Black Canadian businesspeople 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians