Nicholas George Leluk (February 23, 1935 – February 9, 1998) was a 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 C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1987, and was a cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of

Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Peel in the 1959 provincia ...

and

Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...

Background

Leluk was born in Hillcrest,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, and educated at the

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

and the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

. He worked as a pharmacist, and was executive assistant to the registrar of the Ontario College of Pharmacists from 1961 to 1969. Leluk was both a freemason and a Knight of Malta. He also served as President of the Ontario Tae Kwon-Do Association from 1974 to 1983, and was a founding executive director of the Council on Drug Abuse.

Politics

Leluk was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, in the

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district of, and one of six municipalities amalgamated into, the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke was first settled by Europeans in the 1790s, and the municipalit ...

constituency of

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between t ...

. He was re-elected for

York West York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in the elections of

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

, and

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

. He was named Minister of Correctional Services in Bill Davis's government on April 10, 1981. Leluk supported Frank Miller to succeed Davis in January 1985, and was retained in his portfolio when Miller became Premier of Ontario on February 8, 1985. He was narrowly re-elected in the 1985 provincial election, defeating

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 ...

candidate

Leonard Braithwaite Leonard Austin Braithwaite (October 23, 1923 – March 28, 2012) was a Canadian lawyer and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Liberal Party from 1963 to 1975. He was th ...

by 715 votes. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a tenuous minority government in this election. Leluk was named Minister of Citizenship and Culture on May 17, 1985, but accomplished little in this position before the Miller government was defeated by a

motion of non-confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in June 1985. Leluk served as an opposition member for two years, and did not run for re-election in 1987. He died in 1998.

Cabinet positions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leluk, Nick 1935 births 1998 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Toronto alumni Members of the Executive Council of Ontario