Elaine Ziemba
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Elaine Ziemba (born ) 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 ...
former
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
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. She was a
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...
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 1990 to 1995, and served as a
cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, â ...
in the government of
Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
.


Background

Ziemba was born and raised in the west end Roncesvalles neighbourhood. Her family owned a television store. She was executive director of the St. Clair West Meals-on-Wheels and president of the Metro Toronto Federation of Community-based Seniors' Agencies, and was strongly involved in activities involving Toronto's
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
community. She also wrote articles on the history of
canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...
ing in Canada during the 1980s. Her brother-in-law,
Ed Ziemba Edward John Ziemba (born May 2, 1932) is a Canadian former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1981 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of High Park—Swans ...
, represented the
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 ...
riding of
High Park—Swansea High Park—Swansea was a provincial riding (electoral district) in the west-end of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1999. It was created during the 1975 riding redist ...
for the Ontario NDP from 1975 to 1981.


Politics

Ziemba ran for Toronto city council in the 1980 election in Ward 2. She placed fourth behind
Tony Ruprecht Tony Ruprecht (born December 12, 1942) is a former Canadian politician. His first elected position was as an alderman in the old Toronto City Council, in the late 1970s. He became a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, and ser ...
and Ben Grys.


Provincial politics

She ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent
Yuri Shymko Yuri Shymko (Cyrillic: Юрій Шимко, born September 6, 1940) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative Party member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1978 to 1979 representing the downtown Toronto ...
by 330 votes. She ran again in the 1987 provincial election and finished third, behind Shymko and the winner,
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 ...
David Fleet David Gordon Fleet (born March 3, 1954) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1990 who represented the riding of High Park-Swansea. Background Fleet was educated at ...
. The NDP won a majority government in the 1990 provincial election and Ziemba was elected over Fleet by over 3,000 votes. On October 1, 1990, Ziemba was appointed Minister of Citizenship with responsibility for disabled persons and seniors. In 1992, Ziemba's department passed an "Advocacy Act" enshrining the right of consumers to accurate information. In 1996 the Tories repealed the legislation.


Employment equity

Ziemba's most controversial ministerial decisions involved the issue of employment equity. She was given control of this file at the beginning of the Rae government's mandate, and she hired
Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré Juanita Westmoreland-Traore, (born March 10, 1942) is the first black judge in the history of Quebec. She is also the first black dean of a law school (the University of Windsor Faculty of Law) in Canada's history. Early life and education We ...
as an employment equity commissioner to draft legislation on the subject. Westmoreland-Traoré said that the purpose of employment equity was to remove cultural biases that prevent certain segments of society from getting good jobs. She said, "Targets for racial minorities, women, aboriginals and the disabled is the best way to "even the playing field" that's favored white males." Premier
Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...
argued that employment equity was a goal set out in the Liberal-NDP accord in 1985 but the Peterson government failed to act on it. He said the NDP were firmly opposed to quotas and that any law would be implemented gradually. Critics of the policy argued that the legislation would inevitably lead to quotas. Alan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said, "We are concerned that a requirement of numerical goals could produce unfairness." The ''Employment Equity Act'' was passed in December 1993 with implementation set to start on September 1, 1994. Opponents of the bill argued that while the goal of employment equity was laudable, the result of the bill would be discrimination against one section of society in favour another. Some felt the bill would encourage racist elements of society. In 1995 after the NDP defeat, the governing Tories under
Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
tabled the ''Job Quotas Repeal Act'' which removed all of the work done by Ziemba. The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Ziemba lost to Progressive Conservative candidate
Derwyn Shea Derwyn Spencer Shea (September 1, 1937 – August 15, 2015) was an Anglican Church of Canada clergyman and politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a municipal politician in the city of Toronto for 12 years, and sat as a Progressive Conservative m ...
by fewer than 2,000 votes.


Cabinet positions


Electoral record


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziemba, Elaine 1942 births Canadian people of Polish descent Women government ministers of Canada Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Politicians from Toronto Living people Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Women MPPs in Ontario