Yvonne O'Neill (June 9, 1936 – September 6, 2010) was a politician from Ontario, Canada. She was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1987 to 1995. She represented the riding of Ottawa–Rideau.

Background

O'Neill was born as Yvonne Anne Bray in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, and was educated at the

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

and the

Ontario College of Education The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) is Canada's only all-graduate institute of teaching, learning and research. It is located at 252 Bloor Street West on the university's St. George campus in ...

. She worked as a secondary school teacher from 1958 to 1964, and later served as a trustee on the Carleton Roman Catholic Separate School Board of Education.

Political career

She was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial election, defeating her Progressive Conservative opponent by more than 6000 votes in the riding of Ottawa–Rideau. The Liberals won a majority government in this election under

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Back ...

, and O'Neill served as

parliamentary assistant In British politics and some Commonwealth nations, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan staff member employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work ...

to the

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in 1987–1988. The Liberals were upset by the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

in the 1990 provincial election, although O'Neill was comfortably re-elected in her own riding. She served as Deputy Opposition

Whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

from 1990 to 1992, and held a number of official critic positions. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 provincial election, and O'Neill lost her riding to Progressive Conservative Garry Guzzo by 1,523 votes.

Later life

She went on to serve with Elections Canada as the Federal Returning Officer for the electoral district of Ottawa West Nepean. She died from cancer on September 6, 2010, at the Cumberland Regional Health Centre in Amherst, Nova Scotia at the age of 74. A funeral was held on September 15, 2010, at the St. Augustine's Catholic Church in Ottawa.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, Yvonne 1936 births 2010 deaths Deaths from cancer in Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Ontario school board trustees Politicians from Toronto Women MPPs in Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 20th-century Canadian women politicians