Maurizio Bevilacqua

The Honourable
Maurizio Bevilacqua
Mayor of Vaughan, Ontario
Assumed office
December 1, 2010
Preceded by Linda Jackson
Member of Parliament
for York North
In office
1988–1997
Preceded by Tony Roman
Succeeded by Karen Kraft Sloan
Member of Parliament
for Vaughan—King—Aurora
In office
1997–2004
Preceded by first member
Succeeded by riding dissolved
Member of Parliament
for Vaughan
In office
2004–2010
Preceded by first member
Succeeded by Julian Fantino
Personal details
Born (1960-06-01) June 1, 1960
Sulmona, Italy
Political party Liberal
Profession Consultant
Religion Roman Catholic

Maurizio Bevilacqua, PC, BA (born June 1, 1960) is a Canadian politician and mayor of Vaughan, Ontario. He was a Liberal Member of Parliament from 1988 to 2010 and was one of eleven candidates for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada but dropped out of the race on August 14, 2006. He has been described in the media as a "right-of-centre, business friendly Liberal".[1]

He resigned his seat in the Canadian House of Commons [2] and announced on September 3, 2010, that he would be a candidate for mayor of Vaughan.[3] On October 25 he was elected mayor.

Early life

Born in Sulmona, Italy, he arrived in Canada in 1970 at the age of 10.[4] As a youth, he attended Emery Collegiate and received a Bachelor of Arts from York University. He has two children, Jean-Paul and Victoria.

Politics

He first got involved in party politics by working as a staffer for Sergio Marchi,[5] and would later participate in student politics at York University.

Initially elected in the 1988 election, he defeated the Progressive Conservative candidate by only 77 votes. Due to the closeness of the race, the results were voided by the courts, and a by-election was called for 1990.[6]

Bevilacqua surprised many when he defeated parachute candidate Maria Minna for the Liberal nomination in the 1990 by-election of York North. He won the by-election by over 7,000 votes, despite a strong effort by the New Democratic Party.

Bevilacqua represented the districts of York North (1988–1997), Vaughan—King—Aurora (1997–2004) and Vaughan (2004–2010). He is a former secretary of state (Science, Research and Development) and (International Financial Institutions). He is also a former parliamentary secretary to the minister of Labour (Human Resources Development) and to the Minister of Employment and Immigration (Human Resources Development). He was formerly a consultant.

He was the longtime chair of the Commons finance committee. While a fiscal conservative, Bevilacqua has supported same-sex marriage.[1]

In addition, Bevilacqua is against abortion.

"Hon. members, everything I believe, everything that I hold dear, my social and cultural make-up, my personal beliefs as a human being, tells me that abortion is wrong. I feel within myself, passionately, that abortion is against the natural order. It negates the essence of our being" - Maurizio Bevilacqua (Hansard, November 27, 1989).

"I do not understand how any of us can accept giving the responsibility and the right to anyone to decide on who will live and who will not" - Maurizio Bevilacqua (Hansard, November 27, 1989).

Bevilacqua was the first Liberal to declare his support for Paul Martin's failed 1990 bid for the leadership of the party.

Bevilacqua supports a common integration with the U.S. Dollar Currency. "Mr. Bevilacqua's outspoken criticism of economic protectionism, and his support for continental integration and a common currency with the United States, could put him at odds with more traditional Liberals." National Post[7]

He holds the record for the largest personal margin of victory in a Canadian federal election, winning his seat by a margin of 51,389 votes over his closest rival in 1993.

2006 Liberal leadership bid

On April 19, 2006, he declared his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal Party, joining Martha Hall Findlay, Michael Ignatieff, and Stéphane Dion as official entrants into the leadership race. His supporters included MPs Gerry Byrne and Roy Cullen, former Cabinet minister Roy MacLaren and former party pollster Michael Marzolini. He also attracted the support of former Chrétien organizers Tennio Evangelista, Jeff Angel and Jeff Smith.[1] His campaign for the Liberal Party leadership was not successful and he dropped out of the race on August 14, 2006 to support fellow Liberal Party leadership candidate Bob Rae.[8]

2010 mayoral election

Bevilacqua officially announced in early September 2010 that he was running in the 2010 Vaughan municipal election for the position of mayor. The announcement came shortly after his resignation as Member of Parliament for Vaughan.[3]

He defeated controversial incumbent Linda Jackson, the former mayor who was still facing charges from election finance irregularities stemming from her 2006 mayoral victory.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Centrist Bevilacqua to seek Liberal leadership". CTV Saskatchewan. 18 April 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  2. ↑ San Grewal. Bevilacqua resigns as MP, clears way for run at Vaughan’s top job. Toronto Star. August 25, 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-04.
  3. 1 2 "Bevilacqua confirms Vaughan mayoral run", CBC News, September 3, 2010. Retrieved 2014-06-4.
  4. ↑ https://www.vaughan.ca/council/mayor_bevilacqua/Pages/profile.aspx
  5. ↑ Bevilacqua considers leadership bid
  6. ↑ History of Federal Ridings since 1867
  7. ↑ Bevilacqua, other junior MPs may run. National Post. November 16, 2004.
  8. ↑ Bevilacqua pulls out of Liberal leadership race. CBC News. August 14, 2006.
  9. ↑ Bevilacqua wins in Vaughan. National Post. October 25, 2010.
26th Ministry – Cabinet of Jean Chrétien
Sub-Cabinet Posts (2)
Predecessor Title Successor
John McCallum Secretary of State (International Financial Institutions)
(2002-2003)		 Denis Paradis
as Minister of State
Gilbert Normand Secretary of State (Science, Research & Development)
(2002)		 Rey Pagtakhan
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