Jeff Leal
Jeff Leal | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Peterborough | |
| Assumed office October 2, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Gary Stewart |
| Member of the Peterborough City Council for Otonabee Ward | |
| In office 1985–2003 | |
| Succeeded by | Paul Rexe Garry Herring |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 13, 1954 Peterborough, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Karan |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Peterborough, Ontario |
| Occupation | Health and Safety officer |
| Portfolio | Chief Government Whip (2011-2013) |
Jeff Leal (born December 13, 1954) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2003. He represents the riding of Peterborough. He serves in the cabinet of the government of Kathleen Wynne.
Background
Leal was born and raised in Peterborough. He attended Kenner Collegiate and has an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from Trent University (1978) and a degree in Business Administration from the University of Windsor (1981). Leal worked as executive assistant to Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) John Eakins and Larry South in the 1980s.[1] He was a health and safety representative for Coyle Corrugated Containers.[2] He is married to Karan, an educator and school principal, with two children, Braden and Shanae
Politics
Municipal
He served on the Peterborough city council from 1985 to 2003, representing the Otonabee Ward. At City Hall he was appointed as Deputy Mayor (1993-2003) and chaired the social services committee after the 2000 municipal election.
| 2000 Peterborough municipal election: Council, Otonabee Ward (two members elected) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % | ||||||
| (x)Jeff Leal | 3,461 | 41.15 | ||||||
| Glenn Pagett | 3,182 | 37.83 | ||||||
| Allan Deck | 1,768 | 21.02 | ||||||
| Total valid votes | 8,411 | 100.00 | ||||||
Provincial
Leal ran for provincial office in the 1999 provincial election as the Liberal candidate. He was narrowly defeated by Progressive Conservative incumbent Gary Stewart.[3] He defeated Stewart by over six thousand votes in a 2003 rematch, amid a provincial shift to the Liberal Party.[4] Leal was re-elected in 2007, 2011 and 2014.[5][6][7]
During his time in government he has served as Parliamentary Assistant to several ministers including Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (2004), Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (2005), Ministry of Energy (2005), Ministry of the Environment (2006), and the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs (2007–09). In February 2010, he was named the Chief Government Whip.[8]
In February 2013, Premier Kathleen Wynne named Leal to Ontario's Cabinet, serving in the role as Minister of Rural Affairs.[9]
Leal has helped secure over $400 million in funding for Peterborough, creating and preserving over 3,700 jobs with investments in infrastructure, transportation, businesses and health care. This included the creation of a new hospital, Peterborough Regional Health Centre, and funding following a damaging flood in 2004.[10][11]
Leal has championed a number of issues through private member's bills, including retirement and income security measures. He introduced a private member's bill in 2008 to provide creditor protection for Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs).[12] Two years later, he introduced a separate bill that would require companies with twenty or more employees to offer a savings or pension plan that all employees would automatically join (with the ability to opt out). The stated purpose of this bill, which was supported by the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association, was to reduce the costs of such insurance plans compared with retail mutual funds.[13]
In June 2014, Leal was appointed as the Minister of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs.[14]
Cabinet positions
Electoral record
| 2011 Ontario general election | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Jeff Leal | 19,319 | 39.79 | -8.01 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Alan Wilson | 15,309 | 31.53 | +5.93 | ||||
| New Democratic | Dave Nickle | 12,458 | 25.66 | +9.06 | ||||
| Green | Gary Beamish | 1,235 | 2.54 | -6.16 | ||||
| Freedom | Alex Long | 127 | 0.26 | |||||
| Socialist | Ken Ranney | 104 | 0.21 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 100.0 | |||||||
Template:Ontario provincial election, 2007/Electoral District/Peterborough (electoral district)
Template:Ontario provincial election, 2003/Electoral District/Peterborough (electoral district)
Template:Ontario provincial election, 1999/Electoral District/Peterborough (electoral district)
References
- ^ Hodgins, Bill (September 27, 2003). "'Lefty' after city seat for Grits". Peterborough Examiner. p. A1The article title is an reference to Leal's golf swing, not to his political leanings.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Lacey, Mike (September 17, 2003). Peterborough This Week. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. June 3, 1999.
- ^ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. October 2, 2003. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ^ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 10, 2007. p. 12 (xxi). Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ^ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 14. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ^ "General Election by District: Peterborough". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014.
- ^ "Jeff Leal replaces Mike Colle as Ontario chief government whip on Tuesday". Canadian Press. February 13, 2010.
- ^ "Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal sworn in as rural affairs minister". Peterborough Examiner. February 11, 2013.
- ^ Benzie, Robert (July 22, 2004). "$5 million in aid for Peterborough; 'Just a down payment,' says McGuinty". Toronto Star. p. A2.
- ^ "City gets more flood aid; Province to give extra $3.5 million 3,200 relief requests in Peterborough". Toronto Star. Canadian Press. September 7, 2004. p. A2.
- ^ "Now's time to shield RRSPs from creditors". Toronto Star. May 23, 2009. p. B1.
- ^ Daw, James (May 6, 2010). "Bill would make retirement savings plans mandatory". Toronto Star. p. B2.
- ^ Richard Brennan; Robert Benzie; Rob Ferguson (June 24, 2014). "Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare". Toronto Star.
