Filomena Tassi PC MP is a Canadian politician who has served as the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario since August 31, 2022. A member of the Liberal Party, Tassi represents the riding of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas in the House of Commons, taking office following the 2015 federal election. She served as the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Receiver General for Canada from 2021 to 2022, as the Minister of Labour from 2019 to 2021, and as the Minister of Seniors from 2018 to 2019.
Filomena Tassi | |
|---|---|
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| Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | |
| In office August 31, 2022 – December 20, 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Helena Jaczek |
| Succeeded by | Ruby Sahota |
| Minister of Public Services and Procurement Receiver General for Canada | |
| In office October 26, 2021 – August 31, 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Anita Anand |
| Succeeded by | Helena Jaczek |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Patty Hajdu |
| Succeeded by | Seamus O'Regan |
| Minister of Seniors | |
| In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Office re-established |
| Succeeded by | Deb Schulte |
| Deputy Government Whip | |
| In office January 30, 2017 – August 31, 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Ginette Petitpas Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Linda Lapointe |
| Member of Parliament for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | David Sweet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1962 (age 61–62)[citation needed] Hamilton, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Residence | Dundas, Ontario[1] |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession |
|
Education and early career
editTassi is of Italian descent, from the regions of Marche and Abruzzo, and was raised Catholic.[2] She studied law at the University of Western Ontario, and then practised corporate law for six years. She subsequently left the legal profession and studied philosophy and religious education at the University of Waterloo, and began working as the chaplain at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School and Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, a job she held until her election to the House of Commons.[3]
Political career
editTassi's first run for elective office was as a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in the 1995 provincial election, where she finished a narrow second to NDP incumbent David Christopherson. Two decades later, she became the federal Liberal candidate in Hamilton during the 2015 federal election. Her candidacy attracted some media controversy, as she had made statements in the past suggesting that her Roman Catholic faith made her personally opposed to abortion, which seemingly put her in conflict with Liberal leader Justin Trudeau's requirement that all candidates agree to vote in favour of abortion rights. Trudeau clarified that Tassi had agreed to support the legal right to abortion.[4]
Prior to entering federal politics, Tassi was a Catholic school board trustee.[5]
After previously serving as Deputy Government Whip, Tassi was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Seniors on July 18, 2018, becoming the first minister responsible for the portfolio since 2015.[6] After being re-elected in 2019, Tassi was named Minister of Labour, a job she held for just under two years until she was named Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Receiver General for Canada in the cabinet shuffle held following the 2021 federal election.[7] Tassi served in that job until August 31, 2022, when she was named Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, having requested to be moved to a portfolio with a lighter workload in order to deal with a family health matter.[8]
Electoral record
editFederal
edit| 2021 Canadian federal election: Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Filomena Tassi | 27,845 | 44.3 | -2.3 | $96,671.26 | |||
| Conservative | Bert Laranjo | 18,162 | 28.9 | +2.2 | $48,851.38 | |||
| New Democratic | Roberto Henriquez | 12,432 | 19.8 | +2.0 | $17,974.69 | |||
| People's | Dean Woods | 2,584 | 4.1 | +2.7 | $14,813.36 | |||
| Green | Victoria Galea | 1,661 | 2.6 | -4.8 | 7,901.50 | |||
| Rhinoceros | Spencer Rocchi | 137 | 0.2 | ±0.0 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes | 62,821 | 99.4 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 387 | 0.6 | ||||||
| Turnout | 63,208 | 71.2 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 88,781 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -2.8 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[9] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election: Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Filomena Tassi | 30,214 | 46.55 | -1.13 | $77,474.77 | |||
| Conservative | Bert Laranjo | 17,340 | 26.72 | -5.11 | none listed | |||
| New Democratic | Yousaf Malik | 11,527 | 17.76 | +1.49 | $35,360.66 | |||
| Green | Victoria Galea | 4,770 | 7.35 | +3.12 | none listed | |||
| People's | Daniel Ricottone | 894 | 1.38 | – | none listed | |||
| Rhinoceros | Spencer Rocchi | 156 | 0.24 | – | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 64,901 | 99.36 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 415 | 0.64 | +0.20 | |||||
| Turnout | 65,316 | 72.83 | +0.29 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 89,679 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +1.99 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[10][11] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election: Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Filomena Tassi | 29,694 | 47.68 | +22.76 | – | |||
| Conservative | Vincent Samuel | 19,821 | 31.83 | -10.57 | – | |||
| New Democratic | Alex Johnstone | 10,131 | 16.27 | -11.92 | – | |||
| Green | Peter Ormond | 2,633 | 4.23 | +0.5 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 62,279 | 100.0 | $221,675.78 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 272 | – | – | |||||
| Turnout | 62,551 | 74.1% | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 84,350 | |||||||
| Liberal notional gain from Conservative | Swing | +16.66% | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[12][13] | ||||||||
Provincial
edit| 1995 Ontario general election: Hamilton Centre | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | David Christopherson | 8,012 | 36.81 | -18.49 | $40,543.33 | |||
| Liberal | Filomena Tassi | 7,322 | 33.64 | +2.84 | $34,483.85 | |||
| Progressive Conservative | Angie Tomasic | 5,723 | 26.29 | +17.99 | $18,222.88 | |||
| Family Coalition | Tom Wigglesworth | 376 | 1.72 | +0.32 | $1,548.28 | |||
| Natural Law | Monique Poudrette | 331 | 1.53 | – | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes | 21,764 | 100.0 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 372 | 1.68 | -0.04 | |||||
| Turnout | 22,136 | 54.71 | -5.07 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 40,459 | |||||||
| New Democratic hold | Swing | -10.66 | ||||||
References
edit- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ "Filomena Tassi, "Italian Heritage Month" on May 15th, 2017 | openparliament.ca".
- ^ Meet Filomena Tassi, Liberal.ca.
- ^ Susana Mas, Justin Trudeau says Filomena Tassi agreed to vote pro-choice if elected in 2015, CBC News, November 28, 2014.
- ^ "Liberals pick up two Hamilton ridings, Marston defeated". CBC Hamilton, October 19, 2015.
- ^ Wright Allen, Samantha (July 25, 2018). "Rodriguez, Tassi staying as government whips for now, changes expected soon". The Hill Times. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ Bharti, Bianca (November 20, 2019). "Justin Trudeau's cabinet: Some new faces, some old faces, and some faces in new places | National Post". National Post. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Zimonjic, Peter (August 31, 2022). "Trudeau tweaks cabinet, swapping ministers Tassi and Jaczek". CBC News. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
- ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, 30 September 2015
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine