Fewer Italian-Canadian Candidates

A total of 29 hopefuls of Italo origin are running in upcoming provincial elections

In the coming Provincial election, which will be held on October 2, the Italian-Canadian platoon is quite large; however, there is a downward trend in numbers, especially within the NDP.
Twenty-nine Italian-Canadian candidates will run in the October election, out of a total of 436. The lion's share runs for the Liberals (15), then come the Tories (seven) and NDP (two). Five more run for minor parties. The 29 candidates include Liberal MP Tony Ruprecht, whose mother came from Italy, and Cesar Martello, who was born in Argentina but had a grandparent of Italian origin.
Far seems the time when NDP dominated the Italian-Canadian field in Ontario.
The peak came in 1975, when NDP brought to Queen's Park the so-called "three musketeers": Odoardo Di Santo, Tony Lupusella, and Tony Grande. They got re-elected in 1977, and in order to find an Italian-Canadian in the Liberal caucus one had to wait until 1981, when Michele Spensieri became an MPP.
The first surprise came in 1985, when the charismatic leader of Italian-Canadian New Democrats, Di Santo, was defeated by Joe Cordiano.
Seven Italian-Canadian Grits won seats in Queen's Park in that election, versus only two running with NDP.
In 1987, David Peterson's Liberals won a "shutout" and got 11 Italian-Canadians elected. The New Democrats responded in 1990, electing six MPPs while the Liberals got cut in half.
In 1995, under Mike Harris, the first Italian-Canadian Tories entered Queen's Park. The small group, four MPPs, was led by the late Al Palladini. These four grew to six in 1999, while the Liberals elected nine of their own. The NDP only managed to elect Rosario Marchese.
The highest number of Italian-Canadian candidates was recorded in the 1995 election: 49, 20 of which in the Liberal Party alone.
The decrease in this year's election is mostly due to the reduction in the number of candidates running for minor parties. Both in 1995 and 1999 these parties lined up 15 candidates of Italian origin. This year there are only five. They include Giuseppe Gori, the energetic president of the Family Coalition Party of Ontario, running in Halton; this party also includes another Italian-Canadian, Antonio Ieraci, running in Scarborough-Agincourt.
Another interesting consideration is that while the number of candidates has decreased, most Italian-Canadians run in districts where they have a fair chance of winning; in fact, many of them are incumbent MPPs.

Greg Sorbara- He's the current Chair of the Liberal Party and was a minister in David Peterson's cabinet. Sorbara, a lawyer, is married and a father of six; he runs in Vaughan-King-Aurora.

Sandra Pupatello- She's the Vice Leader of her party and first became an MP in 1995. A frequent questioner of the Government, she runs in Windsor West, where she's very active in the community.

Joe Cordiano- Cordiano is the dean of Italian-Canadian MPs. First elected in 1985, he's always won his re-election. In 1996 he ran unsuccessfully for party leadership. Cordiano, married and a father of two, runs in York South-Weston.

Mario Sergio- A former city councillor for North York, he became an MP in 1995. He's very committed to advocating for seniors and small businesses. Sergio, who runs in York West, is married and has two children.

Domenic Agostino- He made a name for himself for his incisive speeches in Queen's Park, following his 1995 election. Agostino, a former Hamilton city councillor, runs in Hamilton East.

Rick Bartolucci- Bartolucci runs in Sudbury, where he won his first election in 1995. Previously, he had been councillor and vice mayor of the same city. He's married and a father of two.

Mike Colle- Colle, a teacher, was a Toronto city councillor before becoming an MP in 1995. He runs in Oakwood. Colle is married and a father of four.

Tony Ruprecht- The son of an Italian mother, Ruprecht entered Queen's Park in 1999, elected in Parkdale. He now represents the Davenport riding. He's very active in community activities.

Caroline Di Cocco- She's been engaged in community activities in the city of London for a long time. She won her first election in 1999, and runs in Sarnia-Lambton.

Lorenzo Berardinetti- He's been a city councillor in Toronto and before that in Scarborough since 1988. He's now hoping to win election in Scarborough Southwest.

Henry D'Angela- Entrepreneur, with a degree in Economics, D'Angela is currently a city councillor in Thorold. He runs in Niagara Centre, is married and a father of two.

Mario Racco- After winning six elections in Vaughan's City Council, Racco now runs in Thornhill. Very active in the community, Racco is married and a father of two.

Bill Mauro- Since 1997, Mauro is a city councillor in Thunder Bay. Married, with two children, he runs in Thunder Bay-Atkokan.

Lou Rinaldi- Rinaldi is the owner of the Brighton Speedway, and has been involved in politics since 1992 in the former Township of Brighton. He runs in Northumberland.


David Orazietti- Orazietti is a city councillor in Sault Ste. Marie, and runs in that riding. He's a teacher, married, and has one daughter.


The seven PC candidates

The number of candidates running for the PC Party has been rising steadily for the past few years, while in the past the majority of Italian-Canadian candidates ran for the Liberals or the NDP.
The bigger impulse came from former Premier Mike Harris, who did his best to recruit popular members of our community. He managed to convince entrepreneur Al Palladini, who was to become a personal friend and close political advisor of his. In his wake, four Italian-Canadian MPs were elected for the Tories in 1995, growing to six in the 1999 election.
Palladini passed away suddenly three years ago, leaving a hole not only in our community but also in the PC Party, which hasn't managed to lure any other big name since.
Relations with our community also grew colder due to Harris' retirement. Premier Ernie Eves has been trying to renew the dialogue with mixed success. The most promising Italian-Canadian with the Tories is Associate Minister Tina Molinari, running in Thornhill.
Seven candidates run for the Tories in this election; five of them are incumbent. In addition to Molinari, in fact, there are Joe Spina, Joe Tascona, Frank Mazzilli, and Gary Guzzo. The two recruits are Carmine Iacono and Mario Giangioppo.

Tina Molinari- She entered Queen's Park for the first time in 1999, and is currently the only Italian-Canadian minister in Ernie Eves' cabinet. Very active in the community, Molinari is Assistant Minister for Municipal Affairs.

Joe Spina- He was elected for the first time in Brampton Centre in 1995. With a degree obtained in Windsor, he's Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Labour. Born in Sault Ste. Marie, he's an entrepreneur and very active in the community.

Joe Tascona- He was first elected in Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford in 1995. He's a lawyer and has been appointed Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. Tascona, 52, was a councillor for the City of Barrie and is married.

Frank Mazzilli- He was elected in London-Fanshawe in 1999 and is currently Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of the Attorney General. A former London police officer, Mazzilli is married and has three children.

Gary Guzzo- A lawyer and Provincial Judge from 1978 to 1989, he was elected in the Ottawa West-Napean riding. Guzzo, 62, is very active in social activities within his constituency. He's married and has two children.

Carmine iacono- He's a lawyer with a commitment to community activities. He runs in Vaughan-King-Aurora. Married and with one child, he's been appointed in 1997 as Deputy Judge of the Ontario Supreme Court, Central East Region.

Mario Giangioppo- This lawyer runs in York West. Giangioppo, 49, very active within the Italian-Canadian community, has always been involved in all levels of government; this is the first time he runs for an elective post, however.


The two NDP candidates

The Italian-Canadian candidates running for the NDP are a small group indeed. In addition to incumbent MP Rosario Marchese, in fact, there is only one other candidate of Italian origin: Cesar Martello, born in Argentina. Martello is a student at York University. The standard-bearer of Italian-Canadian is Rosario Marchese, the enterprising NDP leader who's been representing the Trinity-Spadina riding since 1990. Marchese is a teacher and Education Critic.

Rosario Marchese, incumbent MP for NDP in Trinity-Spadina.

Cesar Martello, student of Political Science, running in Bramalea-Gore-Malton.

Publication Date: 2003-09-21
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3161