Judi Longfield

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Hon. Judi Longfield
Judi Longfield
Member of Parliament
for Whitby—Ajax (1997-2004);
Whitby—Oshawa (2004-2006)
In office
1997 election – 2006 election
Preceded by New district
Succeeded by Jim Flaherty
Born April 23, 1947 (1947-04-23) (age 61)
Timmins, Ontario
Political party Liberal
Spouse Alan Longfield
Residence Whitby
Profession Executive assistant, teacher

Judi Longfield, PC, (born April 23, 1947 in Timmins, Ontario) is a Canadian politician. She was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2006, representing the riding of Whitby—Oshawa as a member of the Liberal Party. She has also campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Contents

[edit] Early career

Longfield was born in Timmins, Ontario. She graduated from North Bay Teacher's College, and worked as a community college teacher before taking time off to raise a family. She has also been a governor of the Trafalgar Castle School for Girls. Longfield began working for the Liberal Party in 1965 as an organizer, and was an executive assistant to Ontario Liberal Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) Allan Furlong and Steve Mahoney before starting her own political career. She was a field organizer in Jean Chrétien's 1990 leadership campaign, and co-managed Dalton McGuinty's bid to become provincial leader in 1996.[1]

Longfield was first elected to the Whitby municipal council in 1991, winning a close victory in the city's second ward.[2] She was returned without opposition in 1994.[3] Longfield was involved with the local government division of the National Democratic Institute in this period, and represented Canada on delegations to Romania and Guyana.[4]

[edit] Government MP

Longfield was designated as the Liberal candidate for Whitby—Ajax in the 1997 federal election, as part of an effort by Prime Minister Chrétien to increase the number of female Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Liberal caucus.[5] She won a convincing victory, and was returned in the 2000 and 2004 elections, fending off a strong challenge from the Conservative Party on the latter occasion.[6]

Longfield served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Labour from 1999 to 2001 under Chrétien, and was parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Labour and Housing in Paul Martin's government from 2004 to 2006. She also remained active with the Ontario Liberal Party, co-chairing that party's campaign in the 1999 provincial election.[7] Initially associated with the Chrétien wing of the Liberal Party, Longfield sided with supporters of Chrétien's rival Paul Martin during a key procedural vote in 2002.[8]

Longfield is a supporter of pay equity policies, and criticized her own government for appealing a Supreme Court decision on the issue in 1998.[9] She is also a vocal proponent of affordable housing.[10] She holds socially conservative views on some issues, opposing marijuana decriminalization in 2003 and voting against the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005.[11]

[edit] Out of parliament

Longfield was defeated in the 2006 federal election by Conservative candidate Jim Flaherty, a former cabinet minister from the provincial government of Mike Harris. Shortly thereafter, she was chosen as the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Flaherty's vacated provincial seat in a provincial by-election held on March 30, 2006. She finished a close second against Progressive Conservative candidate Christine Elliott, Flaherty's wife.[12]

Longfield is now executive director of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario).[13]

[edit] Table of offices held

Preceded by
riding established in 2004		 Member of Parliament for Whitby—Oshawa
2004-2006		 Succeeded by
Jim Flaherty
Preceded by
riding established in 1997		 Member of Parliament for Whitby—Ajax
1997-2004		 Succeeded by
riding abolished in 2004
Preceded by
Joe Bugelli		 Whitby city councillor, Ward Two
1991-1997		 Succeeded by
Ross Batten

[edit] Electoral record

Ontario provincial by-election, March 30, 2006 : Whitby—Ajax edit
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
     Progressive Conservative Christine Elliott 15,843 46.16
     Liberal Judi Longfield 14,529 42.33
     New Democratic Party Julie Gladman 3,204 9.34
     Green Nick Boileau 307 0.89
     Freedom Paul McKeever 198 0.58
     Libertarian Marty Gobin 139 0.40
     Family Coalition Victor Carvalho 102 0.30
Total votes 34,322 100.00

Note: The above results are unofficial.


2006 federal election : Whitby—Oshawa edit
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
     Conservative Jim Flaherty 29,294 43.86 $88,591.06
     Liberal (x)Judi Longfield 25,882 38.75 $78,783.33
     New Democratic Party Maret Sadem-Thompson 8,716 13.05 $9,898.30
     Green Ajay Krishnan 2,407 3.60 $238.56
     Libertarian Marty Gobin 274 0.41 $258.75
     Canadian Action Tom Cochrane 217 0.32 $120.18
Total valid votes 66,790 100.00
Total rejected ballots 237
Turnout 67,027 70.60
Electors on the lists 94,938


2004 federal election : Whitby—Oshawa edit
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
     Liberal (x)Judi Longfield 25,649 45.04 $80,841.80
     Conservative Ian MacNeil 20,531 36.06 $30,004.30
     New Democratic Party Maret Sadem-Thompson 8,002 14.05 $13,476.77
     Green Michael MacDonald 2,759 4.85 $0.00
Total valid votes 56,941 100.00
Total rejected ballots 283
Turnout 57,224 64.08
Electors on the lists 89,296


2000 federal election : Whitby—Ajax edit
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
     Liberal (x)Judi Longfield 25,693 52.68 $68,465.75
     Canadian Alliance Shaun Gillespie 13,159 26.98 $28,304.89
     Progressive Conservative Rob Chopowick 7,563 15.51 $12,247.43
     New Democratic Party Vic Perroni 2,359 4.84 $2,493.06
Total valid votes 48,774 100.00
Total rejected ballots 153
Turnout 48,927 58.64
Electors on the lists 83,443


1997 federal election : Whitby—Ajax edit
Party Candidate Votes % Expenditures
     Liberal Judi Longfield 23,551 47.69 $43,611
     Reform Bill Serjeantson 11,977 24.25 $157
     Progressive Conservative Frank Snyder 10,107 20.47 $44,118
     New Democratic Party Karen Dolan 3,354 6.79 $30,424
     Canadian Action Party Robert Charles Radford 394 0.80 $1,904
Total valid votes 49,383 100.00
Total rejected ballots 248
Turnout 49,631 66.83
Electors on the lists 74,268


1994 Whitby municipal election, Council, Ward Twoedit
Candidate Total votes  % of total votes
(x)Judi Longfield acclaimed -


1991 Whitby municipal election, Council, Ward Twoedit
Candidate Total votes  % of total votes
Judi Longfield elected .
David Wall . .

All federal electoral information is taken from Elections Canada. Italicized expenditures from elections after 1997 refer to submitted totals, and are presented when the final reviewed totals are not available. Expenditures from 1997 refer to submitted totals.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation riding profile, 1997 federal election, Whitby—Ajax.
  2. ^ Doug Ibbotson, "Oshawa mayor loses to local councillor", Toronto Star, 13 November 1991, E6.
  3. ^ Nicolaas van Rijn, "Some new faces on area councils", Toronto Star 16 November 1994, A9.
  4. ^ CBC 1997 profile (see above).
  5. ^ Jim Brown, "Chrétien appoints four women", Winnipeg Free Press, 12 March 1997, B1.
  6. ^ Tracy Huffman, "Liberal wins after hard fight", Toronto Star, 29 June 2004, E10.
  7. ^ William Walker, "Support from federal Liberals half-hearted", Toronto Star, 17 March 1999, p. 1.
  8. ^ Jane Taber, "Backroom bid for solidarity fails to rally MPs to cause", Globe and Mail, 6 November 2002.
  9. ^ Daniel LeBlanc, "Protests indicate rising anger with Liberals", Globe and Mail, 22 September 1998, A7.
  10. ^ Mary Vallis, "Two successful politicians, just one federal seat", National Post, 19 December 2005, A4.
  11. ^ Campbell Clark, "Chrétien blasts his MPs for meddling with pot bill", Globe and Mail, 21 August 2003, A4; Tim Naumetz, "Liberals to rush through same-sex hearings", National Post, 6 May 2005, A6.
  12. ^ Journalist Ian Urquhart correctly predicted that Elliott would win the contest by a narrow margin. See Ian Urquhart, "Conservative Elliott no shoo-in in byelection", Toronto Star, March 29, 2006
  13. ^ LPCO Staff, Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario), accessed 23 March 2007.

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Longfield, Judi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 23, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Timmins, Ontario, Canada
DATE OF DEATH living
PLACE OF DEATH