| Joseph Cordiano | |
|---|---|
| MPP for York South—Weston | |
| In office 1999–2006 |
|
| Preceded by | riding established |
| Succeeded by | Paul Ferreira |
| MPP for Lawrence | |
| In office 1987–1999 |
|
| Preceded by | riding established |
| Succeeded by | riding abolished |
| MPP for Downsview | |
| In office 1985–1987 |
|
| Preceded by | Odoardo Di Santo |
| Succeeded by | Laureano Leone |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 30, 1957 Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Occupation | Business owner |
Joseph Cordiano (born October 30, 1957) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada.[1] He was formerly a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and a cabinet minister in the government of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty.
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Cordiano was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Italian immigrants. He was educated at the University of Toronto and the University of Toledo in Ohio, graduating from the latter with a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Before entering political life, he was the owner and General Manager of Cash Rolls of Canada.
Cordiano was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1985, defeating incumbent New Democrat Odoardo Di Santo by 221 votes in the Toronto riding of Downsview. He was re-elected by a greater margin in the redistributed riding of Lawrence in the provincial election of 1987. Cordiano was not appointed to cabinet during the government of Liberal Premier David Peterson (1985–1990), but served as Parliamentary Assistant to a number of ministers.
The Liberals were upset by the NDP in the provincial election of 1990 and Cordiano faced a difficult challenge from NDP candidate Shalom Schachter, winning by 11786 votes to 10179. He subsequently emerged as a prominent voice for the provincial Liberal Party within Toronto. The provincial election of 1995 saw Cordiano win his riding by a comfortable margin — the provincial swing was to the Progressive Conservative Party, but the PCs did not have enough support in Lawrence to seriously compete for the riding.
When Lyn McLeod resigned as Liberal leader in 1996, Cordiano announced his candidacy to succeed her. At first, many saw him as the leading challenger to frontrunner Gerard Kennedy, who was regarded as representing the left-wing of the party. Cordiano, in turn, was seen by many as representing the party's establishment, while holding some right-wing leanings.
The leadership convention was held in November 1996. Cordiano finished second to Kennedy on the first ballot, but was unable to build upon his position in later counts. Dalton McGuinty tied him for second place on the third ballot, and overtook him on the fourth. Cordiano supported McGuinty on the fifth ballot, and was thereby largely responsible for McGuinty's victory over Kennedy for the party's leadership. Cordiano was subsequently named as Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and held this position until 1998. His replacement by Gerry Phillips as Deputy Leader angered some in the province's Italian community.
Cordiano and Kennedy were again rivals in the provincial election of 1999, this time for the Liberal nomination in the redistributed riding of York South—Weston. Kennedy was convinced by the party leadership to run elsewhere, and Cordiano won an easy victory in the election which followed. The Progressive Conservatives were re-elected in the general election, however, and Cordiano remained on the opposition benches. In 2000, he was appointed opposition critic for financial institutions.
The Liberals won the provincial election of 2003, and Cordiano won another easy victory in York South—Weston. On October 23, 2003, Cordiano was named Minister for Economic Development and Trade.
In June 2005. Joseph Cordiano faced calls for his resignation after it was discovered that he had billed $17,000 for personal expenses to his riding association. These expenses included meals in Paris and Milan, as well as theatre tickets in London. Cordiano insisted that these expenses were related to riding activities, and refused to resign. McGuinty defended Cordiano in public, claiming he had "complete confidence" in the minister.
Cordiano resigned from the cabinet and the legislature on September 18, 2006 citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
Cordiano is the cousin of former federal MP and Cabinet Minister Tony Ianno.
| Provincial Government of Dalton McGuinty | ||
| Cabinet Posts (1) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Minister for Economic Development and Trade 2003–2006 |
Sandra Pupatello | |