Charles Sousa

The Honourable Charles Sousa MPP
Minister of Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office February 11, 2013
Preceded by	Dwight Duncan
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister responsible for the 2015 Pan and Para Pan American Games
In office October 20, 2011 – November 9, 2012
Preceded by	Eric Hoskins
Succeeded by	Michael Chan
Minister of Labour
In office December 16, 2010 – October 20, 2011
Preceded by	Peter Fonseca
Succeeded by	Linda Jeffrey
Member of Provincial Parliament for Mississauga South
Incumbent
Assumed office October 30, 2007
Preceded by	Tim Peterson
Personal details
Born	(1958-09-27) September 27, 1958 Toronto, Ontario
Political party	Ontario Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Zenaida Sousa
Children	3
Alma mater	Wilfrid Laurier University (B.B.A.) The University of Western Ontario (M.B.A.)
Occupation	Businessperson

Charles Sousa (born September 27, 1958) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Mississauga South and Ontario's Minister of Finance, while also serving as the Chair of the Treasury Board and Management Board of Cabinet. He was the province's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan and Para Pan American Games in the Cabinet of Premier Dalton McGuinty until November 9, 2012 when he resigned in order to enter the Liberal Party's leadership election. Sousa served as Minister of Labour from 2010 to 2011 after having been Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

Sousa grew up in Mississauga, and is currently living in Clarkson with his wife Zenaida and their three children.

Business career and community involvement

Education

Charles Sousa graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1982 with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration. In 1991, he completed a fellowship at the Institute of Canadian Bankers. He then earned an Executive MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario in 1994.

Business career

Before joining government, Sousa worked at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Financial Group for more than 20 years. Among his roles was Director of Business Development – Commercial Financial Services, Director of Government & Community Affairs promoting RBC's strategic initiatives and Senior Manager of Marketing at RBC Dominion Securities’ head office. Prior to working with RBC, he owned and operated a factoring company that offered financial services to small businesses.

Community involvement

Sousa has been a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, a director with the United States Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Toronto Board of Trade. In 2003, he was appointed to represent Canada as a director to the International Chamber of Commerce. He is a past president of the Federation of Portuguese-Canadian Business & Professionals and member of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Toronto (EUCOCIT). He was also an ambassador for the Credit Valley Hospital Foundation and an honorary chair of the Rainbow Ball Foundation.

In 2003, Sousa received a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his service to the community. In 2009, he was inducted as a Commander (Comendador) to the Order of Merit (Portugal), and in 2012 he received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Political career

Sousa ran against sitting Mississauga South MP Paul Szabo for the federal Liberal nomination in 2004, but was defeated in a tightly fought campaign. He ran for the federal Liberal nomination in Mississauga—Erindale in 2006 but was defeated as well. He served as co-chair of future PC leader John Tory's campaign for mayor of Toronto in the 2006 election, being part of the leadership of the group "Grits for Tory."

2007 election

Sousa won the riding in the 2007 provincial election, defeating incumbent Tim Peterson. Formerly a Liberal, Peterson had crossed the floor in March 2007 to join the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party). Analysts had expected the vote to be extremely close — however, Sousa ultimately won the riding with 46.8 per cent of the popular vote, and by a margin of just over 5,000 votes more than Peterson.

2011 election

Sousa was re-elected in the 2011 provincial election with a larger margin of victory than in 2007, despite predictions that the race would be much closer. Sousa won the riding with over 50% of the popular vote and over 5,800 more votes than the runner up to retain his seat in the minority government.

Member of Provincial Parliament

Sousa sits on the Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet as well as the Jobs and Economic Policy Cabinet Committee. Prior to the 2011 Ontario election he sat on the Cabinet Committees on Economic & Environmental Resources Policy and Legislation & Regulations. He was previously a member of the Standing Committee on Finance & Economic Affairs and has held the positions of Minister of Labour, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Government & Consumer Services.

In 2008, Sousa introduced a private member's bill to track and report industrial, commercial and institutional (IC&I) waste. He also introduced a private member's bill to improve Financial literacy education. As a parliamentary assistant, Sousa ushered the passage of Open for Business legislation to make it easier and faster to conduct business in Ontario. He also facilitated passage of the Payday Loans Act to protect Ontario consumers against predatory lending.

In 2011, Charles introduced and passed Bill 160 – the Occupational Health and Safety Statute Law Amendment Act to create a Chief Prevention Officer and a new prevention council within Ontario's Ministry of Labour. He also introduced and received unanimous support for Bill 181, the Fire Protection and Prevention Amendment Act (2011), addressing protection for Ontario firefighters and duty of fair representation.

Sousa chairs an industry caucus at Queen’s Park and sat on the Clarkson Airshed Study Advisory Committee, as well as the Petro-Canada Public Liaison Committee. He also sits on the Lakeview and Port Credit community advisory committees.

Electoral record

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Sousa.

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History