Gerard Kennedy

On May 23, Kennedy was the first candidate not from the NDP or its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, to win the seat since 1955.

He received 7774 votes; his nearest opponent was the NDP's David Miller, at the time, a Toronto city councillor, who received 6656 votes.

Gerard Michael Kennedy (born July 24, 1960) is a Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada.

He then worked as a historical researcher for the Government of Alberta in the early 1980s.

While attending the University of Alberta in Edmonton, he became involved in the local food bank, eventually becoming its first executive director in 1983.

He began his social activism career when he directed the volunteer program at an Edmonton Food Bank in 1983.

McGuinty's policies dealing with redistribution and sitting MPPs gave the senior MPP first choice in a redistributed riding, and Cordiano was the more senior of the two (he had served since 1985).

He instead ran in the neighbouring riding of Parkdale—High Park, which contained about one-fifth of his previous constituency, mostly the affluent Baby Point neighbourhood.

In 1986, he moved to Toronto to run the Daily Bread Food Bank and did so until he entered politics, in 1996.

After moving to Ontario, Kennedy was the executive director of Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank from 1986 to 1996.

The food bank distributed $30 million worth of food each year without government funding; 150,000 people are estimated to have used its services every month.

Kennedy was named in Toronto Life Magazine's list of fifty influential people in 1992, and was named newsmaker of the year by the Toronto Star in 1993.

Kennedy was also given an honourable mention in the Financial Post Magazine's C.E.O. awards in 1995.

Kennedy is married to Jeanette Arsenault-Kennedy, a daycare professional and Acadian (Francophone) from Prince Edward Island.

They have two children, daughter Théria and son John-Julien.

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as an Ontario Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in a 1996 by-election to replace former premier Bob Rae in the York South constituency.

Kennedy entered political life in May 1996, running in a by-election for the Ontario legislature in Toronto's York South constituency, which was vacated by former Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Bob Rae.

Despite being a newcomer to politics, Kennedy became the front-runner to replace Lyn McLeod as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in late 1996.

Although popular on the left-wing, he encountered a strong "anyone-but-Kennedy" movement from the party's establishment and right-wing which was divided among several candidates on the leadership convention floor.

Kennedy finished first on the first, second, third and fourth ballots, but was defeated on the fifth ballot by Dalton McGuinty.

Although McGuinty finished in fourth place on the first ballot, he was able to increase his support in the subsequent ballots, gaining delegates from the candidates that dropped off.

The results of the leadership contest did not prove divisive within the party and both rivals eventually became strong allies.

Kennedy served as the party's Health Critic during McGuinty's first opposition term.

In the 1999 and 2003 general elections, he was elected to represent the new Parkdale—High Park constituency.

Kennedy wanted to run in the redistributed York South—Weston constituency in the 1999 Ontario provincial election because it contained most of his old York South constituency.

However, he was persuaded to step aside for former leadership rival Joseph Cordiano.

He served as Ontario's minister of Education from 2003 to 2006, when he resigned to make an unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Kennedy previously ran for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, losing to future premier Dalton McGuinty on the final ballot.

He became the province's Minister of Education in 2003, serving in McGuinty's first government.

In 2006, he resigned his cabinet post and then his legislative seat to seek the federal Liberal Party's leadership.

He finished third in delegate selection meetings, but at the leadership convention, he placed fourth on both the first and second ballot before withdrawing to support the eventual winner, Stéphane Dion.

In the 2008 federal election he ran for the Liberal Party of Canada in the Parkdale—High Park electoral district and was elected as its Member of Parliament (MP).

He ran for re-election in the 2011 federal election, but lost to former MP, Peggy Nash.

Kennedy is one of six children born to Jack and Caroline Kennedy (née Shemanski).

Kennedy's father, descendant from Scottish ancestry originating in Cape Breton Island and the Ottawa Valley, ran a gas supply business in The Pas, Manitoba, eventually becoming that town's mayor.

His mother's ancestry was Ukrainian, and her family lived in Canada's Prairie region.

At age 14, Kennedy moved to Winnipeg to attend St. John's-Ravenscourt School on a hockey scholarship.

After high school, he attended Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, also on a hockey scholarship.

When Trent's hockey program was cancelled, Kennedy switched education institutions and attended the University of Alberta to continue his undergraduate studies, but left in his fourth year, without completing his degree.

He lost the 2013 Ontario Liberal leadership race.