Ambassador Alvin Curling (born November 15, 1939 in Kingston, Jamaica) is Canada's envoy to the Dominican Republic. A former politician in Ontario, Canada, he was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario until he resigned on August 19, 2005 to accept his diplomatic appointment. He had been a Liberal MPP for twenty years, from 1985 to 2005. Curling is a prominent Black Canadian. An ambassador, rarely embassador, is a diplomatic official accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of his or her own country. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Location of Kingston Kingston (population 600,000) is the capital of Jamaica. ... A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Area 1,076,395 km² (4th) • Land 917,741 km² • Water 158,654 km² (14. ... The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (i. ... The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ontario Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. ... A Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... This article is about the year. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The term Black Canadian refers to Canadian citizens who are of African descent. ...

Early career

Curling was educated at Seneca College, and Atkinson College at York University in Toronto. He began working as an educator in 1972, and served as President of the World Literacy of Canada organization from 1981 to 1984, as well as working in the Jamaican Canadian Association. Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology has approximately 90,000 part-time and 17,000 full-time students. ... York University (YorkU) is a large comprehensive university, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength City of Toronto, Ontario, Canadas Location. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about the year 1984. ...

He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1985 as a Liberal in the suburban Toronto riding of Scarborough North. Curling defeated Progressive Conservative Carole Noble by about 8,000 votes. His personal total of 30,504 votes was a provincial record at the time. David Petersons Liberals, with support from Bob Raes New Democrats, form a minority government despite having fewer seats than Frank Millers Progressive Conservatives. ... The Ontario Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party of Ontario) is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. ...

The Liberals formed a minority government after this election, and Curling was appointed Minister of Housing on June 26, 1985. He was the first Black Canadian to hold a cabinet-level position in Ontario. During his time as minister of Housing, he expanded the parameters of Ontario's rent control program, and announced a $500 million initiative for new urban housing. Curling was easily re-elected in the provincial election of 1987, and was appointed Minister of Skills Development on September 29, 1987. He served in this capacity until August 2, 1989, when he was dropped from cabinet. A minority government, or a minority cabinet, is a cabinet of a parliamentary system which does not represent a majority in the parliament — or in bicameral parliaments, in that chamber whose confidence is considered most crucial. ... The government of the Province of Ontario has several ministries (or departments), one of which is the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. ... June 26 is the 177th day of the year (178th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 188 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... David Petersons Liberals were returned to power with a large majority. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years). ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In opposition

The Liberals were defeated by the NDP in the 1990 election, although Curling managed to retain his riding by about 4,000 votes. He was also re-elected without much difficulty in the face of Progressive Conservative majority governments of 1995 and 1999 (on the latter occasion, he was re-elected in the redistributed riding of Scarborough—Rouge River). From 1996 to 1999, he served as Deputy House Leader for the Liberals. In 1995, he gained notoriety for his 18-hour filibuster-like protest against the Mike Harris government's Omnibus Bill 26. When Curling was ordered expelled from the legislature for using what was judged to be unparliamentary language, he refused to leave his seat, and a knot of fellow Liberal and NDP opposition members formed a cordon around him to prevent his physical removal. Reports stated that when legislature staff saw Frances Lankin, NDP MPP and a former prison guard, among the cordon, they backed off. Curling claimed his protest was meant to highlight a lack of public consultation in the Harris government's bill. The Ontario New Democratic Party (formerly known as the Ontario Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. ... As a result of serious scandals, David Petersons Liberal government was defeated by a large protest vote. ... In the Westminster System, a majority government is one in which the government enjoys an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or Parliament. ... The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario general election of 1999 was held in the Canadian province of Ontario in the late spring of 1999. ... Scarborough—Rouge River is a Canadian electoral district. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) is a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... In Canada each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench MP and an expert in parliamentary procedure. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In a legislature or other decision making body, a filibuster is an attempt to obstruct a particular decision from being taken by using up the time available, typically through an extremely long speech. ... Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945, in Toronto, Ontario) was the twenty-second Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. ... In a Westminster system, unparliamentary language is words or phrases that are deemed to be inappropriate for use in the House whilst it is in session. ... Frances Lankin Frances Lankin is a Canadian administrator, and a former politician and trade unionist. ...

Curling supported Joseph Cordiano for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership in 1996 (Ottawa Citizen, 21 November 1996). Joseph Cordiano (born October 30, 1957) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Speaker of the Legislature

The Liberals returned to power following the provincial election of 2003, and Curling was elected Speaker of the Legislature without opposition on November 19, 2003. Map of Ontarios ridings and their popular vote for their party elected The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the Legislative Assembly (Members of Provincial Parliament, or MPPs) of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Curling soon faced criticism over how objectively he was performing his duties as Speaker. Opposition MPPs, including New Democrat Peter Kormos and Conservative John Baird, suggested that Curling favoured his Liberal colleagues, sanctioning Conservative and NDP members for behaviour he would more often let slide from Liberals. Curling had also been criticized for attending Liberal Party fundraiser while Speaker as previous Speakers had avoided attending such events. In late March 2005, Kormos announced plans to introduce a resolution calling on Curling to resign from the post, and it was rumoured Conservatives were considering a similar call. Peter Kormos (born October 7, 1952 in Welland, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. ... There have been various John Bairds of significance. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Curling resigned his seat in the Legislative Assembly on August 19, 2005 to accept a diplomatic posting as Canada's ambassador to the Dominican Republic. August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the mid-2000s, Curling was honoured by the government of Jamaica with a Rank of Distinction. He holds the title of Commander. This article is about the year 2000. ...

External link

• Official website