Chris Lea is a politician and political activist in Canada. He was the leader of the Green Party of Canada from 1990 to 1996. He is, to date, the party's longest-serving leader. Lea is notable for being the first openly gay political party leader in Canadian history. A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... The Green Party of Canada is a minor federal political party in Canada. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The slang term being in the closet has been used to describe keeping secret ones sexual behaviors or orientation disapproved of by society; typically homosexuality or bisexuality, but also including transgender or transsexual people and various paraphilias. ... Although the word gay originally meant happy, in modern usage the term is often synonymous with homosexual. However, both terms are used in several different ways, and are not always interchangable: A gay or homosexual sexual orientation (attraction, preference, or inclination) Gay or homosexual sex involves acts between or among...

Lea lives in Toronto. Formerly a professional architect, he is currently the Facility Manager of Hart House at the University of Toronto and a board member of the Toronto Opera Repertoire. During the 1980s, he contributed articles to The Body Politic, a periodical focusing on gay issues. Hart House Hart House is a student centre at the University of Toronto. ... Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto (U of T), in Toronto, Ontario, is the largest university in Canada and one of the most important scholarly publishers in North America. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... The Body Politic was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987. ...

Lea began a side career as an opera performer in 2002, and in February 2005 undertook his first on-stage solo in a performance of Gioacchino Rossini's The Barber of Seville. The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (February 29, 1792 — November 13, 1868) was an Italian musical composer who wrote more than 30 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music. ... The Barber of Seville is a theatre play by Beaumarchais, written in 1775, and originally entitled Le Barbier de Séville in French. ...

The Green Party of Canada's internal organization was very decentralized in the early 1990s, and its leadership position was effectively a nominal title. Lea does not appear to have exercised any personal influence over party policy during his time as leader. After 1996, the party's leadership became more centralized. // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ...

As party leader, Lea campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons in the 1993 federal election, and received 623 votes in the Toronto riding of Trinity—Spadina for a sixth-place finish. He also campaigned for the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial election as a candidate of the Green Party of Ontario, and received 241 votes in the Toronto riding of St. George—St. David. He has not sought federal or provincial office since this time, though he remains active within the Green Party. In 1998, he was chosen as the party's Chief Agent. The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, which also includes the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ... The 1993 Canadian federal election, which took place on October 25th, 1993, was one of the most eventful in Canadian history. ... }|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Official Flag]]|Coat Image=[[Image:{{{Coat Image}}}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Coat of Arms]]}} {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Diversity Our Strength {{Canadian City/Location Image is:{{{Location Image Type}}}|[[Image:{{{Location Image}}}|thumbnail|250px|City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Location. ... This page refers to a Riding as a unit in local government. ... Trinity—Spadina is an electoral district, generally encompassing the western portion of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Bob Raes Ontario New Democratic Party government was defeated by voters, who are angry at the mistakes made by the inexperienced NDP, and frustrated by rising taxes and unemployment. ... The Green Party of Ontario contests provincial elections in Ontario, Canada. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Lea has long been an ally of Jim Harris in the Toronto Green community, and supported Harris's bid for re-election as party leader in 2004. Jim Harris. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Green Party of Canada is a minor federal political party in Canada. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...