Elaine Ziemba is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae. A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal it began, loyal it 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 Ontario New Democratic Party (formerly known as the Ontario Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation) A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... The Honourable Robert Keith (Bob) Rae, PC , OC , O.Ont , QC , LL.B , LL.D (born August 2, 1948 in Ottawa, Ontario) was the 21st premier of Ontario, and the first leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) to serve in that capacity. ...

Before entering political life, Ziemba was executive director of the St. Clair West Meals-on-Wheels and president of the Metro Toronto Federation of Community-based Seniors' Agencies, and was strongly involved in activities involving Toronto's Polish community. She also wrote articles on the history of canoeing in Canada during the 1980s. One of her relatives, Ed Ziemba, represented the Toronto riding of High Park—Swansea for the Ontario NDP from 1975 to 1981. Canoe at El Nido, Philippines A canoe is a relatively small human-powered boat. ... }|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|center|250px|City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ziemba first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent Yuri Shymko by 330 votes. She ran again in the 1987 provincial election and finished third, behind Shymko and the winner, Liberal David Fleet. 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 Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party of Ontario) is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. ... David Petersons Liberals were returned to power with a large majority. ... The Ontario Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. ...

The NDP won an unexpected majority government in the 1990 provincial election, and Ziemba was elected over Fleet by over 3,000 votes. As a prominent member of the NDP's Toronto caucus, Ziemba was appointed Minister of Citizenship with responsibility for Disabled Persons and Seniors. As a result of serious scandals, David Petersons Liberal government was defeated by a large protest vote. ... Ontario Seniors Secretariat is responsible for senior citizens issues in the Canadian province of Ontario. ...

In 1992, Ziemba's department passed an "Advocacy Act" enshrining the right of consumers to accurate information. Two years later, in a cabinet discussion on pharmaceutial imports, she spoke out against listing a generic alternative to Vasotec, on the grounds that it would cause confusion among consumers. 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Ziemba's most controversial ministerial decisions involved the issue of employment equity. She was given control of this file at the beginning of the Rae government's mandate, and quickly hired Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré as an employment equity commissioner to draft legislation on the subject. One of Westmoreland-Traoré's first decisions was to reject all previous government studies on the issue; some in Ziemba's department regarded all such research as racist and flawed. The department eventually decided that four "disadvantaged groups" -- women, racial minorities, the disabled and aboriginals -- would be targeted for measures reversing historical discrimination. (There was some disappointment within Ontario's gay community when homosexuals were left off the list.) Affirmative action (US English), or positive discrimination (British English), is a policy or a program providing advantages for people of a minority group who are seen to have traditionally been discriminated against. ... The Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré is the first appointed black judge in the history of Quebec. ... Look up gay in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Until several decades ago, the word gay meant something like jolly or mirthful. In contemporary usage, however, that meaning is unusual; the term is usually synonymous with homosexual. ...

Ziemba's department produced a discussion paper on the subject in early 1991, but it was rejected by the Rae government (one senior government official later described it as "sophomoric and polemical"). Rae generally favoured a more cautious approach than Ziemba and Westmoreland-Traoré, and the legislation was stalled for several months. One key disagreement was the issue of interference with unions -- Westmoreland-Traoré wanted to overrule existing seniority rights, an approach which many in the NDP opposed. In 1992, control over the issue was quietly shifted from Ziemba and Westmoreland-Traoré to the premier's office. 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Compromise legislation on the subject was finally passed in December 1993. The bill, which Ziemba claimed was the strongest in North America, met with resistance from both the left and right: traditional supporters of employment equity claimed it did not go far enough, while others condemned the project as racist. 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Opposition to the employment equity policy was extensive. Even the centre-left Toronto Star newspaper, which supported the NDP on some issues, was highly critical of the government's approach. Journalists such as Richard Gwyn and Thomas Walkom described the legislation as flawed and misguided; Gwyn noted that unemployment among young males in Canada was 20.5% at the time, significantly higher than comparable numbers for young women[1]. There is little doubt that the issue hurt the NDP's popularity among working-class white men, many of whom had previously supported the party. The Toronto Star is a major metropolitan newspaper produced in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ... Richard Gwyn (born 1934) is a Canadian journalist and author. ... Thomas Walkom is a frequent columnist for the Toronto Star. ...

The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Ziemba lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Derwyn Shea by fewer than 2,000 votes in High Park—Swansea. She has not stood for re-election since this time. 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. ... Derwyn Shea (born 1937 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a clergyman and former politician in Ontario, Canada. ...