Michael Coteau

The Honourable Michael Coteau MPP
Coteau at the annual CFC gala, September 2014
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East
Incumbent
Assumed office October 6, 2011
Preceded by	David Caplan
Personal details
Born	1972 (age 43–44) Huddersfield, England
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Lori
Children	2
Residence	Toronto, Ontario
Alma mater	Carleton University
Occupation	Teacher

Michael Coteau (born c. 1972) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2011. He represents the riding of Don Valley East in Toronto. He serves in cabinet in the government of Kathleen Wynne.

Background

Coteau was born in Huddersfield, England. His father is from Grenada and his mother is British. He came to Canada with his parents in 1976. He graduated from Carleton University and taught English in South Korea.^[1]

Coteau was a Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Trustee for Ward 17, winning elections in 2003, 2006, and 2010. As a Trustee, Coteau advocated for better student nutrition, increased digital technology in the classroom, and the community use of school space. In addition to his work as a Trustee, Coteau served as the Executive Director/CEO of a national adult literacy firm, and worked as a community organizer in the Malvern area of Scarborough, Ontario.^[2]

Politics

In 2011 he ran provincial election in the riding of Don Valley East. He won the election beating PC candidate Michael Lende by 7,645 votes.^[3] He was re-elect in 2014.^[4]

The Liberals won a minority government and Coteau was appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism and Culture. In 2013, after Kathleen Wynne replaced Dalton McGuinty as Premier he was named Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.^[5] He was one of ten members of the Wynne's cabinet with no prior cabinet experience.^[6] In June 2014, Coteau was made Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport by Premier Kathleen Wynne, as well as Minister Responsible for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games.^[7] On February 16, 2016, it was announced that Coteau would add responsibility for Anti-Racism.^[8]

Cabinet positions

Electoral record

Ontario general election, 2014
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Michael Coteau	19,253	55.77	+4.69
	Progressive Conservative	Angela Kennedy	9,227	26.73	-0.46
	New Democratic	Akil Sadikali	4,492	13.01	-5.59
	Green	Christopher McLeod	1,264	3.66	+1.47
	Freedom	Wayne Simmons	287	0.83	+0.48
Total valid votes			34,523	100.0
	Liberal hold		Swing		+2.58
Source: Elections Ontario[4]

Ontario general election, 2011
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	Liberal	Michael Coteau	16,342	51.08	-4.54
	Progressive Conservative	Michael Lende	8,604	26.89	+1.86
	New Democratic	Bob Hilliard	5,953	18.61	+7.95
	Green	Aren Bedrosyan	742	2.32	-2.72
	Family Coalition	Ryan Kidd	188	0.59	+0.03
	Freedom	Wayne Simmons	164	0.51	+0.23
Total valid votes			31,993	100.00

References

1. Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob (November 21, 2011). "Rookie MPPs poised to take their seats as legislature opens". The Guelph Mercury. p. B7.
2. Peat, Don (October 6, 2011). "Tories fail to break through in GTA". Toronto Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
3. "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 4. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
4. "General Election by District: Don Valley-East". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014.
5. "Ontario's new cabinet". Waterloo Region Record (Kitchener, Ont). February 12, 2013. p. A3.
6. Benzie, Robert (February 11, 2013). "Wynne’s Liberal cabinet to include 10 rookie ministers in sweeping shuffle". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
7. Richard Brennan; Robert Benzie; Rob Ferguson (June 24, 2014). "Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare". Toronto Star.
8. https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2016/02/ontario-establishing-an-anti-racism-directorate.html
9. https://news.ontario.ca/cabinet/en

External links

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History