Sophie Kiwala

Sophie Kiwala (born 1962) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2014 to 2018 who represented the riding of Kingston and the Islands.

Sophie Kiwala
Ontario MPP
In office
2014–2018
Preceded byJohn Gerretsen
Succeeded byIan Arthur
ConstituencyKingston and the Islands
Personal details
Born1962 (age 57–58)
Kingston, Ontario
Political partyLiberal
Children3
ResidenceKingston, Ontario
OccupationOffice manager

Background

Kiwala was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario. She moved to Toronto shortly after finishing high school, and took courses at Humber College. In 1986 she married and moved with her husband to Turkey in the 1990s. She returned to Kingston in 1998 to look after her ailing mother.[1] She studied political science at Queen's University. Later she worked as House of Commons Speaker Peter Milliken's office manager and then as Chief of Staff to MP Ted Hsu for seven years.[2]

Politics

Kiwala ran for the Liberal nomination after incumbent Liberal MPP John Gerretsen announced in 2013 that he would not be running for re-election. She defeated three other candidates for the nomination, including former Kingston mayor Harvey Rosen.[3] In the 2014 Ontario election, Kiwala was elected in the riding of Kingston and the Islands, defeating New Democrat candidate Mary Rita Holland by 6,022 votes.[4][5]

During her tenure, she has served as a Parliamentary Assistant to several ministers, most recently as PA to the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.[6]

In 2014, Kiwala focused attention on the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada. As part of her campaign to raise awareness, she publicized the Faceless Doll Project, an art project which uses faceless female dolls to represent the missing women.[7] On October 23, 2014 she read a Members' motion in the legislature calling on the Ontario Legislature to support the National Aboriginal Organisations' call on the Federal government to initiate a public inquiry to study the issue.[8]

In July 2020, Kiwala revealed that she was running for the Ontario Liberal Party again with the nomination set to take place in 2022. This led to a race between Kiwala and her former colleague Ted Hsu. Among priorities for the office, she listed the Long Term Care Act and encouraging "a much more compassionate view of individual residents".[9]

Election results
2018 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticIan Arthur21,78839.16+9.60
LiberalSophie Kiwala15,31227.52-14.07
Progressive ConservativeGary Bennett14,51226.08+4.82
GreenRobert Kiley3,5746.42-0.68
LibertarianHeather Cunningham2740.49
TrilliumAndre Imbeault1840.33
Total valid votes 100.00
Eligible voters 94,160
New Democratic gain from Liberal Swing +11.64
Source: Elections Ontario[10]
2014 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalSophie Kiwala20,83841.59−7.25
New DemocraticMary Rita Holland14,81129.56+5.77
Progressive ConservativeMark Bain10,65221.26−1.06
GreenRobert Kiley3,5567.10+3.40
FreedomJonathan Reid2420.48+0.32
Total valid votes 50,099 100.0  
Liberal hold Swing −6.51
Source(s)
Elections Ontario (2014). "Official result from the records, 036 Kingston and the Islands" (PDF). Retrieved 27 June 2015.
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References
  1. Matak, Vincent (June 10, 2014). "Resilience defines Liberal candidate Kiwala". Kingston Heritage. Metroland Media.
  2. Pratt-Campbell, Hollie (June 5, 2014). "A history of hard work and constituent care make her a strong choice for Kingston and the Islands, says Liberal MPP candidate". Kingston Heritage. Metroland Media.
  3. "Kiwala wins Liberal nomination". Kingston Whig-Standard. March 3, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  4. "Sophie Kiwala Elected in Kingston and the Islands". CKWS. June 13, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  5. "General Election by District: Kingston and the Islands". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014.
  6. David Zimmer (December 30, 2016). "2016 Parliamentary Assistant Mandate Letter: Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation". Government of Ontario.
  7. Ferguson, Elliot (September 23, 2014). "Faceless figures represent missing, murdered women". Kingston Whig-Standard.
  8. "Official Records for 23 October 2014". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. October 23, 2014.
  9. Mazur, Alexandra (2020-07-21). "Former Liberal MPP says she wants to run for Kingston and the Islands in 2022". Global. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  10. "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
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