Cheryl Hardcastle
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Cheryl Hardcastle
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Cheryl Hardcastle.jpg
| caption = Hardcastle in 2015
| riding = Windsor—Tecumseh
| parliament = Canadian
| term_start = October 19, 2015
| term_end = October 21, 2019
| predecessor = Joe Comartin
| successor = Irek Kusmierczyk
| office1 = Deputy Mayor of Tecumseh
| term_start1 = December 7, 2010
| term_end1 = December 9, 2014
| predecessor1 = Tom Burton
| successor1 = Joe Bachetti
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|11|20|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| profession = Newspaper editor
| party = New Democratic
| residence = Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada
| footnotes =
| spouse =
| children=
}}
Cheryl Hardcastle is a Canadian politician and former member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada for the federal electoral district of Windsor—Tecumseh, first elected during the 2015 Canadian federal election.{{cite web | url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/ndp-s-cheryl-hardcastle-wins-seat-in-windsor-tecumseh-1.3279109 | title=NDP's Cheryl Hardcastle wins seat in Windsor-Tecumseh| work=CBC News | date=19 October 2015 | accessdate=19 October 2015}} She is a member of the New Democratic Party. During the 42nd Canadian Parliament, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair appointed Hardcastle to be the party's critic for Sports and Persons with Disabilities. After Mulcair was replaced Jagmeet Singh, he added "International Human Rights" to her critic duties, where she now sits as Vice-Chair to the Subcommittee for International Human Rights.{{cite news |title=Human rights critic appointed |newspaper=The Windsor Star |location=Windsor, Ontario |date=February 3, 2018 |page=A3}} She lost her re-election bid in the 2019 Canadian federal election, having come second in what was considered a surprise upset to the Liberal candidate Irek Kusmierczyk.
She introduced one private member bill, C-348, which sought to make Employment and Social Development Canada responsible for providing information and guidance to persons with disabilities on all federal applications for grants, benefits, compensation and any other programs and services, as a means of reducing the administrative burden on applicants. The bill was debated at second reading but defeated with the Liberal Party majority voting against it.{{cite web |url= https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-tecumseh-mp-disappointed-bill-c-348-voted-down-1.3785197 |title=Windsor-Tecumseh MP disappointed Bill C-348 voted down |date=February 1, 2018 |accessdate= March 31, 2018 |publisher=CTV News}}
Background
Before entering politics, Hardcastle worked for almost 20 years as a reporter and editor of the former Tecumseh Tribune.{{cite web |url=http://cherylhardcastle.ndp.ca/about |title=About Cheryl |website=ndp.ca |accessdate=26 October 2016}} Prior to becoming an MP, Cheryl earned her reputation as an effective, inclusive leader as Tecumseh's Deputy Mayor from 2011-2014, serving on both Tecumseh Council and Essex County Council. She was also a member of the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority Board and the Essex Region Conservation Authority Board.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ewswa.org/|title=EWSWA {{!}} Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}} A past member of Pathway to Potential and National Pension Reform Committee, she has worked to reduce poverty in Windsor-Essex County and to help more Canadians retire with dignity. She has organized minor sports programs and tournaments, serving as Direction of the Tecumseh Baseball club and President for the Sun Parlour Female Hockey Association. She is a founding member of the Tecumseh Area Historical Society and is an instructor and author of beginning-level readers for adults.
She graduated from the University of Windsor with a bachelor's degree in political science and government and a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies.
Municipal politics
As a deputy mayor of Tecumseh, Hardcastle served as chair of the personnel committee, the arts and cultural advisory committee, the Tecumseh heritage advisory committee, the accessibility committee, War of 1812 commemoration committee, the 38th annual Tecumseh Corn Festival committee and the Tecumseh business improvement association.
She served as an Essex County representative on regional authorities:
- Windsor-Essex Poverty Reduction Strategy - Pathway to Potential - Currently working on determining living wage in region and Evaluation and Reporting Working Group.{{Cite web|url=https://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/socialservices-/Social-Services-Overview/Pages/Pathway-to-Potential.aspx|title=Pathway to Potential|website=www.citywindsor.ca|access-date=2019-06-17}}
- Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority{{Cite web|url=http://www.ewswa.org/|title=EWSWA {{!}} Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}} board member since elected and currently Chairperson of the Technical Review Committee dealing with claims for residential properties affected by the closed Maidstone Landfill, in accordance with Ministry of Environment orders.
- Essex Region Conservation Authority board member for two years.{{Cite web|url=https://essexregionconservation.ca/|title=Essex Region Conservation - The place for life|website=Essex Region Conservation|language=en-CA|access-date=2019-06-17}} In January 2013, she stepped aside to allow another elected representative to have the opportunity to serve on this board, in order to broaden perspectives and strengthen resolve on conservation policies.
Federal politics
During the 42nd Canadian Parliament, NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair appointed Hardcastle to be the party's critic for Sports and Persons with Disabilities. After Mulcair was replaced by Jagmeet Singh, he added "International Human Rights" to her critic duties.
Hardcastle introduced one private member bill, C-348, which sought to make Employment and Social Development Canada responsible for providing information and guidance to persons with disabilities on all federal applications for grants, benefits, compensation and any other programs and services, as a means of reducing the administrative burden on applicants. The bill was debated at second reading but defeated with the Liberal Party Majority voting against it.{{Cite web|url=https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/windsor-tecumseh-mp-disappointed-bill-c-348-voted-down-1.3785197|title=Windsor-Tecumseh MP disappointed Bill C-348 voted down|date=2018-02-01|website=Windsor|language=en|access-date=2019-06-17}}
She lobbied the government by introducing private member's motion M-56 Canadian with Disabilities Act, m-55 Convention Against Torture, and M-54 Option Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
She served a vice-chair of the subcommittee on sports-related concussions,{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/SCSC/Members|title=SCSC - Members - House of Commons of Canada|website=www.ourcommons.ca|access-date=2019-06-17}} and as vice-chair for the subcommittee on international human rights of the standing committee on foreign affairs and international development.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/SDIR|title=SDIR - Home - House of Commons of Canada|website=www.ourcommons.ca|access-date=2019-06-17}} She also served as a member of Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group,{{Cite web|url=https://www.parl.ca/diplomacy/en/associations/ceus|title=Home - Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (CEUS) - Parliamentary Associations - Interparliamentary Activities - Diplomacy - Parliament of Canada|website=www.parl.ca|access-date=2019-06-17}} Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group,{{Cite web|url=https://www.parl.ca/diplomacy/en/groups/cail|title=Home - Canada-Israel Interparliamentary Group (CAIL) - Parliamentary Associations - Interparliamentary Activities - Diplomacy - Parliament of Canada|website=www.parl.ca|access-date=2019-06-17}} and Canada Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.{{Cite web|url=https://www.parl.ca/diplomacy/en/associations/uipu|title=Home - Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (UIPU) - Parliamentary Associations - Interparliamentary Activities - Diplomacy - Parliament of Canada|website=www.parl.ca|access-date=2019-06-17}}
Electoral record
=Federal=
{{2021 Canadian federal election/Windsor—Tecumseh}}
{{2019 Canadian federal election/Windsor—Tecumseh}}
{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2015|Windsor—Tecumseh (federal electoral district)|Windsor—Tecumseh|percent=yes|change=yes|expenditures=yes}}
{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Cheryl Hardcastle|23,215|43.5|-6.42|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Conservative|Jo-Anne Gignac|14,656|27.5|-6.05|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Frank Schiller|14,177|26.6|+13.66|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Green|David Momotiuk|1,047|2.0|-1.04|–}}
{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Laura Chesnik|249|0.5|-0.04|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes/Expense limit|–|100.0 | |$225,623.23}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|–|–|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout|–|–|–}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|86,351}}
{{CANelec/hold|CA|NDP|-0.37}}
{{CANelec/source|Source: Elections Canada[http://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/candidates?L=e&ED=35116&EV=41&EV_TYPE=1&PC=&PROV=ON&PROVID=35&MAPID=&QID=8&PAGEID=17&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=-1 Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Windsor—Tecumseh, 30 September 2015][http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815061116/http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand%2Fcanlim&document=index&lang=e |date=August 15, 2015 }}}}
{{end}}
=Municipal=
| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|2010 Tecumseh Deputy mayoral election | ||
| style="background:#ddf; width:200px;"| Mayoral Candidate
! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;"| Vote{{cite web |url=http://www.tecumseh.ca/sites/default/files/2010-final-results_0.pdf |title=Town of Tecumseh 2010 Official Election Results |publisher=Town of Tecumseh |accessdate=26 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304133852/http://www.tecumseh.ca/sites/default/files/2010-final-results_0.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} ! style="background:#ddf; width:30px;"| % | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Hardcastle | 4,598 | 54.86 |
| Tom Burton (X) | 3,783 | 45.14 |
References
{{reflist|30em}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardcastle, Cheryl}}
Category:New Democratic Party MPs
Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Category:Women members of the House of Commons of Canada
Category:Politicians from Windsor, Ontario
Category:Writers from Windsor, Ontario
Category:Canadian newspaper editors
Category:Canadian newspaper journalists
Category:Canadian women journalists
Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians
Category:Ontario municipal councillors
Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers