George Samis
{{Short description|Ontario member of parliament}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = George Samis
| image =
| caption =
| office1 = Ontario MPP
| term_start1 = 1975
| term_end1 = 1985
| predecessor1 = New riding
| successor1 = Luc Guindon
| constituency1 = Cornwall
| term_start2 = 1974
| term_end2 = 1975
| predecessor2 = Fernand Guindon
| successor2 = Riding dissolved
| constituency2 = Stormont
| party = New Democrat
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|03|24}}
| birth_place = Montreal, Quebec
| death_date =
| residence =
| profession = Teacher
}}
George Roy Samis (born March 24, 1943) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1974 to 1985 as a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP).{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/ontariovotes2003/riding/083/ |title=Ontario Votes 2003 |work=CBC |year=2011 |accessdate=24 February 2011}}
Background
He was born in Montreal, Quebec, and was educated at the Université de Montréal and the University of Waterloo. A high school teacher
Politics
He ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1971 provincial election, and lost to Progressive Conservative Fernand Guindon in Stormont.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pzk0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=dPUIAAAAIBAJ&pg=1527,3867615&dq=george+samis+fern+guindon&hl=en |title=Avoiding Meetings Could Be Costly |first=Jack |last=Walker |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |date=October 11, 1974 |accessdate=24 February 2011}}
Guindon resigned from the legislature in 1974, and Samis contested a by-election to succeed him. He was successful, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Guy Leger.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aVY_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=31IMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4811,995912&dq=george+samis+guy+leger+1974&hl=en |title=Premier Davis 'in Trouble in Stormont' . |first=Bill |last=Prager |work=The Windsor Star |date=October 18, 1974 |accessdate=24 February 2011}} Samis was re-elected for the redistributed constituency of Cornwall in 1975, 1977 and 1981. He supported Bob Rae for the party leadership in 1982.
Samis announced his retirement from the legislature in early 1985. He remains the only New Democrat to have represented the city of Cornwall at either the provincial or federal level.
At the time of Samis's retirement, the Progressive Conservative party had governed Ontario without interruption for forty-two years. Samis argued in March 1985 that the NDP would be unable to remove the Progressive Conservatives from office unless it formed an alliance with the Ontario Liberal Party. After the 1985 election, an historic two-year pact between the Liberals and NDP allowed Liberal leader David Peterson to form government as premier. The Peterson government appointed Samis to the Ontario Highway Transport Board in 1986.
Samis later moved to the Kingston area. In the 1999 provincial election, he endorsed Liberal candidate John Cleary in Stormont—Dundas—Charlottenburgh, a successor riding to Cornwall.{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/427541141.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+24%2C+1999&author=Caroline+Mallan&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Eastern+riding+a+rare+display+of+unity+%3B+Anti-Harris+vote+going+to+Liberals&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629025357/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/427541141.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May+24,+1999&author=Caroline+Mallan&pub=Toronto+Star&desc=Eastern+riding+a+rare+display+of+unity+%3B+Anti-Harris+vote+going+to+Liberals&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |title=Eastern riding a rare display of unity; Anti-Harris vote going to Liberals |author=Caroline Mallan |date=May 24, 1999 |work=Toronto Star |accessdate=24 February 2011}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Ontario MPP biography|id=george-roy-samis}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samis, George}}
Category:Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs
Category:People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
Category:Politicians from Montreal
Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario