Peter Fonseca

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Peter Fonseca

| honorific-suffix = MP

| image = Peter Fonseca 2022.jpg

| riding = Mississauga East—Cooksville

| parliament = Canadian

| term_start =19 October 2015

| term_end =

| predecessor = Wladyslaw Lizon

| parliament1 = Ontario Provincial

| term_start1 = 2 October 2003

| term_end1 = 26 March 2011

| predecessor1 = Carl DeFaria

| successor1 = Dipika Damerla

| riding1 = Mississauga East—Cooksville
Mississauga East (2003-2007)

| party = Liberal

| otherparty = Ontario Liberal

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1966|10|05}}

| birth_place = Lisbon, Portugal

| residence = Mississauga, Ontario

| spouse = {{marriage|Christine Fonseca|2003}}

| occupation = Management consultant

| alma_mater = University of Oregon,
University of Windsor

| website = {{URL|http://peterfonseca.ca/|peterfonseca.ca}}

}}

: For other people with a similar name, see Pedro da Fonseca (disambiguation)

Peter Fonseca {{postnom|MP}} (born 5 October 1966) is a Portuguese-born Canadian politician and former athlete. He is a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville since his election in 2015.

Prior to entering federal politics, Fonseca was a provincial Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing Mississauga East (2003-2007) and Mississauga East—Cooksville (2007- 2011). He was a cabinet minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty.

Fonseca was re-elected in his safe Liberal riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville with roughly 53% of the vote in the 2019 federal election and again with 50% of the vote in the 2021 federal election.

In the 44th parliament which was formed after the 2021 federal election (where the governing Liberals were re-elected with an increased minority), Fonseca was selected as the chair of the powerful Finance Committee.

Background

Fonseca was born in Lisbon, Portugal and immigrated to Toronto with his family in 1968. He was raised in Little Portugal. He graduated from St. Michael's College School and attended the University of Oregon, gaining a Bachelor of Arts on an athletic scholarship. He also holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Windsor.{{cite news |title=Fonseca rolls over incumbent DeFaria |last=Chin |first=Joseph |newspaper=Mississauga News |date=3 October 2003 |page=6}} He worked as a senior performance management consultant for the Coach Corporation and has run an importing and distributing company in Portugal.{{cite web |title=Healthy City Stewardship Centre: Biographies |url=http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/stewardship?paf_gear_id=9700018&itemId=68800055 |publisher=City of Mississauga |date=21 September 2006}}

He married his wife Christine "Chris" Fonseca in 2003. Christine was elected to Mississauga City Council as Councillor for Ward 3 in the 2010 Mississauga municipal election{{cite news |url=http://www.mississauga.com/news/article/892910 |title=Fonseca claims Ward 3 |newspaper=Mississauga News |date=26 October 2010}} and re-elected in 2014 Mississauga municipal election, 2018 Mississauga municipal election, and 2022 Mississauga municipal election.{{cite news|last1=Chin|first1=Joseph|title=Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca Mississauga's champion vote-getter|url=http://www.mississauga.com/news-story/4947589-ward-3-councillor-chris-fonseca-mississauga-s-champion-vote-getter/|access-date=5 August 2015|work=Mississauga News|date=27 October 2014}}

Fonseca holds Dual-citizenship with Portugal.{{cite web |title=As Australia ousts MPs with dual citizenship, Canada's Parliament embraces many in its ranks {{!}} CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dual-citizenship-mps-senators-parliament-australia-1.4439522 |website=CBC News |date=2017-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708133700/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/dual-citizenship-mps-senators-parliament-australia-1.4439522 |archive-date=2023-07-08 |url-status=live |last1=Harris |first1=Kathleen}}

Athletic career

He finished 5th in the 10,000 metres at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. He also represented Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia in the Men's Marathon. He was the top finisher for the Canadians, placing 21st overall in a {{convert|42.195|km|mi|adj=on}} race with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds.{{cite web |title=The Official Report for the Centennial Olympic Games: The Competition Results, Volume III |publisher=The Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games |url=http://library.la84.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3.pdf |date=1997}} He also placed second in the 1994 Toronto Marathon and the 1994 Houston Marathon, and third in the 1992 New York City Marathon and the 1990 Los Angeles Marathon.{{cite news |title=Breland floors Honeyghan to retain his WBA crown |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |date=5 March 1990 |page=C3}}

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing {{CAN}}
1994 \|Houston Marathon \|Houston, United States \|bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|Marathon \|2:13:53
1994 \|Toronto Marathon \|Toronto, Canada \|bgcolor="silver" \| 2nd \|Marathon \|2:17:16
1994 \|Commonwealth Games \|Victoria, Canada \| 5th \|10,000 m \|29:14.85
1995 \|Houston Marathon \|Houston, United States \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|Marathon \|2:11:52
1996 \|Olympic Games \|Atlanta, United States \|21st \|Marathon \|2:17:28
1997 \|Toronto Marathon \|Toronto, Canada \|bgcolor="gold" \| 1st \|Marathon \|2:28:26

colspan="6"|Representing {{CAN}}

1994

|Houston Marathon

|Houston, United States

|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|Marathon

|2:13:53

1994

|Toronto Marathon

|Toronto, Canada

|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd

|Marathon

|2:17:16

1994

|Commonwealth Games

|Victoria, Canada

| 5th

|10,000 m

|29:14.85

1995

|Houston Marathon

|Houston, United States

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|Marathon

|2:11:52

1996

|Olympic Games

|Atlanta, United States

|21st

|Marathon

|2:17:28

1997

|Toronto Marathon

|Toronto, Canada

|bgcolor="gold" | 1st

|Marathon

|2:28:26

Politics

=Provincial=

Fonseca was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 2003, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative Carl DeFaria by about 3,000 votes in Mississauga East.{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=Mississauga+East&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=2 October 2003 |access-date=2014-03-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503020532/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=Mississauga+East&flag=E&layout=G |archive-date=3 May 2014 }} On 23 October 2003, he was named parliamentary assistant to George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. In July 2005, he became the parliamentary assistant to Jim Watson, the Minister of Health Promotion.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In October 2007, Fonseca was named to cabinet as Minister of Tourism and Recreation.{{cite news |title=Premier goes for new blood; Expanded 28-member cabinet has eight ministers from Toronto, three from 905 area |last1=Ferguson |first1=Rob |last2=Benzie |first2=Robert |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=31 October 2007 |page=A13}} In a cabinet shuffle on 18 September 2008, Fonseca was appointed as the province's Minister of Labour.{{cite news |title=The new-look Ontario cabinet |newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator |date=19 September 2008 |page=A9}}

= Federal =

On 16 December 2010, Fonseca resigned from the Ontario cabinet to run for the federal Liberals in the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville.{{cite news |first1=Robert |last1=Benzie |first2=Susan |last2=Delacourt |title=Ontario cabinet minister to seek federal seat |newspaper=Toronto Star |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/907928}} He was defeated by Conservative candidate Wladyslaw Lizon in the 2011 federal election by 676 votes.{{cite web |title=Riding results from across Canada |newspaper=Edmonton Journal |date=3 May 2011 |page=A6}}{{cite news |title=Immigrant vote key to winning, Liberals say |last=Campion-Smith |first=Bruce |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=14 December 2014 |page=A8}}

Fonseca ran for the Liberals again in the 2015 federal election and defeated Lizon by a wide margin as part of the Liberal sweep of Mississauga ridings. Fonseca was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 elections.{{cite news|last1=Diebel|first1=Linda|title=Peter Fonseca wins Mississauga East—Cooksville|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/federal-election/federal-ridings-toronto-gta/2015/10/19/peter-fonseca-wins-mississauga-eastcooksvill.html|access-date=20 October 2015|work=Toronto Star|date=19 October 2015}}

Fonseca's constituency office was on fire, on 22 February 2022. Peel Regional Police is investigating the matter as arson.{{cite news |last1=Rodrigues |first1=Gabby |title=Police say 'suspicious' fire at Liberal MP office in Mississauga appears to be targeted |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8639313/fire-peter-fonseca-office-mississauga/ |access-date=23 February 2022 |work=Global News Toronto |date=23 February 2022 |location=Toronto ON}}{{cite news |title=Police believe fire at MP's office in Mississauga, Ont., was targeted |url=https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ts/news/canada/2022/02/23/police-believe-fire-at-mps-office-in-mississauga-ont-was-targeted.html |access-date=23 February 2022 |work=Niagara Falls Review |agency=The Canadian Press |date=23 February 2022 |location=St. Catharines ON}}{{cite news |last1=Herhalt |first1=Chris |title=Fire at Mississauga Liberal MP Peter Fonseca's office deemed suspicious: police |url=https://www.cp24.com/news/fire-at-mississauga-liberal-mp-peter-fonseca-s-office-deemed-suspicious-police-1.5792244 |access-date=23 February 2022 |work=CP24 |publisher=BellMedia |date=23 February 2022 |location=Toronto ON}}{{cite web |title=Assistance Sought in Arson Investigation |url=https://www.peelpolice.ca//modules/news/index.aspx?newsId=e3bc47e3-1977-4b4c-af50-cba2601e13a7&lang=en# |website=Peel Regional Police |access-date=23 February 2022 |location=Mississauga ON |date=23 February 2022}}