Tracy MacCharles

{{Infobox MLA

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Tracy MacCharles

| honorific-suffix = ECO

| image =

| caption =

| parliament2 = Ontario Provincial

| term_start2 = October 6, 2011

| term_end2 = June 7, 2018

| predecessor2 = Wayne Arthurs

| successor2 = Peter Bethlenfalvy

| riding2 = Pickering—Scarborough East

| party = Liberal

| residence = Pickering, Ontario

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1963}}

| birth_place = Scarborough, Ontario

| spouse = Stephen Little

| children = 2

| nationality =

| profession = Human resources

}}

Tracy MacCharles (born {{circa|1963}}) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2011 to 2018 who represented the riding of Pickering—Scarborough East. She was a member of cabinet in the government of Kathleen Wynne.

Background

MacCharles was born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario.{{cite news |title=Liberal rookie MacCharles wins Pickering-Scarborough East Riding |url=http://centennialjournalism.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/liberal-rookie-maccharles-wins-pickering-scarborough-east-riding/ |publisher=Centennial Journalism |date=October 29, 2011 |first=Carleigh |last=O’Connell}} She went to Brock University where she obtained a degree in Business and Public Administration. She worked in human resources management in various roles including Vice President of Human Resources at Manulife Financial. She was chair of the Ontario Accessibility Standards Advisory Council and was a member of the Durham Board of Education’s Special Education Advisory Committee.{{Cite web | url=http://votemaccharles.ca/Biography | title=Biography: Tracy MacCharles |access-date=November 7, 2011}}

She lives in Pickering with her husband Stephen Little and their two children.{{cite news | last=Milley |first=Danielle |title=New Pickering-Scarborough East MPP has roots in West Hill community |publisher=Scarborough Mirror |date=October 17, 2011 |page=1}}

Politics

MacCharles ran in the 2011 provincial election as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Pickering—Scarborough East. She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Kevin Gaudet by 5,168 votes.{{cite web |url=http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |title=Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 6, 2011 |access-date=2014-03-02 |page=14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330163815/http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news|last=Peat|first=Don|title=Tories fail to break through in GTA|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/10/06/tories-fail-to-break-through-in-gta|access-date=October 7, 2011|newspaper=Toronto Sun|date=October 6, 2011}} She was easily re-elected in the 2014 election defeating Gaudet again, this time by 10,568 votes.{{cite web |title=General Election by District: Pickering—Scarborough East |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 12, 2014 |url=http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=072}}

On November 10, 2011, MacCharles was appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children and Youth Services. On February 11, 2013 she was sworn in as Minister of Consumer Services under new Premier Kathleen Wynne.{{cite news |title=Ontario's new cabinet |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |location=Kitchener, Ont |date=February 12, 2013 |page=A3}} On June 24, 2014 she was appointed Minister of Children and Youth Services as well as Minister responsible for Women's Issues.{{cite news |title=Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/06/24/ontario_premier_kathleen_wynnes_new_cabinet_unveiled.html |author1=Richard Brennan |author2=Robert Benzie |author3=Rob Ferguson |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=June 24, 2014}}

On April 5, 2016, MacCharles announced changes in the autism services program, which included opening up 16,000 new spaces with an investment of $333 million additional dollars to the program. However, the announced changes also included removing children with autism over the age of five from the IBI waitlist to the ABA waitlist, and giving the families an $8000 stipend for these children to receive treatment.{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Allison|title=Ontario kids with autism aged 5 and older cut off from government-paid therapy|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-kids-autism-1.3522492|website=CBC News|date=April 5, 2016}} The move was resisted by some parents and expert groups.{{cite web|last1=Nazareth|first1=Errol|title=Ontario parents of autistic children blast government over cuts to intensive therapy|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-autism-program-1.3532775|date=April 12, 2016 |website=CBC News}}{{cite web|last1=Murthy|first1=Roshni|title=Changes in autism treatment program puts children at risk, critics say|date=April 4, 2016 |url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2016/04/04/reduction-in-autism-treatments-putting-children-at-risk-critics-say/|website=CityNews}}{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Allison|title=Autism treatment funding changes protested at Queen's Park|date=May 5, 2016 |url=http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/autism-treatment-funding-changes-protested-at-queen-s-park-1.2889906|website=CTV News}} The government revised the changes two months later and MacCharles was demoted to the role of Minister without portfolio, responsible for accessibility and women's issues in Ontario.{{cite web|last1=Gordon|first1=Andrea|title=Ontario backs off controversial autism changes, boosts services after parents protest|date=June 28, 2016 |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/06/28/ontario-pours-200-million-more-into-autism-care-in-response-to-parents-anger.html|website=Toronto Star}}{{cite news |title=Only in Wynne's Ontario is a bigger cabinet better |first=Jim |last=Merriam |date=June 20, 2016 |url=https://lfpress.com/2016/06/20/only-in-wynnes-ontario-is-a-bigger-cabinet-better |publisher=London Free Press}}

On January 12, 2017, she was promoted to the position of Minister of Government and Consumer Services, a move precipitated by the resignation of David Orazietti in December 2016.{{cite news |title=Kathleen Wynne appoints new corrections minister in small cabinet shuffle |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-new-corrections-minister-1.3932506 |publisher=CBC News |date=January 12, 2017}}

MacCharles announced her retirement from provincial politics in April 2018, a few months before the next Ontario election.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/04/05/liberal-cabinet-ministers-michael-chan-and-tracy-maccharles-mpp-grant-crack-say-they-are-retiring.html| title=Liberal cabinet ministers Michael Chan and Tracy MacCharles, MPP Grant Crack say they are retiring| first=Robert| last=Benzie| date=April 5, 2018| publisher=Toronto Star}}