Lorenzo Berardinetti
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Berardinetti is a politician
in Ontario
, Canada
. He is the member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
for Scarborough Southwest
, representing the governing Ontario Liberal Party
.
Mr. Berardinetti was born and raised in Scarborough
, and is a lawyer. He attended the University of Toronto
and the University of Windsor
Law School, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1988.
Berardinetti was a councillor in the pre-amalgamation Scarborough Council from 1988 to 1996, and represented Ward 37 (Scarborough Centre) on the amalgamated Toronto City Council
from 1997 to 2003. In 1997, he served as chair of Toronto's administration committee, which created the framework for a unified civic administration in the amalgamated city. Berardinetti was generally regarded as an ally of Toronto mayor
Mel Lastman
during his years on the Toronto council.
In the provincial election of 2003
, Berardinetti defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative
Dan Newman
by about 6,000 votes in Scarborough Southwest. The Liberals won a majority government under Dalton McGuinty
in this election, and Berardinetti was appointed the deputy government whip
on October 23, 2003, a position he held until the 2007 election.
He became prominent for his private member's bill
, introduced in 2004, to outlaw what he called "gender-based pricing," whereby prices for equivalent or similar products and services, such as clothing, dry cleaning and haircuts, may vary between women and men. He contended women were charged much more for many products and services, the extent of which he had only discovered when he went shopping with his new wife Michelle. The bill reached second reading on December 8, 2005 and is currently waiting to be discussed before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
On December 6, 2006 Berardinetti was appointed chair of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy. Berardinetti has been a member of the Committee since March 27, 2006 and before that he had been chair and a Member of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies.
In the 2007 election
, Berardinetti was re-elected with 15,119 votes, or 46.17 per cent of the vote.
On January 25, 2010, Berardinetti was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour
.
On October 25, 2010, Berardinetti's wife Michelle
won election as a Toronto City Councillor.
|-
|Lorenzo Berardinetti
|align="right"|15,113
|align="right"|46.2
|align="right"|-0.7
|-
|Gary Crawford
|align="right"|8,363
|align="right"|25.5
|align="right"|-6.2
|-
|Jay Sarkar
|align="right"|5,920
|align="right"|18.1
|align="right"|+0.2
|-
|Stefan Dixon
|align="right"|2,655
|align="right"|8.1
|align="right"|+6.25
|-
|Wiktor Paawel Borkpwski
|align="right"|398
|align="right"|1.2
|align="right"|-0.4
|-
|George Dance
|align="right"|296
|align="right"|0.9
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|Lorenzo Berardinetti
|align="right"|17,501
|align="right"|46.93
|align="right"|+13.27
|-
|Dan Newman
|align="right"|11,826
|align="right"|31.71
|align="right"|-8.05
|-
|Barbara Warner
|align="right"|6,688
|align="right"|17.94
|align="right"|-5.28
|-
|Andrew Strachan
|align="right"|689
|align="right"|1.85
|align="right"|+0.64
|-
|Ray Scott
|align="right"|586
|align="right"|1.57
|align="right"|+0.29
|}
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is the member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
for Scarborough Southwest
Scarborough Southwest (provincial electoral district)
Scarborough Southwest is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1999.-Geography:It covers the southwestern part of the Scarborough part of Toronto...
, representing the governing Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
.
Mr. Berardinetti was born and raised in Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
, and is a lawyer. He attended the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and the University of Windsor
University of Windsor
The University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
Law School, and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1988.
Berardinetti was a councillor in the pre-amalgamation Scarborough Council from 1988 to 1996, and represented Ward 37 (Scarborough Centre) on the amalgamated Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
from 1997 to 2003. In 1997, he served as chair of Toronto's administration committee, which created the framework for a unified civic administration in the amalgamated city. Berardinetti was generally regarded as an ally of Toronto mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Mel Lastman
Mel Lastman
Melvin Douglas "Mel" Lastman , nicknamed "Mayor Mel", is a former businessman and politician. He is the founder of the Bad Boy Furniture chain. He served as the mayor of the former city of North York, Ontario, Canada from 1972 until 1997. At the end of 1997, North York, along with five other...
during his years on the Toronto council.
In the provincial election of 2003
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, Berardinetti defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
Dan Newman
Dan Newman
Dan Newman is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves....
by about 6,000 votes in Scarborough Southwest. The Liberals won a majority government under Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
in this election, and Berardinetti was appointed the deputy government whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
on October 23, 2003, a position he held until the 2007 election.
He became prominent for his private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
, introduced in 2004, to outlaw what he called "gender-based pricing," whereby prices for equivalent or similar products and services, such as clothing, dry cleaning and haircuts, may vary between women and men. He contended women were charged much more for many products and services, the extent of which he had only discovered when he went shopping with his new wife Michelle. The bill reached second reading on December 8, 2005 and is currently waiting to be discussed before the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.
On December 6, 2006 Berardinetti was appointed chair of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy. Berardinetti has been a member of the Committee since March 27, 2006 and before that he had been chair and a Member of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies.
In the 2007 election
Ontario general election, 2007
The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular...
, Berardinetti was re-elected with 15,119 votes, or 46.17 per cent of the vote.
On January 25, 2010, Berardinetti was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour
Ministry of Labour (Ontario)
The Ministry of Labour is responsible for labour issues in the Canadian province of Ontario.The Ministry of Labour and its agencies are responsible for employment equity and rights, occupational health and safety, and labour relations....
.
On October 25, 2010, Berardinetti's wife Michelle
Michelle Berardinetti
Michelle Berardinetti, is a Canadian politician, who was elected to Toronto City Council in the 2010 city council election, defeating Adrian Heaps in Ward 35.-Background:...
won election as a Toronto City Councillor.
Electoral record
|-
|Lorenzo Berardinetti
|align="right"|15,113
|align="right"|46.2
|align="right"|-0.7
|-
|Gary Crawford
Gary Crawford (politician)
Gary Crawford is a Canadian politician, who was elected to Toronto City Council in the 2010 city council election to succeed Brian Ashton in Ward 36. Crawford is a strong advocate for the arts...
|align="right"|8,363
|align="right"|25.5
|align="right"|-6.2
|-
|Jay Sarkar
|align="right"|5,920
|align="right"|18.1
|align="right"|+0.2
|-
|Stefan Dixon
|align="right"|2,655
|align="right"|8.1
|align="right"|+6.25
|-
|Wiktor Paawel Borkpwski
|align="right"|398
|align="right"|1.2
|align="right"|-0.4
|-
|George Dance
|align="right"|296
|align="right"|0.9
|align="right"|
|}
|-
|Lorenzo Berardinetti
|align="right"|17,501
|align="right"|46.93
|align="right"|+13.27
|-
|Dan Newman
Dan Newman
Dan Newman is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves....
|align="right"|11,826
|align="right"|31.71
|align="right"|-8.05
|-
|Barbara Warner
|align="right"|6,688
|align="right"|17.94
|align="right"|-5.28
|-
|Andrew Strachan
|align="right"|689
|align="right"|1.85
|align="right"|+0.64
|-
|Ray Scott
|align="right"|586
|align="right"|1.57
|align="right"|+0.29
|}
