Zanana Akande
Encyclopedia
Zanana L. Akande is a former Canadian
politician. She was the first black
woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
, and the first black woman to serve as a cabinet
minister in Canada.
A daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean
, she became a teacher and school principal in the Toronto public school system. In 1990, she was elected in the provincial election
as an NDP
candidate in the Toronto riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick
. She was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services but resigned amidst controversy a year later. In 1992, she was named parliamentary assistant to Premier Bob Rae
. In 1994 she quit politics after a dispute over the handling of an investigation and firing of Ontario civil servant Carlton Masters.
As of 2009, Akande is retired but continues to be involved in the community, serving as a volunteer on boards and committees of local organizations including the YWCA
and Centennial College.
district. Her parents came from St. Lucia
and Barbados
where they had worked as teachers. They were prevented from continuing their careers in Canada because at the time Blacks were not allowed to hold teaching positions. She attended Harbord Collegiate
before studying at the University of Toronto
. There she received Bachelor of Arts
and Master of Education
degrees. She also attended the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
. She was a long time member of the Federation of Women Teachers Associations of Ontario. Following in her parents footsteps, she worked as a teacher and a school principal for the Toronto District School Board
. During her educational career she designed programs for students with special needs.
Akande was a co-founder of Tiger Lily, a newspaper for visible minority women, and once co-hosted a Toronto Arts Against Apartheid Festival. She was a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
in her youth and was friends with future NDP leader Stephen Lewis
and his siblings, and was a longtime member of its successor, the New Democratic Party
.
Akande was married to Isaac who died of cancer in 1991. They had a daughter, Aderonke.
of St. Andrew—St. Patrick in the 1990 election. Akande won the riding in a tight three way race between incumbent Liberal Ron Kanter
and Conservative candidate Nancy Jackman
. The NDP won a majority government and Akande was named Minister of Community and Social Services in Bob Rae's first cabinet on October 1, 1990.
As minister, Akande presided over an increase in welfare benefits to Ontarians at the lowest income level. Her government initially planned to phase out the province's food bank
s as part of an anti-poverty strategy, but was forced to accept their continued existence.
In 1991, Akande was caught in a conflict of interest
controversy. In December 1990, Rae announced strict guidelines which prohibited cabinet ministers from owning rental properties which included Akande. However, in February 1991, Rae wrote a private memo which softened the guidelines because he felt that a sell-off of these properties during tough economic times may cause undue hardship to ministers.
On October 10, 1991, Akande resigned as minister due to an accusation of rent-gouging in properties she owned in Toronto. Rae accepted her resignation saying "it would be in a sense, better for everyone, including herself, if this was the way we proceeded. The charges were eventually dismissed in 1993.
On May 4, 1992, the so-called "Yonge Street Riot" occurred in Toronto due to media reports surrounding a celebrated court case in the United States about the beating of Rodney King
by police and the ensuing riots in Los Angeles. While the damage along Yonge St. was relatively minor, it was a major event for Toronto. In order to manage the fallout from this episode, Rae appointed Akande as his parliamentary assistant. One of her accomplishments was the creation of the jobsOntario Youth Program which created summer employment for youth from 1991-4.
Akande continued as a parliamentary assistant until August 31, 1994, when she resigned from the Legislature in protest against Rae's handling of the Carlton Masters controversy. Akande was bitter about her time in government. She said "a government must reflect everyone in the province. But this government has compromised its base. I can't identify with this party." She stated that she would never again belong to a political party. After resigning from the government she returned to her former job as school principal.
A by-election
for the riding was subsequently called, but was superseded by the 1995 election
.
cabinet minister Bob Runciman
attributed some of Toronto's increasing black-on-black crime rate to poor leadership within the community. Runciman accused some members as trying to make a living off fuelling bad relations with Toronto Police. Akande, as a member of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations called the comments insulting.
In 2004, she was awarded the Constance E. Hamilton Award
for her work in addressing equity issues in the community.
As of 2006, Akande was president of Harbourfront Centre
and was serving on the boards of the YWCA and Centennial College. She is also a member of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. She was also a founding member board of directors of Milestone Radio
, owners of Canada's first urban music radio station, Flow 93.5 in Toronto.
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...
politician. She was the first black
Black Canadian
'Black Canadians is a designation used for people of Black African descent, who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The term specifically refers to Canadians with Sub-Saharan African ancestry. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin...
woman elected to 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...
, and the first black woman to serve as a cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
minister in Canada.
A daughter of immigrants from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, she became a teacher and school principal in the Toronto public school system. In 1990, she was elected in the provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
as an NDP
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
candidate in the Toronto riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick
St. Andrew—St. Patrick
St. Andrew—St. Patrick was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that returned Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park....
. She was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services but resigned amidst controversy a year later. In 1992, she was named parliamentary assistant to Premier Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
. In 1994 she quit politics after a dispute over the handling of an investigation and firing of Ontario civil servant Carlton Masters.
As of 2009, Akande is retired but continues to be involved in the community, serving as a volunteer on boards and committees of local organizations including the YWCA
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
and Centennial College.
Background
Akande was born in downtown Toronto in the Kensington MarketKensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
district. Her parents came from St. Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
where they had worked as teachers. They were prevented from continuing their careers in Canada because at the time Blacks were not allowed to hold teaching positions. She attended Harbord Collegiate
Harbord Collegiate Institute
Harbord Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school located in downtown Toronto, Canada. Specifically, the school is located in the Palmerston-Little Italy/The Annex neighbourhood, situated on the north side of Harbord Street, between Euclid Ave. and Manning St...
before studying at 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...
. There she received Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Education
Master of Education
The Master of Education is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in a large number of countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum and instruction, counseling, and administration. It is often conferred for educators advancing in...
degrees. She also attended the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto is a teachers' college in Toronto, Ontario.-History:OISE/UT traces its origins to the founding of the Provincial Normal School in 1847...
. She was a long time member of the Federation of Women Teachers Associations of Ontario. Following in her parents footsteps, she worked as a teacher and a school principal for the Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board
Toronto District School Board, also known by the acronym TDSB, is the English-language public school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
. During her educational career she designed programs for students with special needs.
Akande was a co-founder of Tiger Lily, a newspaper for visible minority women, and once co-hosted a Toronto Arts Against Apartheid Festival. She was a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
in her youth and was friends with future NDP leader Stephen Lewis
Stephen Lewis
Stephen Henry Lewis, is a Canadian politician, broadcaster and diplomat. He was the leader of the social democratic Ontario New Democratic Party for most of the 1970s. During many of the those years as leader, his father David Lewis was simultaneously the leader of the Federal New Democratic Party...
and his siblings, and was a longtime member of its successor, the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
.
Akande was married to Isaac who died of cancer in 1991. They had a daughter, Aderonke.
Politics
Akande was elected for the NDP in the Toronto ridingElectoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
of St. Andrew—St. Patrick in the 1990 election. Akande won the riding in a tight three way race between incumbent Liberal Ron Kanter
Ron Kanter
Ronald M. Kanter is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990.-Background:...
and Conservative candidate Nancy Jackman
Nancy Ruth
Nancy Ruth, CM is a Canadian Senator from Ontario. She was appointed to the Senate by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, on the advice of Prime Minister Paul Martin, on March 24, 2005. While initially appointed as a Progressive Conservative, on March 28, 2006 she joined the Conservative caucus...
. The NDP won a majority government and Akande was named Minister of Community and Social Services in Bob Rae's first cabinet on October 1, 1990.
As minister, Akande presided over an increase in welfare benefits to Ontarians at the lowest income level. Her government initially planned to phase out the province's food bank
Food bank
A food bank or foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry. The largest sources of food are for-profit growers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers who in the normal course of business have...
s as part of an anti-poverty strategy, but was forced to accept their continued existence.
In 1991, Akande was caught in a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
controversy. In December 1990, Rae announced strict guidelines which prohibited cabinet ministers from owning rental properties which included Akande. However, in February 1991, Rae wrote a private memo which softened the guidelines because he felt that a sell-off of these properties during tough economic times may cause undue hardship to ministers.
On October 10, 1991, Akande resigned as minister due to an accusation of rent-gouging in properties she owned in Toronto. Rae accepted her resignation saying "it would be in a sense, better for everyone, including herself, if this was the way we proceeded. The charges were eventually dismissed in 1993.
On May 4, 1992, the so-called "Yonge Street Riot" occurred in Toronto due to media reports surrounding a celebrated court case in the United States about the beating of Rodney King
Rodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
by police and the ensuing riots in Los Angeles. While the damage along Yonge St. was relatively minor, it was a major event for Toronto. In order to manage the fallout from this episode, Rae appointed Akande as his parliamentary assistant. One of her accomplishments was the creation of the jobsOntario Youth Program which created summer employment for youth from 1991-4.
Akande continued as a parliamentary assistant until August 31, 1994, when she resigned from the Legislature in protest against Rae's handling of the Carlton Masters controversy. Akande was bitter about her time in government. She said "a government must reflect everyone in the province. But this government has compromised its base. I can't identify with this party." She stated that she would never again belong to a political party. After resigning from the government she returned to her former job as school principal.
A by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
for the riding was subsequently called, but was superseded by the 1995 election
Ontario general election, 1995
The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...
.
After politics
In 2003, Progressive ConservativeProgressive 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...
cabinet minister Bob Runciman
Bob Runciman
Robert William "Bob" Runciman is a veteran Canadian politician and former provincial Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature. First elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, he held the seat continuously for Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario for the next 29 years...
attributed some of Toronto's increasing black-on-black crime rate to poor leadership within the community. Runciman accused some members as trying to make a living off fuelling bad relations with Toronto Police. Akande, as a member of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations called the comments insulting.
In 2004, she was awarded the Constance E. Hamilton Award
Constance Hamilton
Constance Easton Hamilton was the first woman member of Toronto City Council and the first woman in Ontario to hold elected office at either the federal, provincial, or municipal level...
for her work in addressing equity issues in the community.
As of 2006, Akande was president of Harbourfront Centre
Harbourfront Centre
Harbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on Toronto, Ontario's waterfront, situated at 235 Queen's Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the federal government to create a waterfront park, it became a non-profit organization in 1991. Funding comes from corporate...
and was serving on the boards of the YWCA and Centennial College. She is also a member of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. She was also a founding member board of directors of Milestone Radio
Milestone Radio
Milestone Radio Incorporated was a Canadian radio broadcasting company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. They were the only broadcasting company in Canada that was owned and operated by Black Canadians. The company's president was Denham Jolly....
, owners of Canada's first urban music radio station, Flow 93.5 in Toronto.