Susan Kadis

Infobox CanadianMP | name=Susan R. Kadis


term_start=2004 election
term_end=
predecessor= Elinor Caplan
birth_date= birth date and age|1953|1|11
birth_place= Toronto, Ontario
successor=
death_date=
death_place=
profession=Newspaper publisher, volunteer worker
party=Liberal
party colour=Liberal
religion=Jewish [ [http://www.cjnews.com/viewarticle.asp?id=8301&s=1 Liberal Susan Kadis, was one of five Jewish MPs in the last House of Commons] ]
residence=Thornhill
riding=Thornhill
footnotes=
term_start2=
term_end2=
predecessor2=
spouse=David Kadis|

Susan R. Kadis (born January 11, 1953) is the Liberal Member of Parliament for Thornhill in the Canadian House of Commons.

Early career

Born in Toronto, Ontario, she achieved a Bachelor of Sociology from York University. A [cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/39/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/041_2006-06-15/han041_1830-E.htm|title=39th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION, EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 041, Thursday, June 15, 2006] breast cancer survivor, Kadis has served on the board of directors of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Kadis first rose to prominence in the late 1980’s as the spokesperson for and co-chair of the Parents Advocating Student Support group. Kadis called for a provincial investigation into the practices of the York Board of Education and sought help from Ontario Education Minister Sean Conway. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/472876601.html?dids=472876601:472876601&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+15%2C+1987&author=Lynne+Ainsworth+Toronto+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.7&desc=Angry+Thornhill+parents+ask+ministry+to+probe+school] She accused the board of anti-semitism based on allegations that there were a disproportionate number of students of the Jewish faith that had failed a grade, including her own son. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/472885101.html?dids=472885101:472885101&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+16%2C+1987&author=Sterling+Taylor+Toronto+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.7&desc=Racial+bias+said+factor+in+school%27s+failure+rate] She succeeded in getting the province to investigate. As a result the province then retested the students that had originally failed a grade. [http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thestar/access/472967281.html?dids=472967281:472967281&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Aug+26%2C+1987&author=Lynne+Ainsworth+Toronto+Star&pub=Toronto+Star&edition=&startpage=A.14&desc=23+students+who+flunked+to+be+retested+next+week] Kadis received much praise from the community for her efforts and parlayed this support into getting elected in the 1988 municipal election as the area's School Board Trustee, thus starting her political career. She also established a local newspaper, the "Thornhill Times". She served as school board trustee in Vaughan from 1988 to 1994. From 1997 to 2004, she was a municipal councillor.

Kadis ran for the provincial Liberal Party nomination for the riding of Thornhill in 2003, but was defeated by fellow municipal councillor Mario Racco.

38th Canadian Parliament

She was elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal candidate in the 2004 federal election on June 28, 2004, in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) riding of Thornhill. She officially resigned her position as city councillor after being elected. [cite web|url=http://www.city.vaughan.on.ca/vaughan/council/minutes_agendas/committee_2004/pdf/CWA0907_27.pdf |title=Minutes of the City of Vaughan Committee of the Whole for September 7, 2004 which contains Susan Kadis' resignation letter] During that session of Parliament, Kadis was elected chair of the Liberal Party's GTA caucus as well as chair of the standing committee on the status of women. One of her accomplishments as MP was successfully introducing a bill that created a national Alzheimer's strategy. [cite web|url=http://www.alzheimer.ca/english/media/nationalstrategy-background.htm|title=Description of National Strategy at Alzheimers.ca]

39th Canadian Parliament

In the 2006 federal election, Kadis was re-elected as the MP in Thornhill with 53% of the vote. Kadis obtained 29,934 votes, achieving about 11,000 votes over any other candidate. Since being re-elected, Kadis was appointed associate critic for infrastructure and communities in the Official Opposition shadow cabinet. Kadis is also the past Vice-Chair of the Public Safety and Security Committee. [cite web|url=http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/membersofparliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=78361&SubSubject=1003&Language=E|title=Member of Parliament Profile (Current)] Following the departure of fellow Liberal MP Joe Fontana in September 2006, Kadis was appointed Critic for Science and Research.

Kadis was appointed to the Caucus Committee on Economic Prosperity and Vice Chair of the Health Committee after Stéphane Dion's election as party leader.In addition, she was appointed the chair of a Task Force on Cultural Communities-at-Risk. She was not included in Dion's Shadow Cabinet until 23 January 2008, when she was appointed Critic for National Revenue [ [http://www.liberal.ca/story_13505_e.aspx Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion Shuffles Critics in Anticipation of Upcoming Session] . News Release]

Political endorsments

Kadis had announced that she would be endorsing MP Michael Ignatieff for the 2006 Liberal leadership convention and had been appointed as his GTA co-chair for his campaign. However, on October 11, Kadis, who is a member of both the Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel and Canada Israel Friendship Group, withdrew her support over comments made by Ignatieff on the war in Lebanon. [cite web|url=http://michaelignatieff.ca/MiCommunity/blogs/ontherecord/archive/2006/05/04/345.aspx|title=Kadis’s endorsement of Ignatieff] [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061011.wignat1010/BNStory/National/ MP withdraws support for Ignatieff over 'war crimes' comment] , Scott Deveau, Globe and Mail, October 11, 2006] . She later endorsed Bob Rae [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20061027.wrae1027/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20061027.wrae1027 Ignatieff's former co-chair joins rival's campaign] ] and following Rae's loss on the 3rd ballot, she endorsed Stéphane Dion.

Kadis endorsed Vaughan, Ontario Mayor Michael Di Biase in his unsuccessful bid for re-election during the 2006 Vaughan municipal election. [ [http://www.michaeldibiase.ca/endorsements.html Michael DiBiase Campaign endorsements] ]

Kadis endorsed a number of candidates in the Ontario general election, 2007. She endorsed former Thornhill Liberal MPP Mario Racco in his unsuccessful bid for re-election [ [http://raccoliberal.ca Mario Racco Campaign endorsments] ] and successful Richmond Hill Liberal candidate Reza Moridi [ [http://www.rezamoridi.com Reza Moridi 'What People Say"] ] .

In 2007, Kadis became one of only two MP’s across Canada to endorse a leadership candidate in the New Youth Parliament of Canada.

Press coverage

Kadis commented to the news media about the Liberal Women's Caucus reaction to public sexist remarks following the defection of Belinda Stronach to the Liberals [cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1116429952346_14/?hub=TopStories|title= CTV article "Women's caucus calls Belinda backlash 'sexist.'"] . She appeared in an interview, defending Governor General Michaëlle Jean against allegations of separatism [cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050817_jean_comments_050816/?hub=TopStories |title=CTV interview with Susan Kadis about Michaëlle Jean's separatist tie] .

She is a cousin of Lorne Michaels, the executive producer and creator of "Saturday Night Live". [ [http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20061120_136750_136750 Maclean's magazine: Capital diary: week starting Nov. 10] ]

References

External links

* [http://susankadis.liberal.ca/default_e.aspx Official site]
* [http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/membersofparliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=78361&Language=E House of Commons member profile]
* [http://www.liberal.ca/bio_e.aspx?&id=35089 Liberal Party of Canada profile of Susan Kadis]
* [http://www.howdtheyvote.ca/member.php?id=147 How'd they Vote? Voting record and statements in the House of Commons] (javascript video)