View source for Mary Anne Chambers

{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name         = Mary Anne Chambers
| image        =
|honorific-suffix = [[Executive Council of Ontario|ECO]] [[Order of Ontario|OOnt]]
| caption      =
| office       = [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Ontario MPP]]
| term_start   = 2003
| term_end     = 2007
| predecessor  = [[Steve Gilchrist]]  
| successor    = ''Riding abolished''
| constituency = [[Scarborough East (provincial electoral district)|Scarborough East]]
| party        = [[Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal]]  
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1950|09|08}}
| birth_place  = [[Jamaica]]
| residence    = 
| occupation   = Banker
}}
'''Mary Anne Veronica Chambers''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|OOnt}} (born September 8, 1950) is a former politician in [[Ontario]], Canada, and was named Chancellor of the [[University of Guelph]] in September 2022. She was a member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]] from 2003 until 2007, and served in the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]] in the government of [[Premier]] [[Dalton McGuinty]].

==Background==
Chambers was born in [[Jamaica]], and emigrated to Canada in 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url =http://www.toronto.ca/scfy/conference-bios-appendix5.htm#chambers|title = City of Toronto: Safe Cities for Youth: A Culture of Smart Choices, March 12–13, 2007 - Presenter Bios (Appendix 5)}}</ref> She is a graduate of The Immaculate Conception High School. She was a banker prior to entering political life.  She joined [[Scotiabank]] in 1976, and was involved in the expansion of computer and electronic services within the organisation.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.greatpast.utoronto.ca/GreatMinds/ShowBannerUTSC.asp?ID=97|title = University of Toronto - Great Past - Great Minds Bio}}</ref>  She was also involved in a number of task forces concerning the role of women in the workplace.  In 1988, she received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from the [[University of Toronto]] with a major in Commerce.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~advancement/greatminds/bios/chambers.html|title = Mary Anne Chambers - Senior VP, Bank of Nova Scotia & Graduate}}</ref>

Chambers was named a Senior Vice-President of the bank in 1998, retiring from the position in December 2002.<ref name = "WELC">{{cite web|url = http://www.conferenceboard.ca/education/symposium/workplace2004/speaker-bios.htm|title = Workplace Education and Learning Conference - Speaker Bios}}</ref> She is also a former director of ''Grace, Kennedy (Ontario) Ltd.'' and ''Grace Foods International Ltd.'', prominent food distribution companies belonging to a parent organization in Jamaica.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.cast-utech.ca/Banquet/bio2004.html|title = Hon. Chambers' Bio|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929031443/http://www.cast-utech.ca/Banquet/bio2004.html|archivedate = 2007-09-29}}</ref>

Chambers was a member of the [[Rouge Valley Health System]], serving as Vice-Chair for a time.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://communications.uwo.ca/western_news/story.html?listing_id=12196|title =  Colleges and Universities Minister}}</ref>  She was a member of the Board of Governors at the [[University of Toronto]] from 1993 to 2001, and Vice-Chair of the Governing Council from 1998 to 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin5/031024b.asp|title =  Former Governing Council vice-chair named to Ontario Cabinet}}</ref>  She helped to author a University policy that no student would be prevented from studying at Toronto for inadequate financial resources.

Chambers was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the [[United Way of Canada|United Way]] of Greater [[Toronto]] from 1994 to 2001, and was President of the [[Canadian Club of Toronto]] from 1998 to 1999.  In 2003, she was awarded the [[Jamaican Prime Ministers Medal of Appreciation]] for Service to Jamaica by Jamaican [[Prime Minister]] [[Percival James Patterson]], in recognition of her work within Toronto's Jamaican community.

==Politics==
Chambers was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the [[2003 Ontario general election|provincial election of 2003]], as a [[Liberal Party of Ontario|Liberal]] in the riding of [[Scarborough East (provincial electoral district)|Scarborough East]], defeating incumbent [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] [[Steve Gilchrist]] by over 7000 votes.  The Liberals won the provincial election, and Chambers was appointed [[Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (Ontario)|Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities]] on October 23, 2003.<ref name = "LAO">{{cite web|url = http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_all_detail.do?locale=en&ID=2142|title = Legislative Assembly of Ontario:Mary Anne V. Chambers}}</ref>  In early 2004, she reaffirmed her government's election pledge not to raise tuition rates.

Chambers was appointed Ontario [[Minister of Children and Youth Services (Ontario)|Minister of Children and Youth Services]] in June 2005.<ref name="OGOV">{{cite web|url = http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/team/biography.asp?MPPID=53|title = Premier of Ontario - Biography of Mary Anne Chambers|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20121129164657/http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/team/biography.asp?MPPID=53|archivedate = 2012-11-29}}</ref> On July 11, 2007, she announced that she would not be running for [[2011 Ontario general election|re-election]] to the Ontario Legislature.<ref>{{cite web|title = Ontario Liberals lose cabinet minister Chambers|author = Canadian Press|publisher = The Globe and Mail|date = July 11, 2007|url = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070711.wontlib0711/BNStory/National/home}}</ref> In 2015, she was made a member of the [[Order of Ontario]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.ontario.ca/mci/en/2015/02/new-appointees-to-the-order-of-ontario-1.html|title=New Appointees to the Order of Ontario}}</ref> On May 17, 2015, she spoke in support of the nomination of NDP candidate Adaoma Patterson for Brampton West.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pridenews.ca/2015/05/21/adaoma-patterson-nominated-candidate-for-ndp-in-brampton-west/|title=Adaoma Patterson Nominated Candidate for NDP in Brampton West|date=21 May 2015}}</ref>

===Cabinet positions===
{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Dalton_McGuinty}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post2preceded = [[Marie Bountrogianni]]
| post2         = [[Ministry of Children and Youth Services (Ontario)|Minister of Children and Youth Services]]
| post2years    = 2005–2007
| post2note     =
| post2followed = [[Deb Matthews]]

| post1preceded = [[Dianne Cunningham]]
| post1         = [[Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities (Ontario)|Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities]]
| post1years    = 2003–2005
| post1note     =
| post1followed = [[Chris Bentley (politician)|Chris Bentley]]
}}
{{s-end}}

===Electoral record===

{{Election box begin | title=[[2003 Ontario general election]]}}
{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Mary Anne Chambers|21,798|51.5|+10.62}}
{{CANelec|ON|Progressive Conservatives|[[Steve Gilchrist]]|14,323|33.84|-15.66}}
{{CANelec|ON|NDP|Gary Dale|5,250|12.4|+5.57}}
{{CANelec |ON |Green |Hugh McNeil |668 |+1.58}}
{{CANelec|ON|Libertarian|[[Sam Apelbaum]]|285|0.67|-0.21}}
{{end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Ontario MPP biography|id=mary-anne-v-chambers|name=Mary Anne V. Chambers|old_id=2142}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Mary Anne}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Black Canadian politicians]]
[[Category:Women government ministers of Canada]]
[[Category:Jamaican emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]]
[[Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]
[[Category:Women MPPs in Ontario]]
[[Category:Black Canadian women]]
[[Category:Black Canadian businesspeople]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians]]
[[Category:Chancellors of the University of Guelph]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Toronto]]