Peter Fonseca
Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".
- For other people with a similar name, see Pedro da Fonseca (disambiguation)
Peter Fonseca Template:Postnom (born 5 October 1966) is a Portuguese-born Canadian politician and former athlete. He is a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville since his election in 2015.
Prior to entering federal politics, Fonseca was a provincial Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing Mississauga East (2003-2007) and Mississauga East—Cooksville (2007- 2011). He was a cabinet minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty.
Fonseca was re-elected in his safe Liberal riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville with roughly 53% of the vote in the 2019 federal election and again with 50% of the vote in the 2021 federal election.
In the 44th parliament which was formed after the 2021 federal election (where the governing Liberals were re-elected with an increased minority), Fonseca was selected as the chair of the powerful Finance Committee.
Background
Fonseca was born in Lisbon, Portugal and immigrated to Toronto with his family in 1968. He was raised in Little Portugal. He graduated from St. Michael's College School and attended the University of Oregon, gaining a Bachelor of Arts on an athletic scholarship. He also holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Windsor.[1] He worked as a senior performance management consultant for the Coach Corporation and has run an importing and distributing company in Portugal.[2]
He married his wife Christine "Chris" Fonseca in 2003.[1] Christine was elected to Mississauga City Council as Councillor for Ward 3 in the 2010 Mississauga municipal election[3] and re-elected in 2014 Mississauga municipal election, 2018 Mississauga municipal election, and 2022 Mississauga municipal election.[4]
Fonseca holds Dual-citizenship with Portugal.[5]
Athletic career
He finished 5th in the 10,000 metres at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. He also represented Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia in the Men's Marathon. He was the top finisher for the Canadians, placing 21st overall in a Script error: No such module "convert". race with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds.[6] He also placed second in the 1994 Toronto Marathon and the 1994 Houston Marathon, and third in the 1992 New York City Marathon and the 1990 Los Angeles Marathon.[7]
| Representing Script error: No such module "flag". | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Houston Marathon | Houston, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:13:53 |
| 1994 | Toronto Marathon | Toronto, Canada | 2nd | Marathon | 2:17:16 |
| 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 5th | 10,000 m | 29:14.85 |
| 1995 | Houston Marathon | Houston, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:11:52 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 21st | Marathon | 2:17:28 |
| 1997 | Toronto Marathon | Toronto, Canada | 1st | Marathon | 2:28:26 |
Politics
Provincial
Fonseca was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 2003, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative Carl DeFaria by about 3,000 votes in Mississauga East.[8] On 23 October 2003, he was named parliamentary assistant to George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. In July 2005, he became the parliamentary assistant to Jim Watson, the Minister of Health Promotion.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
In October 2007, Fonseca was named to cabinet as Minister of Tourism and Recreation.[9] In a cabinet shuffle on 18 September 2008, Fonseca was appointed as the province's Minister of Labour.[10]
Federal
On 16 December 2010, Fonseca resigned from the Ontario cabinet to run for the federal Liberals in the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville.[11] He was defeated by Conservative candidate Wladyslaw Lizon in the 2011 federal election by 676 votes.[12][13]
Fonseca ran for the Liberals again in the 2015 federal election and defeated Lizon by a wide margin as part of the Liberal sweep of Mississauga ridings. Fonseca was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 elections.[14]
Fonseca's constituency office was on fire, on 22 February 2022. Peel Regional Police is investigating the matter as arson.[15][16][17][18]
Electoral record
Federal
Template:2025 Canadian federal election/Mississauga East—Cooksville Template:2021 Canadian federal election/Mississauga East—Cooksville Template:2019 Canadian federal election/Mississauga East—Cooksville Template:2015 Canadian federal election/Mississauga East—Cooksville Template:2011 Canadian federal election/Mississauga East—Cooksville
Provincial
Template:2007 Ontario general election/Mississauga East—Cooksville Template:2003 Ontario general election/Mississauga East
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Script error: No such module "Official website".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Peter Fonseca – Parliament of Canada biography
- Speeches, votes and activity at OpenParliament.ca
- Template:Ontario MPP biography
- Template:ARRS
Template:McGuinty Ministry Template:Members of the Canadian House of Commons
- Pages with script errors
- 1966 births
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Track and field athletes from Mississauga
- Canadian men long-distance runners
- Canadian men marathon runners
- Canadian sportsperson-politicians
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Canada
- Liberal Party of Canada MPs
- Living people
- Members of the Executive Council of Ontario
- Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
- Naturalized citizens of Canada
- Ontario Liberal Party MPPs
- Olympic track and field athletes for Canada
- Oregon Ducks men's track and field athletes
- Politicians from Mississauga
- Portuguese emigrants to Canada
- Athletes from Lisbon
- University of Windsor alumni
- 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
- 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
- 20th-century Canadian sportsmen
- Ministers of labour of Ontario