The Honourable
Filomena Tassi
PC MP
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Assumed office
August 31, 2022
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byHelena Jaczek
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Receiver General for Canada
In office
October 26, 2021 – August 31, 2022
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byAnita Anand
Succeeded byHelena Jaczek
Minister of Labour
In office
November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byPatty Hajdu
Succeeded bySeamus O'Regan
Minister of Seniors
In office
July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byOffice re-established
Succeeded byDeb Schulte
Deputy Government Whip
In office
January 30, 2017 – August 31, 2018
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byGinette Petitpas Taylor
Succeeded byLinda Lapointe
Member of Parliament
for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded byDavid Sweet
Personal details
Born1962 (age 61–62)
Hamilton, Ontario
Political partyLiberal
ResidenceDundas, Ontario[1]
Alma mater
Profession
  • Attorney
  • Chaplain

Filomena Tassi PC MP is a Canadian politician who has served as the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario since August 31, 2022. A member of the Liberal Party, Tassi represents the riding of Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas in the House of Commons, taking office following the 2015 federal election. She served as the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Receiver General for Canada from 2021 to 2022, as the Minister of Labour from 2019 to 2021, and as the Minister of Seniors from 2018 to 2019.

Education and early career

Tassi is of Italian descent, from the regions of Marche and Abruzzo, and was raised Catholic.[2] She studied law at the University of Western Ontario, and then practised corporate law for six years. She subsequently left the legal profession and studied philosophy and religious education at the University of Waterloo, and began working as the chaplain at Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School, a job she held until her election to the House of Commons.[3]

Political career

Tassi's first run for elective office was as a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in the 1995 provincial election, where she finished a narrow second to NDP incumbent David Christopherson. Two decades later, she became the federal Liberal candidate in Hamilton during the 2015 federal election. Her candidacy attracted some media controversy, as she had made statements in the past suggesting that her Roman Catholic faith made her personally opposed to abortion, which seemingly put her in conflict with Liberal leader Justin Trudeau's requirement that all candidates agree to vote in favour of abortion rights. Trudeau clarified that Tassi had agreed to support the legal right to abortion.[4]

Prior to entering federal politics, Tassi was a Catholic school board trustee.[5]

After previously serving as Deputy Government Whip, Tassi was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Seniors on July 18, 2018, becoming the first minister responsible for the portfolio since 2015.[6] After being re-elected in 2019, Tassi was named Minister of Labour, a job she held for just under two years until she was named Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Receiver General for Canada in the cabinet shuffle held following the 2021 federal election.[7] Tassi served in that job until August 31, 2022, when she was named Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, having requested to be moved to a portfolio with a lighter workload in order to deal with a family health matter.[8]

Electoral record

Federal

2021 Canadian federal election: Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalFilomena Tassi27,84544.32-2.23
ConservativeBert Laranjo18,16228.91+2.19
New DemocraticRoberto Henriquez12,43219.79+2.03
People'sDean Woods2,5844.11+2.73
GreenVictoria Galea1,6612.64-4.71
RhinocerosSpencer Rocchi1370.22-0.02
Total valid votes 62,82199.4
Total rejected ballots 3870.6
Turnout 63,20871.2
Eligible voters 88,781
Liberal hold Swing -2.21
Source: Elections Canada[9]
2019 Canadian federal election: Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalFilomena Tassi30,21446.55-1.13$77,474.77
ConservativeBert Laranjo17,34026.72-5.11none listed
New DemocraticYousaf Malik11,52717.76+1.49$35,360.66
GreenVictoria Galea4,7707.35+3.12none listed
People'sDaniel Ricottone8941.38–none listed
RhinocerosSpencer Rocchi1560.24–$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit 64,90199.36
Total rejected ballots 4150.64+0.20
Turnout 65,31672.83+0.29
Eligible voters 89,679
Liberal hold Swing +1.99
Source: Elections Canada[10][11]
2015 Canadian federal election: Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalFilomena Tassi29,69447.68+22.76–
ConservativeVincent Samuel19,82131.83-10.57–
New DemocraticAlex Johnstone10,13116.27-11.92–
GreenPeter Ormond2,6334.23+0.5–
Total valid votes/Expense limit 62,279100.0 $221,675.78
Total rejected ballots 272––
Turnout 62,55174.1%–
Eligible voters 84,350
Liberal notional gain from Conservative Swing +16.66%
Source: Elections Canada[12][13]

Provincial

1995 Ontario general election: Hamilton Centre
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticDavid Christopherson8,01236.81-18.49$40,543.33
LiberalFilomena Tassi7,32233.64+2.84$34,483.85
Progressive ConservativeAngie Tomasic5,72326.29+17.99$18,222.88
Family CoalitionTom Wigglesworth3761.72+0.32$1,548.28
Natural LawMonique Poudrette3311.53–$0.00
Total valid votes 21,764 100.0 –
Total rejected ballots 3721.68-0.04
Turnout 22,13654.71-5.07
Eligible voters 40,459
New Democratic hold Swing -10.66

References

  1. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "Filomena Tassi, "Italian Heritage Month" on May 15th, 2017 | openparliament.ca".
  3. ↑ Meet Filomena Tassi, Liberal.ca.
  4. ↑ Susana Mas, Justin Trudeau says Filomena Tassi agreed to vote pro-choice if elected in 2015, CBC News, November 28, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Liberals pick up two Hamilton ridings, Marston defeated". CBC Hamilton, October 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ Wright Allen, Samantha (25 July 2018). "Rodriguez, Tassi staying as government whips for now, changes expected soon". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  7. ↑ Bharti, Bianca (20 November 2019). "Justin Trudeau's cabinet: Some new faces, some old faces, and some faces in new places | National Post". National Post. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  8. ↑ Zimonjic, Peter (31 August 2022). "Trudeau tweaks cabinet, swapping ministers Tassi and Jaczek". CBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates – September 20, 2021 Federal Election". Elections Canada. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  11. ↑ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  12. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, 30 September 2015
  13. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
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