Electoral Firsts in Canada - African-Canadians

African-Canadians

Earliest African-Canadians elected in Canada

1. Burr Plato, town council member, Town of Niagara Falls (from 1886);
2. William Hubbard, City of Toronto city council member (from 1894) and a member of the Board of Control; also the first black and the first visible minority to win elected public office in any major city of Canada. And still, to this day, by virtue of his being on the city-wide elected Board of Control, the only visible minority ever elected city-wide across Toronto.

March 2011 Toronto Star article on William Hubbard by Mark Maloney

First African-Canadian candidate to run for the House of Commons: Bill White - Spadina, CCF (the forerunner to the New Democratic Party) 1949

First African-Canadian elected to the House of Commons: Rt. Hon Lincoln Alexander - Hamilton West, Progressive Conservative MP 1968–1984

First African-Canadian leader of a political party (federally or provincially): Stuart Parker - Leader of the B.C. Green Party 1993–2000 (and nephew of Harry Jerome)

First African-Canadian candidate to run for the Ontario Legislature: Stanley G. Grizzle, York East, ran for the Ontario CCF (the forerunner to the Ontario New Democratic Party) in the 1959 provincial general election.

First African-Canadian elected to a Provincial Legislature in Canada: Leonard Braithwaite, Etobicoke—York, Ontario Liberal MPP, 1963–1975

First African-Canadian woman elected in Canada: Rosemary Brown Vancouver—Burrard, Burnaby-Edmonds, BC New Democratic Party MLA 1972–1986

First African-Canadian women elected to the House of Commons (first Black female MPs)

• Jean Augustine, Etobicoke Lakeshore, Liberal MP, 1993–2006,

First African-Canadian MLAs in British Columbia: Emery Barnes, BC New Democratic Party MLA Vancouver Burrard 1972–1996 and Rosemary Brown, Vancouver Burrard, BC New Democratic Party MLA 1972–1986

First African-Canadian female MLA in British Columbia: Rosemary Brown, Vancouver Burrard, BC New Democratic Party MLA 1972–1986

First African-Canadian MLA in Alberta: George Rogers, Alberta Progressive Conservative MLA Leduc-Beaumont-Devon 2004–present

First African-Canadian MPP in Ontario: Leonard Braithwaite, Etobicoke-York, Ontario Liberal MPP 1963–1975

First African-Canadian female MPP in Ontario: Zanana Akande, St-Andrew's-St. Patrick's, Ontario New Democratic Party MPP 1990–1994

First African-Canadian MNA in Quebec: Jean Alfred, Papineau, Parti Québécois MNA 1976–1981

First African-Canadian Female MNA in Quebec: Yolande James, Nelligan, Liberal MNA 2003–present

First African-Canadian MLA in Nova Scotia: Wayne Adams, Nova Scotia Liberal MLA for Preston 1993–1998

First African-Canadian female MLA in Nova Scotia: Yvonne Atwell, Nova Scotia New Democratic Party MLA for Preston 1998–1999

African-Canadian Speakers of Legislatures in Canada

1. Emery Barnes, BC New Democratic Party MLA 1972–1996, Speaker in BC Legislature 1993 to 1996 when he retired.
2. Alvin Curling, Ontario Liberal MPP 1985–2005, Speaker 2003–2005

First African-Canadian woman in Cabinet: Zanana Akande, St-Andrew's-St. Patrick's, Ontario New Democratic Party MPP 1990–1994

First African-Canadian Governor General of Canada: Michaëlle Jean Governor General of Canada, 2005–present

First African-Canadian Lieutenant Governor: Rt. Hon Lincoln Alexander Lt. Governor of Ontario, 1985–1991

First African-Canadian Senator: Anne Cools, Liberal Senator 1983–2004, Conservative, 2004+

First African-Canadian mayor: Firmin Monestime - 1964

First African-Canadian female mayor: Daurene Lewis - 1984