Politics
In the provincial election of 1995, Castrilli was elected as a Liberal in the northwest Toronto riding of Downsview, defeating incumbent New Democrat Anthony Perruzza by 360 votes. The general election was won by the Progressive Conservatives, and Castrilli became the Opposition Critic for Colleges and Universities, also serving as Associate Critic to the Attorney-General. Fellow Liberals MPPs soon dubbed her "La Contessa" because of her patrician demeanour.
When Lyn McLeod resigned as Liberal leader in 1996, Castrilli entered the race to succeed her. Her candidacy did not receive widespread support, and she placed sixth of out seven candidates on the first ballot. Castrilli initially withdrew from the contest but changed her mind a few minutes later, causing a delay in the voting process as the ballots needed to be reprinted. She again placed sixth and was forced out of the contest, giving her support to eventual winner Dalton McGuinty. (See Ontario Liberal Leadership Conventions.)
Castrilli initially planned to run as a Liberal in the 1999 provincial election, but was defeated for the party's nomination in York Centre by fellow caucus member Monte Kwinter. The Progressive Conservative government had previously reduced the number of constituencies from 130 to 103, forcing several incumbent Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to compete against one another for renomination.
On the last sitting day of the legislature, Castrilli crossed the floor to sit as a Progressive Conservative. She won the PC nomination in the Parkdale—High Park constituency, and faced high-profile Liberal MPP Gerard Kennedy in the general election. Kennedy and Castrilli were both candidates for the Liberal party leadership in 1996; she placed sixth while he finished second to McGuinty in the leadership contest. One of Castrilli's most prominent supporters was John Nunziata, an Independent member of the Canadian House of Commons who had left the Liberal Party of Canada in 1996.
The contest between Kennedy and Castrilli was expected to be close, but it was not when Kennedy won with 23,030 votes, while Castrilli received 12,699.
Read more about this topic: Annamarie Castrilli
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