Joe Peschisolido (born April 27, 1963) is a Canadian politician and businessman.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Peschisolido has a BA (honours) degree in Political Science from Trinity College at the University of Toronto and a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School.
In 1993, Peschisolido joined the Reform Party of Canada (later the Canadian Alliance). He was twice a candidate in Etobicoke North, placing second in both elections. Peschisoliso ran a third time for the Reform Party of Canada in the riding of Mississauga South and was defeated by Liberal Paul Szabo. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Richmond in the 2000 general election, defeating Liberal incumbent, Raymond Chan. In 2002, Peschisolido left the Canadian Alliance and crossed the floor to the Liberal Party without consulting his constituents. In 2003 he served as parliamentary secretary to the president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In the run-up to the 2004 general election, Peschisolido battled Raymond Chan for the Liberal Party's nomination, which Chan won after a fiercely-contested race. His defeat was due to the belief of a number of Richmond Liberals that he was not a real Liberal. However, he has won back the nomination for Richmond for the 2011 federal election, defeating Mason Loh and Raymond Chan for the nomination on September 26, 2009. On May 2, 2011, he was defeated by the incumbent Conservative MP, Alice Wong, by more than 17,000 votes.
Famous quotes containing the word joe:
“This might be the end of the world. If Joe lost we were back in slavery and beyond help. It would all be true, the accusations that we were lower types of human beings. Only a little higher than apes. True that we were stupid and ugly and lazy and dirty and, unlucky and worst of all, that God Himself hated us and ordained us to be hewers of wood and drawers of water, forever and ever, world without end.”
—Maya Angelou (b. 1928)