Keith Norton

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Keith Norton
Ontario MPP
In office
1975–1985
Preceded bySyl Apps
Succeeded byKen Keyes
ConstituencyKingston and the Islands
Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission
In office
1996–2005
Preceded byRosemary Brown
Succeeded byBarbara Hall
Personal details
Born(1941-01-26)January 26, 1941
Claremont, Ontario
DiedJanuary 31, 2010(2010-01-31) (aged 69)
Kingston, Ontario
Political partyProgressive Conservative
OccupationTeacher, Attorney

Keith Calder Norton (January 26, 1941 – January 31, 2010) was a Canadian politician and public servant. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985, and was until 2005 the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Background

Norton was educated at Queen's University in Kingston, and worked as a lawyer after his graduation.[1]

Politics

He was elected as an alderman in Kingston in 1972, and became the city's deputy mayor in 1974.[1]

He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the

backbench supporter of Bill Davis's government for the next two years, and was re-elected with an increased majority in the 1977 election.[3]

Norton was appointed to

Minister of the Environment on April 10, 1981.[6] As environment minister, he became the first Canadian politician to speak before a committee of the United States Senate
.

Norton was transferred to the

The Progressive Conservatives lost government following the 1985 provincial election, and Norton was personally defeated in the Kingston and the Islands riding, losing to Keyes by more than 2,000 votes.[9]

Cabinet positions

Ontario provincial government of Frank Miller
Cabinet posts (2)
Predecessor Office Successor
Bette Stephenson Minister of Education
1985 (February–May)
Larry Grossman
Bette Stephenson
Minister of Colleges and Universities

1985 (February–May)
Larry Grossman
Ontario provincial government of Bill Davis
Cabinet posts (3)
Predecessor Office Successor
Thomas Wells
Minister of Health

1983–1985
Alan Pope
Harry Parrott
Minister of Environment

1981–1983
Andy Brandt
James Taylor
Minister of Community and Social Services

1977–1981
Frank Drea

Later life

After leaving politics in 1985, Norton became a businessman and consultant, working in the field of water purification. He attempted to return to politics in the 1990 election, running in Toronto against Liberal Attorney General Ian Scott. Norton had come out of the closet by this point,[10] and ran as an openly gay politician in the riding of St. George—St. David, which includes Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood, Canada's largest gay village.

While Scott was criticized for not being open about his sexuality, Norton was derided for opportunism, declaring himself openly gay only after he'd decided to run in a riding with a large gay population. Norton finished third, behind Scott and the NDP candidate.[11]

Human rights commissioner

In 1992, Norton was appointed to the

gay rights. Norton's third term as Chief Commissioner ended in November 2005. He was succeeded by former Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall
.

Final years

After leaving the OHRC, Norton went to work as a mediator/arbitrator for a company that specializes in settling disputes between parties outside of court.[12]

Norton died on January 31, 2010, of cancer.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Keith Calder Norton". Legacy. The Globe and Mail. 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  2. ^ "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  3. ^ "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
  4. ^ Allen, David (February 3, 1977). "Davis names Timbrell new health minister". The Toronto Star. p. 1.
  5. ^ Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  6. ^ Speirs, Rosemary (April 10, 1981). "Norton gets Environment as Davis shuffles Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  7. ^ Speirs, Rosemary; Stead, Sylvia; Cruikshank, John (July 6, 1983). "Shuffle gives Treasury job to Grossman". The Globe and Mail. pp. 1, 2.
  8. ^ "The Ontario Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. February 9, 1985. p. 4.
  9. ^ "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
  10. ^ "Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results". The Globe and Mail. September 7, 1990. p. A12.
  11. ^ a b "Former Ont. cabinet minister Keith Norton dies at 69: High-profile minister went on to champion gay rights, battle age discrimination as head of provincial human rights commission". Canadian Press. February 1, 2010.

External links