Christel HaeckFirst name spelled as Christel, Cristel or Crystal in media sources. (born March 9, 1948) is a former

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. She was a

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 who represented the riding of

St. Catharines—Brock St. Catharines—Brock was a provincial electoral division in Ontario, Canada containing the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake as well as the southern portion of the city of St. Catharines. It was created prior to the 1975 provincial election, and was ...

Background

Haeck was educated at

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Trent is known for its Oxbridge college system and small class sizes.

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

and the SUNY Buffalo School of Information and Library Science. She worked as a

library assistant A library technician or library assistant is a skilled library and information paraprofessional trained to perform the day-to-day functions of a library, and assists librarians in the acquisition, preparation, and organization of information. They a ...

at the Fort Erie Public Library in

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of ...

from 1974 to 1977, and then took up a position as a librarian for St. Catharines Public Library. She was later appointed Head of Special Collections for the St. Catharines Public Library, leaving that position in January 1990 after her marriage to Dennis Gannon of Arlington, VA. Haeck graduated from the

Niagara College The Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology (frequently shortened to Niagara College and branded as Niagara College Canada) is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology within the Niagara Region and the city of Toronto in Souther ...

program, Library Computer Network Operator in June 1996. She is a member of the Ontario Library Association. She has served on several community and regional boards including the Labour Advisory Committee for Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology, Heritage Niagara, and the Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee of the

Regional Municipality of Niagara The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the southe ...

Provincial politics

She ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial election, but finished third against

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Mike Dietsch Michael Murray Dietsch (February 2, 1942 – March 9, 2014) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990. He also served as mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake from 1991 to 1997 ...

in the riding of

. She ran a second time in the 1990 provincial election and defeated Dietsch by 1,159 votes, The NDP formed a majority government and Haeck was appointed as a

parliamentary assistant In UK politics, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan member of staff employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work at the House of Commons in the ...

to the Minister of Colleges and Universities from October 1990 to August 1991. She also served as a member of the

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

executive. Haeck chaired the ''Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills'' for two years. In 1991, Haeck introduced a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

called the ''Public Sector Food Services Act''. It called for schools, hospitals and other provincial institutions to buy only Ontario grown produce. She said the bill "would require public service facilities in which prepared foods are provided to use only food grown or wholly manufactured in Ontario." Critics said the proposed bill was against federal efforts to reduce provincial trade barriers. The bill made it to second reading. The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Haeck finished third against Progressive Conservative Tom Froese in her bid for re-election. When

Bob Rae Robert Keith Rae (born August 2, 1948) is a Canadian diplomat and former politician who is the current Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations since 2020. He previously served as the 21st premier of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, leader of the ...

stepped down as party leader she supported

Howard Hampton Howard George Hampton (born May 17, 1952) is a politician who was a member of Provincial Parliament for the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, from 1987 to 1999 in the electoral district of Rainy Ri ...

for leader of the party.

Regional politics

Haeck participated in municipal electoral politics in 1997, coming a close third. A recount was initiated by Haeck where a judicial recount established her standing. In 2000, Haeck campaigned to be a part of the six-member St. Catharines delegation to the Niagara Regional Council and finished seventh. She was appointed to the council in 2002, following the death of former

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Roy Adams. She ran again in the 2003 municipal election, but finished tenth. She has been awarded a lifetime membership in the NDP.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haeck, Christel 1948 births German emigrants to Canada Living people Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Trent University alumni University at Buffalo alumni Women MPPs in Ontario