Preceded by Shelley Wark-Martyn Party Ontario Liberal Party Role Politician | Name Michael Gravelle Political party Liberal | |
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Born January 23, 1949 (age 75)
Port Arthur, Ontario ( 1949-01-23 ) Occupation Executive assistant, publicist Education Port Arthur Collegiate Institute Profiles | ||
Michael Gravelle
Michael Gravelle (born January 23, 1949) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 1995. He represents the riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North. He was a member of cabinet during the Dalton McGuinty government and as of 2013 serves in the cabinet of Kathleen Wynne. He temporarily stepped away from cabinet in February 2017.
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Background
Gravelle was born in Port Arthur, which is now a part of Thunder Bay, the son of Edmund Gravelle and Jan Shepherd. He was educated at the Port Arthur Collegiate Institute and Lakehead University, receiving a degree from the latter institution 1968. He was an assistant to Liberal politicians Robert Andras, Stuart Smith and Joe Comuzzi. He also worked as a publicist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and was a founder of the North of Superior Film Association.
Politics
Gravelle was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 provincial election, defeating incumbent New Democrat Shelley Wark-Martyn by almost 7,000 votes in the riding of Port Arthur. The election was won by the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, and Gravelle joined 29 other Liberals in the opposition benches. He supported Dwight Duncan for the party leadership in 1996.
Gravelle was easily re-elected for the new riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North in the 1999 provincial election.
In the provincial election of 2003, Gravelle was re-elected with 72.5 per cent of the popular vote, the highest percentage total in the province. He was appointed caucus chair on November 25, 2003. In the 2007 election, he was returned by a much narrower margin, 46.8 to 38.3, against New Democrat candidate Jim Foulds.
On October 30, 2007, Gravelle was named Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines. In the summer of 2009, Gravelle's ministry was expanded, adding on the responsibility of forestry. In 2011 he was shuffled to the position of Minister of Natural Resources. In February 2013, Kathleen Wynne moved him back to the position of Minister of Northern Development and Mines. He was reconfirmed in that role after the 2014 election.
He was re-elected in 2011, and 2014.
In February 2017, Gravelle temporarily stepped aside as minister because of his battle with depression; his duties were taken up by fellow cabinet minister Bill Mauro.