Leeanna Pendergast Explained

Leeanna Pendergast
Office:Ontario MPP
Term Start:2007
Term End:2011
Predecessor:New riding
Successor:Michael Harris
Constituency:Kitchener—Conestoga
Birth Place:Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Residence:Conestogo, Ontario, Canada
Occupation:Teacher

Leeanna Pendergast (born) is a former Canadian politician. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2007 to 2011, representing the riding of Kitchener—Conestoga.

Background

Pendergast was born in Kitchener, Ontario[1] in 1962. She obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Waterloo. She also studied at the University of Toronto and at Oxford University in England, receiving a Master of Arts, a Bachelor of Education, and a Master of Education.[2] She worked at numerous high schools in the region, serving as the vice-principal of four schools and as an education consultant for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.[1] Pendergast has helped develop various programs for youth in Kitchener, including the Safe Schools Initiative and the Breakfast Program for Needy Students. She has also chaired the Education Foundation golf classic, raising money for literacy and numeracy initiatives.

She and her husband, Richard, have lived in Conestogo, just outside Kitchener, and is a vice-principal at Sir John A. MacDonald Public School. She has three sons, Adam, Alexander and Benjamin.

Politics

In the 2007 provincial election she was elected in the riding of Kitchener—Conestoga defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Michael Harris by about 1,500 votes.[3] On October 30, 2007, she was named the parliamentary assistant to the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, Deb Matthews.

On September 11, 2009, Pendergast was named the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Education. She was the co-chair of the Working Group on Financial Literacy, tasked with submitting a report to the curriculum council with recommendations on how to seamlessly integrate financial literacy into the Ontario curriculum from Grades 4 to 12.[4]

In the 2011 provincial election, Pendergast faced Michael Harris again. This time, Harris defeated Pendergast by 3,700 votes.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. News: . September 10, 2007 . No incumbent in riding of Kitchener-Conestoga . . Kitchener, Ontario . B3 . March 8, 2024 . newspapers.com.
  2. News: . September 7, 2011 . Provincial election candidates . . Kitchener, Ontario . A4 . March 8, 2024 . newspapers.com.
  3. Web site: Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate . PDF . Elections Ontario . October 10, 2007 . 2014-03-02 . 7 (xvi) . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20091007160233/http://www.elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/AB409CCD-84F3-46FA-B3BD-39AB659EFC2D/0/SummaryofValidBallotsCastforEachCandidate.pdf . October 7, 2009 .
  4. Web site: Financial Literacy Essential to Student Success, Stronger Economy . Government of Ontario . November 2, 2009.
  5. Web site: Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate . PDF . Elections Ontario . October 6, 2011 . 2014-03-02 . 8 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130330163815/http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf . March 30, 2013 .
  6. News: Two new local Tory MPPs say they're fighting for families . The Waterloo Record . October 7, 2011 . 2018-06-05.