Mary Anne Chambers facts for kids

Mary Anne Veronica Chambers (born September 8, 1950) is a former politician from Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2007. During this time, she was also a minister in the government led by Premier Dalton McGuinty. In September 2022, she became the Chancellor of the University of Guelph.

Mary Anne Chambers: A Leader in Ontario

Mary Anne Chambers was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada in 1976. Before she became a politician, she had a successful career as a banker. She worked at Scotiabank starting in 1976. There, she helped expand the bank's computer and electronic services. She also worked on special groups that looked at the role of women in the workplace.

Early Life and Career

In 1988, Mary Anne earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto. Her main subject was Commerce. In 1998, she became a Senior Vice-President at Scotiabank. She retired from this important role in December 2002. She also served as a director for food distribution companies connected to a parent company in Jamaica.

Mary Anne was very involved in her community. She was the Vice-Chair of the Rouge Valley Health System. She also served on the Board of Governors at the University of Toronto from 1993 to 2001. From 1998 to 2001, she was the Vice-Chair of the Governing Council there. She helped create a university rule that said no student should be stopped from studying at Toronto because they didn't have enough money.

She was also a member of the Board of Trustees for the United Way of Greater Toronto from 1994 to 2001. From 1998 to 1999, she was the President of the Canadian Club of Toronto. In 2003, the Prime Minister of Jamaica gave her a special award. This award recognized her hard work within Toronto's Jamaican community.

Making a Difference in Politics

Mary Anne Chambers was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2003. She ran as a Liberal in the area called Scarborough East. She won against the person who was already in office, Steve Gilchrist, by more than 7,000 votes.

The Liberal Party won the election, and Mary Anne was given an important job. On October 23, 2003, she became the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. In early 2004, she promised that her government would not raise tuition fees for students.

In June 2005, Mary Anne was appointed the Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services. This role focused on helping children and young people. On July 11, 2007, she announced that she would not run for re-election. In 2015, she was honored with the Order of Ontario, which is a special award for people who have made a big difference in the province.

Cabinet Roles