Michael Coteau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Coteau MP
Member of Parliament for Don Valley East
Incumbent
Assumed office September 20, 2021
Preceded by	Yasmin Ratansi
Minister of Community and Social Services
In office February 26, 2018 – June 29, 2018
Premier	Kathleen Wynne
Preceded by	Helena Jazeck
Succeeded by	Lisa MacLeod
Minister of Children and Youth Services
In office June 13, 2016 – June 29, 2018
Premier	Kathleen Wynne
Preceded by	Tracy MacCharles
Succeeded by	Lisa MacLeod
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
In office June 24, 2014 – June 13, 2016
Premier	Kathleen Wynne
Preceded by	Michael Chan
Succeeded by	Eleanor McMahon
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
In office February 11, 2013 – June 24, 2014
Premier	Kathleen Wynne
Preceded by	Michael Chan
Succeeded by	Michael Chan
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East
In office October 6, 2011 – August 17, 2021
Preceded by	David Caplan
Succeeded by	Adil Shamji
Personal details
Born	1972 (age 52–53) Huddersfield, England
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Lori Coteau
Children	2
Residences	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	Carleton University (BA)
Occupation	Educator, businessman

Michael Joseph Coteau is a Canadian politician. He is currently a Member of Parliament (MP) for Don Valley East. This means he represents the people of that area in the House of Commons of Canada, which is where Canada's laws are made.

Before becoming a federal MP, Michael Coteau was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2011 to 2021. He represented the same area, Don Valley East, but at the provincial level in Toronto. During his time in provincial politics, he was a Liberal member. He also served in the Cabinet of Ontario under Premier Kathleen Wynne. In this role, he was in charge of different government departments, like Citizenship and Immigration and Tourism, Culture and Sport.

In 2021, he left provincial politics to run for the federal seat. He won the election with a large number of votes.

Michael Coteau's Early Life

Michael Coteau was born in Huddersfield, England, in 1972. His father came from Carriacou, Grenada, and his mother was from Yorkshire, England. When he was four years old, in 1976, his family moved to Canada.

He grew up in Flemingdon Park, a part of North York in Toronto. His family lived in social housing, which means they had help with their living costs. Michael Coteau's family did not have a lot of money. He even had to borrow money from a friend's father to pay for his university application.

After finishing high school at Leaside High School, he went to Carleton University. There, he earned a degree in history and political science. After university, he spent some time teaching English in South Korea.

Michael Coteau's Career in Public Service

Before becoming a politician, Michael Coteau worked in different roles to help his community.

Helping Schools as a Trustee

From 2003 to 2010, Michael Coteau was a Trustee for the Toronto District School Board. A school trustee is someone who helps make important decisions about how schools are run in a specific area. He won elections for this role three times.

As a trustee, he worked on several important issues:

• He pushed for better nutrition programs for students.
• He wanted communities to be able to use school buildings more often.
• He supported using new technology in education.

He also started a plan called 'Community Use of Schools'. This plan lowered the fees for groups to use school spaces. This made it easier for organizations to offer programs for children. He also helped bring in new rules for healthier food in schools. This also made people more aware of how student hunger affects learning.

Other Community Work

Besides his work as a trustee, Michael Coteau was also the executive director of a company that helped adults learn to read and write. He also worked with the United Way, helping to organize community projects in the Malvern area of Scarborough, Ontario. He even owned and ran his own small business.

Michael Coteau in Provincial Politics

In 2011, Michael Coteau decided to run in the 2011 Ontario general election. He ran for the provincial seat in Don Valley East. He won this election, beating his opponent by a large number of votes. He was re-elected in 2014.

Working in the Ontario Cabinet

When the Liberal party won the election, Michael Coteau was first made a parliamentary assistant. This role helps a minister with their duties. In 2013, when Kathleen Wynne became the new Premier (the leader of the provincial government), Michael Coteau was given a big job. He became the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. He was one of ten new ministers in Premier Wynne's team.

Over the years, he took on more important roles:

• In 2014, he became the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. He was also in charge of the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games, which are big sports events. He famously spoke up for children, saying they should be allowed to play street hockey.
• In 2016, he also became responsible for anti-racism programs.
• Later in 2016, he was appointed Minister of Children and Youth Services. He worked closely with parents to improve the Ontario Autism Program.
• He also became the Minister of Community and Social Services. This meant he was managing three different government departments at the same time!

In 2018, Michael Coteau won his third election in Don Valley East. He beat a strong opponent, Denzil Minnan Wong, who was Toronto's deputy mayor.

Running for Party Leader

In 2019, Michael Coteau decided to run to become the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. He said he had a "different vision" and wanted to bring "decency" back to politics. At the leadership meeting in March 2020, he came in second place.

Michael Coteau in Federal Politics

On August 10, 2021, Michael Coteau was chosen to be the Liberal candidate for the federal election in Don Valley East. He was elected as a Member of Parliament on September 20, 2021. This means he now works in the national government in Ottawa.

Images for kids

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  Michael Coteau