Gerry Martiniuk and the 2011 Cambridge Seat
Gerry Martiniuk was the Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Cambridge from 1995 to 2011. On October 14, 2010, he announced that he would not run in the provincial election held the following year. Cambridge Now reported the announcement at the time, and this page documents it.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gerald Martiniuk |
| Born | August 5, 1937, Toronto |
| Died | May 2, 2017, Cambridge, Ontario |
| Party | Progressive Conservative |
| Riding | Cambridge |
| Years in the legislature | 1995 to 2011 |
| Retirement announced | October 14, 2010 |
Background
Martiniuk was born in Toronto and studied at Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto (political science and economics) and Osgoode Hall Law School. Before provincial politics he was a school trustee on the Waterloo County Board of Education, an alderman in Preston, and chair of the Waterloo Regional Police Commission. He also served on the boards of community groups including St. John Ambulance, the Cambridge United Way, the Preston-Hespeler Rotary Club and the Preston YMCA, and was president of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce.
Years at Queen's Park
He first won the Cambridge seat in the 1995 provincial election, defeating the New Democrat incumbent Mike Farnan. In 1999 he was re-elected with a margin of more than 14,000 votes over Liberal Jerry Boyle, and in 1998 he had been appointed Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General.
The Progressive Conservatives lost government in 2003. Martiniuk kept his seat, again defeating Boyle, this time by a little over 3,000 votes. In opposition he acted as critic for several portfolios, among them Labour, Consumer and Business Services, Community and Social Services, and Seniors. In 2007 he was elected again, with a plurality of about 3,240 votes over the Liberal candidate Kathryn McGarry, and served as critic for Revenue and Seniors.
His last notable legislative item was the Ukrainian Heritage Bill, which designates September 7 as Ukrainian Heritage Day in Ontario, marking the arrival of the first Ukrainian immigrants to Canada in 1891. It passed on March 30, 2011.
The announcement of October 14, 2010
On October 14, 2010, Martiniuk said he would not stand in the next election. Ontario had moved to fixed election dates after amendments passed in December 2005, with the vote set for the first Thursday of October every four years, so the date of the 2011 election (October 6) was already known when he made the announcement.
The riding of Cambridge covers the city of Cambridge and the township of North Dumfries. It was created in 1975 and has had its present boundaries since 2007.
What happened to the seat in 2011
The 2011 general election took place on October 6, 2011. The Ontario Liberal Party formed a minority government, one seat short of a majority, and the Progressive Conservatives became the Official Opposition under Tim Hudak. Turnout was 48.2 percent, a record low at the time.
In Cambridge, the Progressive Conservative candidate Rob Leone succeeded Martiniuk, defeating the Liberal candidate Kathryn McGarry by 1,954 votes. Leone held the seat until 2014.
Frequently asked questions
When did Gerry Martiniuk announce he would not run again? On October 14, 2010.
Which riding did he represent? Cambridge, in southwestern Ontario, from 1995 to 2011.
Who replaced him? Rob Leone, a Progressive Conservative, won the seat in the October 2011 election.
When did Martiniuk die? He died in Cambridge, Ontario, on May 2, 2017, aged 79.
Which party did he belong to? The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Sources
Wikipedia articles on Gerry Martiniuk, the Cambridge provincial electoral district, Rob Leone and the 2011 Ontario general election; Legislative Assembly of Ontario member history (ola.org).