1. Elizabeth Witmer is a former Deputy Premier of Ontario, Canada.
17 Facts About Elizabeth Witmer
1. 2.
Elizabeth Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age.
3.
Elizabeth Witmer received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario, and later attended the Althouse College of Education.
4.
Elizabeth Witmer did postgraduate work at the University of Waterloo.
5.
Elizabeth Witmer was named the "Kitchener-Waterloo Woman of the Year" in 1968.
6.
Elizabeth Witmer began her political career as a school trustee, serving on the Waterloo County Board of Education from 1980 to 1990; she became its chair in 1984.
7.
Elizabeth Witmer ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1987 election, but was defeated by Ontario Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament Herb Epp in Waterloo North.
8.
Epp retired before the 1990 provincial election, and Elizabeth Witmer again won the Progressive Conservative nomination in the riding.
9.
Elizabeth Witmer was successful this time, defeating New Democrat Hugh Miller and Liberal Andrew Telegdi to become the first female MPP to be elected in the region of Waterloo.
10.
Elizabeth Witmer was re-elected in the 1999 election, defeating Liberal Sean Strickland by just under 10,000 votes.
11.
Elizabeth Witmer overhauled the Worker's Compensation Act, renaming it the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act and introduced entitlement benefits for mental stress for the first time.
12.
Elizabeth Witmer ran in the 2002 PC leadership election to succeed Harris as Tory leader and Premier, but placed fourth on the first ballot and threw her support to the eventual winner, Ernie Eves.
13.
Elizabeth Witmer was named as deputy leader of the opposition, and serves as her party's critic on long-term care and women's issues.
14.
Elizabeth Witmer considered running to succeed Eves in the 2004 PC leadership election, but ultimately supported John Tory's successful candidacy instead.
15.
Elizabeth Witmer's appointment was considered a notable victory for the centrist wing of the party.
16.
Elizabeth Witmer won the contest, ahead of political activist Georgina Bencsik and federal Member of Parliament Olivia Chow.
17.
Elizabeth Witmer revealed in September 2012 that she chose to accept the WSIB position because her husband Cam had recently been diagnosed with cancer.