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Brenda Elliott




Elliott has a Bachelor Of Arts degree from McMaster University , and worked as a teacher and librarian before entering provincial politics. In 1972 , she was elected to the Wellington County Board of Education. She became interested in environmental causes during the 1990s, and in November 1989 opened a store in Guelph, Ontario called For Earth's Sake.

Elliott was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1995 Provincial Election , defeating former Liberal MPP Rick Ferraro and incumbent New Democrat Derek Fletcher in the Guelph constituency. The Tories won a majority government in this election under Mike Harris 's leadership, and Elliott was appointed as Minister Of Environment And Energy on June 26 , 1995 .

Due to Elliott's background in the environmental movement, many believed she would be a strong advocate for "green" policies in the Harris cabinet. Some environmentalist groups were disappointed with her performance, however, and regarded her as an ineffective voice against the pro-development policies of other ministers. She was dropped from cabinet on August 16 , 1996 , and played only a minor role in the legislature for the next three years. In 1997 , she appeared to endorse the Reform Party Of Canada at the federal level.

Though her constituency seat was targeted by both the Liberals and NDP, Elliott was re-elected in the 1999 Provincial Election for the redistributed riding of Guelph--Wellington . On February 8 , 2001 , she returned to cabinet as Minister Of Intergovernmental Affairs . When Ernie Eves replaced Mike Harris as Premier in 2002 , he named Elliott as his Minister Of Community, Family And Children's Services .

The Tories were defeated in the 2003 Provincial Election , and Elliott lost her seat to Liberal candidate Liz Sandals by about 3,000 votes.