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Shaughnessy Cohen

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Shaughnessy Cohen
Member of Parliament
for Windsor—St. Clair
In office
October 25, 1993 – December 9, 1998
Preceded byHoward McCurdy
Succeeded byRick Limoges (1999)
Personal details
Born
Elizabeth Shaughnessy Murray

(1948-02-11)February 11, 1948
London, Ontario, Canada
DiedDecember 9, 1998(1998-12-09) (aged 50)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseJerry Cohen
Residence(s)Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada
ProfessionLawyer

Elizabeth Shaughnessy Cohen (née Murray; February 11, 1948 – December 9, 1998) was a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Windsor—St. Clair for the Liberal Party of Canada from 1993 until her death in 1998.[1]

Background

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She was born in London, Ontario, and grew up in Thamesville.[2] She studied English literature and sociology at the University of Windsor,[2] and taught at St. Clair College before returning to law school.[2] She married Jerry Cohen, a psychology professor, in 1971.[2] She had originally intended to keep her own surname, but opted to take her husband's name when she realized it would make her both Irish and Jewish.[1]

She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979,[3] and worked as a lawyer until her election to Parliament.[4]

Political career

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1988 and 1993 Federal Elections

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Cohen stood as the Liberal candidate in Windsor—St. Clair in the 1988 election, but lost to New Democratic Party incumbent Howard McCurdy.[5] However, in the 1993 election, Cohen defeated McCurdy for the seat.[6] Following the election, she was briefly the subject of controversy when she and her husband were sued for $200,000 in unpaid debt, but Cohen blamed the situation on the costs of conducting a political campaign and the controversy soon subsided after she agreed to a debt consolidation plan.[2]

Member of Parliament

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Her first political action after being sworn in as a Member of Parliament was a letter requesting that the federal government building in Windsor be named after former MP Paul Martin, Sr.,[7] a request which the government accepted.[8] After the first sitting of the new parliament in January 1994, Cohen was the first newly elected MP to be subjected to a critical profile in Frank, although both Cohen and the Windsor Star criticized the profile's accuracy.[9]

In February 1994, Cohen was appointed to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources and Development.[10] In June, she was one of several Liberal MPs, alongside Jean Augustine, Barry Campbell, Bill Graham and Hedy Fry, who privately intervened with Ontario Liberal Party leader Lyn McLeod to encourage her not to withdraw the party's support of the Equality Rights Statute Amendment Act (Bill 167).[11] In August, she was appointed co-chair with Herb Gray of a parliamentary subcommittee to investigate allegations against the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, including the role of Grant Bristow as an informant.[12]

On the final day of the 1995 Ontario provincial election campaign, Cohen was one of several MPs, alongside Jane Stewart, Paddy Torsney, Benoît Serré and Stan Dromisky, who made speeches in the federal House of Commons campaigning on behalf of McLeod's Ontario Liberal Party and against the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Mike Harris.[13]

In September 1995, she was one of only a few MPs to vote in favour of Réal Ménard's private member's motion calling on the government to recognize same-sex marriage.[14]

In January 1996, she travelled to the Middle East as an election monitor for the Palestinian Authority election.[15] In March, she was appointed to and named as chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice.[16] In this capacity, she conducted a review of the federal Young Offenders Act, which led to reforms announced by Justice Minister Anne McLellan in 1998.[17]

She was re-elected in the 1997 election by a narrower margin, due to a significant resurgence in support for the New Democratic Party.[18] Her NDP challenger was Joe Comartin.[18] In her second term, she identified one of her key goals as advocating for a crossnational environmental project to clean up pollution in the Detroit River.[19]

Death in House of Commons

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On December 9, 1998, she collapsed in the House of Commons, just minutes after she had stood to address the House.[20] Three MPs, that were doctors, rushed to her desk and performed CPR on her until paramedics took over about ten minutes later.[21] Reform Party MP Grant Hill was one of those doctors, and said she had a pulse when the paramedics rushed her to the hospital.[21] She had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was pronounced dead soon afterward at Ottawa Civic Hospital.[21] She was the fifth MP in Canadian history to die on Parliament Hill, and the first ever to suffer a fatal health incident in the House of Commons chamber rather than in her office or on the wider Parliament Hill grounds.[22]

In the House the following day, MPs from all parties spoke in tribute to Cohen.[23] Reform Party MP Randy White praised her personality as "a seemingly impossible combination of vigorous partisanship and open-minded friendship,"[24] while New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough paid tribute to Cohen's passionate belief in "the pursuit of justice for the rights of those who were not being fully respected."[24] Historian Charlotte Gray, a personal friend of Cohen's, revealed that Cohen had once filled the glass on Paul Martin's House of Commons desk with gin just before a budget speech,[1] while Liberal Party strategist Jerry Yanover described her as "an up-front, in-your-face, old-fashioned Liberal, the kind that had principles and didn't compromise them."[3] Following the speeches, MPs unanimously agreed to immediately adjourn the House for the Christmas holiday, several days earlier than planned.[24]

Her funeral was held Saturday, December 12,[25] with prime minister Jean Chrétien and almost the entire federal cabinet attending the service.[26] Over 800 people attended the funeral held at St. Anne's Catholic Church in Tecumseh.[27] She was cremated after the church ceremony and her ashes were buried on Pelee Island, Canada’s most southern inhabited land.[27] Her gravesite can be found in the municipal cemetery.

Following her death, her widower Jerry Cohen ran for the Liberal nomination in the resulting by-election,[28] but lost to city councillor Rick Limoges.[29] Limoges won the by-election, narrowly defeating the NDP's Comartin by 91 votes, although Comartin defeated Limoges in the 2000 election.[30]

Legacy

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In 2000, the Writers' Trust of Canada instituted a literary award, the Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing, in her memory.[31] Journalist Susan Delacourt published a biography of Cohen, Shaughnessy: The Passionate Politics of Shaughnessy Cohen, the same year.[32]

Electoral record

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1988 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  New Democratic Party Howard McCurdy 18,915
  Liberal Shaughnessy Cohen 16,192
  Progressive Conservative Bruck Easton 8,453
1993 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Liberal Shaughnessy Cohen 22,958
  New Democratic Party Howard McCurdy 8,871
  Progressive Conservative Tom Porter 4,553
  Reform Greg Novini 4,153
Green Stephen Harvey 379
  Natural Law Stephanie Moniatowicz 194
  Marxist-Leninist Dale Woodyard 61
  Abolitionist Ayesha F. Bharmal 52
1997 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Liberal Shaughnessy Cohen 16,496
  New Democratic Party Joe Comartin 14,237
  Reform Harold Downs 5,899
  Progressive Conservative Bruck Easton 4,253
Green Timothy Dugdale 357
  Marxist-Leninist Dale Woodyard 115

References

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  1. ^ a b c Dubé, Francine (December 10, 1998). "MP dies after collapsing in House: Shaughnessy Cohen"". National Post. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e Timberlake, Ian (November 20, 1993). "New Kids on the Block–Shaughnessy Cohen: Feisty, competitive, dedicated". The Weekend Star, Windsor Star. pp. E1, E8. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Winsor, Hugh; McIlroy, Anne (December 10, 1998). "Liberal MP's charm won friends in all parties". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A10. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  4. ^ Star Staff (April 27, 1988). "Cohen seeks nomination". Windsor Star. p. A5. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Beneteau, Marty; Brennan, Richard (November 22, 1988). "McCurdy wins battle, vows to continue war". Windsor Star. p. A5. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Henton, Darcy (October 26, 1993). "Ontario Goes True Grit: Liberals take 98 ridings, Reform grabs 1". Toronto Star. p. B2. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ McKeague, Paul (November 13, 1993). "Cohen takes oath of office". The Weekend Star, Windsor Star. p. A14. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ McKeague, Paul (January 8, 1994). "Federal building to be a monument to Martin". The Weekend Star, Windsor Star. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ McKeague, Paul (January 21, 1994). "Cohen skewered in Frank magazine". Windsor Star. p. A2. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Star Ottawa Bureau (February 2, 1994). "Cohen on committee". Windsor Star. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ McKeague, Paul (June 2, 1994). "Cohen backs same-sex bill"". Windsor Star. p. A4. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ McKeague, Paul (August 30, 1994). "Gray, Cohen have key roles in CSIS probe". Windsor Star. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ McKeague, Paul (June 8, 1995). "Cohen leads McLeod's cheerleaders in House". Windsor Star. p. E4. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ McKeague, Paul (September 19, 1995). "Gay-spouse motion fails despite Cohen's support". Windsor Star. p. E4. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Star Staff (January 11, 1996). "Cohen to help monitor Palestinian elections". Windsor Star. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Star Staff (March 15, 1996). "Local Liberal MPs elected to House committee posts". Windsor Star. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ van Wageningen, Ellen (May 13, 1998). "Jury's still out on changes, local observers say". Windsor Star. p. A10. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b Rennie, Gary; van Wageningen, Ellen (June 3, 1997). "Cohen wins tight race". Windsor Star. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Schmidt, Doug (January 24, 1998). "River cleanup effort at 'critical' juncture". Windsor Star. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ CBC News Staff (December 9, 1998). "MP dies after collapsing in Commons". CBC News. Toronto. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c Anderssen, Erin; Leblanc, Daniel (December 10, 1998). "MP dies after collapse in Commons". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  22. ^ Mohamed, Tod; Naumetz, Tim (December 11, 1998). "'We have lost a great sister'". Ottawa Citizen. p. A6. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Greenspon, Edward (December 11, 1998). "MPs pay tribute to well-loved Liberal colleague". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A10. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  24. ^ a b c Mohamed, Tod; Naumetz, Tim (December 11, 1998). "Tears for colleague in Commons: Liberal MP Shaughnessy Cohen is remembered as a good friend and a tenacious opponent". Montreal Gazette. p. A9. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Moloney, Paul (December 13, 1998). "Chrétien, cabinet bid MP final farewell". Toronto Star. p. A5. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  26. ^ Globe Staff (December 14, 2024). "Heavy Hearts". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. p. A10. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
  27. ^ a b van Wageningen, Ellen (December 14, 1998). "'Queen for a day'". Windsor Star. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Staff (January 13, 1999). "Shaughnessy Cohen's husband wants to run for her old seat". National Post. p. A7. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Journal Staff (February 20, 1999). "Jerry Cohen loses bid for federal Liberal seat". Edmonton Journal. p. A13. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ CBC News Staff (September 20, 2010). "Windsor–Tecumseh". CBC News. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  31. ^ Jaimet, Kate (May 4, 2000). "Spirit of Shaughnessy Cohen lives on at literary dinner on Hill". Ottawa Citizen. p. A3. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ McDougall, Barbara (June 17, 2000). "A woman's place is in the House". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via ProQuest.
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