Belinda Karahalios

Belinda Carmen Karahalios, MPP is a Canadian politician currently serving as Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Cambridge in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Karahalios was originally elected in the 2018 provincial election as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. She was ejected from the PC caucus in July 2020 for voting against Bill 195, which would allow the provincial government to extend emergency powers for up to two years without consulting the legislature, and now sits as a member of the New Blue Party of Ontario.[1]

Belinda Karahalios

MPP
Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General (Correctional Services)
In office
June 26, 2019 – July 21, 2020
MinisterSylvia Jones
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Cambridge
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byKathryn McGarry
Personal details
BornMississauga, Ontario
Political partyNew Blue
Other political
affiliations		Progressive Conservative (2018–2020)
Spouse(s)Jim Karahalios
Children1
ResidenceCambridge, Ontario
OccupationHealth Care Consultant
PortfolioParliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services (2018–2019), Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General (2019–2020)

Political career

Karahalios won in the riding of Cambridge in the Ontario general election in 2018.[2] On June 29, 2018, she was appointed as the parliamentary assistant to Lisa MacLeod, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.[3] Following a cabinet shuffle on June 20, 2019, she was appointed as the parliamentary assistant to Sylvia Jones, the Solicitor General.[4]

On November 26, 2019, Karahalios tabled Bill 150, the Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act, 2019.[5] This legislation would make it an offence for anyone in Ontario to commit voter fraud in an internal party election.[6] The grounds for the bill were party corruption alleged by Jim Karahalios,[7] Doug Ford,[8] Vikram Singh,[9] and others[10] in the 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election and in the same party's November 2018 convention. The bill passed second reading unanimously, despite initial indications that the Ontario PC caucus would vote against it,[11] and it is now awaiting its third reading.[12]

Karahalios was expelled from the Progressive Conservative caucus by party leader and premier Doug Ford after voting against Bill 195, the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, which would expand the government's emergency authority during the COVID-19 pandemic. Karahalios voted against the legislation, calling it an "unnecessary overreach on our parliamentary democracy."[13]

Karahalios co-founded the New Blue Party of Ontario alongside her husband, Jim Karahalios.

Personal life

Belinda Karahalios is married to Jim Karahalios, a corporate lawyer and founder of activist groups "Axe The Carbon Tax" and "Take Back Our PC Party", who was disqualified from running in the 2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.[2] She is of mixed Afro-Trinidadian and Portuguese descent.[14]

Election results
2018 Ontario general election
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeBelinda Karahalios17,79336.97%+4.41
New DemocraticMarjorie Knight15,63932.49%+10.88
LiberalKathryn McGarry11,19123.25%-15.67
GreenMichele Braniff3,0186.27%+0.61
LibertarianAllan Dettweiler4901.02%-0.24
Total valid votes 100.0  
Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal Swing -
Source: Elections Ontario[15]

References
  1. Sharkie, Jackey (21 July 2020). "Cambridge MPP Belinda Karahalios booted from PC caucus after voting against COVID-19 emergency bill". CBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  2. "PC Belinda Karahalios wins in Cambridge riding". CBC Kitchener-Waterloo, June 7, 2018.
  3. "Doug Ford names his first cabinet: Ford's team is styled as the 'first-ever government for the people'". Maclean's. June 29, 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  4. "Queen's Park Highlights - Summer Update". July 24, 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  5. "Bill 150, Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act, 2019". Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  6. "Our Record". Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. Crawley, Mike (October 18, 2019). "Ontario PCs face lawsuit over election of party president". CBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  8. Blackwell, Tom (March 8, 2018). "'Corrupt' Ontario PC leadership vote rigged in favour of Christine Elliott, Doug Ford charges". National Post. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  9. Benzie, Robert (January 24, 2018). "Spurned PC candidate ends civil suit, but criminal probe continues in Hamilton riding". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  10. Craggs, Samantha (May 17, 2017). "Hamilton riding PC candidates allege voter fraud, ballot box stuffing". CBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  11. D'Mello, Colin (27 November 2019). "Ontario PC government will not support MPP's election transparency bill". Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  12. "Bill 150, Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act, 2019". Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  13. Benzie, Robert (July 21, 2020). "Doug Ford ejects Cambridge MPP from PC caucus for voting against COVID-19 bill". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  14. Thompson, Catherine (8 June 2018). "Political neophyte ready for learning curve as new Cambridge MPP". The Record. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  15. "Candidate Search". Elections Ontario. Retrieved 18 May 2018.


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