Mario Silva (politician)

Mário Silva (born June 11, 1966) is a Canadian legal scholar and former politician. Silva served as a Canadian Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011. He began his political career as a Toronto City Councillor from 1994–2003. He then moved to federal politics, being elected for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2004 election in the Toronto riding of Davenport. He served as the Official Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs (Americas) after having served as Critic for the Treasury Board and Labour. In 2007, the President of the French Republic bestowed him the title of Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur). He has also been awarded the Order of Merit of Portugal.[1] and the Order of Rio Branco from Brazil.

This article is about the Canadian MP. For other people of that name, see Mário Silva (disambiguation).
Mario Silva
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Davenport
In office
June 28, 2004 – May 2, 2011
Preceded byCharles Caccia
Succeeded byAndrew Cash
Toronto City Councillor
In office
1994–1997
Preceded byTony O'Donohue
Succeeded byWards reorganized due to Municipal amalgamation of Toronto
ConstituencyWard 3 (Brockton)
Toronto City Councillor
In office
1997–2003
Preceded byfirst councillor
Succeeded byAdam Giambrone
ConstituencyWard 20 (Trinity-Niagara)
Personal details
Born (1966-06-11) June 11, 1966
Azores, Portugal
Political partyLiberal
ResidenceToronto
ProfessionLegal Scholar

Silva holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto, a "Certificat de Langue Francaise" from Paris-Sorbonne University, and a master's degree in International Human Rights Law from University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.[2] Silva holds a Ph.D. in the Faculty of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Silva's Ph.D. thesis is titled "Failed and Failing States: Causes and Conditions."[3] On December 15, 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed him to chair the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (formally the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF)) in 2013.[4] He is currently a Distinguished Fellow, Law and Business at Ryerson University in Toronto. On July 30th, 2020 he was appointed Vice Chair of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Local politics

Born in the Azores, Portugal, he was first elected to city council in 1994 after defeating veteran councillor Tony O'Donohue by 15 votes.[5] Silva received a high grade from the Toronto Environmental Alliance for his support of environmental initiatives, and has strong support from the Labour Movement. Silva is of Portuguese background and is popular in the local Portuguese Canadian community. Silva served on several boards including: Vice-Chair, Toronto Transit Commission; Chair, Exhibition Place; Board of Directors, Mount Sinai Hospital; Vice Chair, Toronto Hydro Company; Board of Directors, Canadian Opera Company; 2013 Chair, Brazil Carnival Ball and Chair of the Brazil Institute of Canada.

Federal politics

Silva's move to federal politics saw him claim the Liberal nomination in Davenport instead of Liberal incumbent Charles Caccia. An ally of new Prime Minister Paul Martin, Silva was seen by the party as a preferable candidate to Caccia.


As a Member of Parliament Silva served on several committees including the Environment Committee and the Canadian Heritage Committee. He has championed several human rights and environmental issues including being the first MP to back the Canadian Boreal Initiative, and an outspoken critic for the defence of undocumented workers.

Silva chaired the inquiry panel of the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (CPCCA), a multi-partisan group of MPs which conducted investigations into antisemitism in Canada. He was vice-chair of the CPCCA's steering committee, which organized an international conference on antisemitism in Ottawa in 2010.

Silva was the first Portuguese-Canadian Member of Parliament.

Silva retained the seat in the 2006 election and was the only GTA Liberal MP to increase his voter margin but was defeated in the 2011 election, losing his seat to Andrew Cash. Silva assumed the role of chair for the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) in 2013. Silva was also appointed by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) as a director.[6]

Academic career

Silva obtained a PhD in International Law from the National University of Ireland, Galway. He has held positions in Ryerson University and McGill University where he is currently a visiting professor. Silva is a fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University. Silva was appointed a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Ryerson University.[7] He hold a certificate in Humanitarian Law from United Nations University and a certificado de la Lengua Española, Universidad De Salamanca in Spain.

Publications
  • Fabric of a Nation, GOLDENeight Publishers, Toronto, 2002 (Co-Author).
  • "Extraordinary Rendition: A Challenge to Canadian and United States Legal Obligations Under the Convention Against Torture", California Western International Law Journal, Vol. 39(2), 2009.
  • "Somalia: State Failure, Piracy, and the Challenges to International Law", Virginia Journal of International Law, Vol. 50 (3), 2010.
  • "Island of Distress: State Failure in Haiti", Florida Journal of International Law, Vol. 23, 2011.
  • "Kosovo’s Declaration of Independence and the Right to Self-Determination Under International Law", The Journal of Eurasia Law, Vol. 3(2), 2011, Duke University.
  • "Somalia: Challenges to International Law from Piracy and Terrorism in the Horn of Africa", International Journal of Rights and Security, Vol. 1.1 (2012).
  • "Pakistan’s State Failure: Impunity and the Rise of Militancy", International Journal of Rights and Security, Vol. 1.1 (2012).
  • "State Legitimacy and Failure in International Law", Brill | Nijhoff Development in International Law series, Volume 67.
  • "Failed states: causes and consequences", Int. J. Public Law and Policy, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2013.
  • Co-author with Dr. Massouda Jalal, "Hanging by a Thread, Afghan Women’s Rights and Security Threats", Mosaic Press (2014).
  • Tackling Hate: Combating Antisemitism and the Ottawa Protocol, co-edited with Scott Reid, Mosaic Press, 2014.
  • "After Partition: The Perils of South Sudan", University of Baltimore Journal of International Law, 2015.
  • " Failed States Impact on Human Rights and International Criminal Justice", in Globalization and Its Impact on the Future of Human Rights and International Criminal Justice, M. Cherif Bassiouni (ed.), Intersentia Publication, Cambridge, 2015[8]
  • Privacy versus Security in the Age of Global Terror, Mosaic Press (2017)
  • "Antisemitism and Global Jihad", in Terrorism Revisited: Islamism, Political Violence and State-Sponsorship, Springer (2017)

Privacy and Security in the Age of Terror, Mosaic Press, 2018

  • Humanity at its Worst, Genocide Mass Atrocities Violations of Human Rights in the 21st Century, Mosaic Press (2020)

Federal election results
2004 Canadian federal election: Davenport
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalMario Silva16,77350.69-16.03
New DemocraticRui Pires11,29234.13+20.57
ConservativeTheresa Rodrigues3,0779.30-4.61
GreenMark O'Brien1,3844.18+1.66
MarijuanaElmer Gale2510.76-1.12
CommunistJohan Boyden1370.41
Canadian ActionJohn Riddell970.29-0.84
Marxist–LeninistSarah Thompson790.24
Total valid votes 33,090100.00
Total rejected ballots 2780.83
Turnout 33,36852.89
Note: Conservative vote is compared to the total of the Canadian Alliance vote and Progressive Conservative vote in 2000 election.
2006 Canadian federal election: Davenport
Party Candidate Votes%±%
LiberalMario Silva20,17251.87+1.18
New DemocraticGord Perks12,68132.61-1.52
ConservativeTheresa Rodrigues4,20210.80+1.50
GreenMark O'Brien1,4403.70-0.48
CommunistMiguel Figueroa1720.44+0.03
Canadian ActionWendy Forrest1220.31+0.02
Marxist–LeninistSarah Thompson1030.26+0.02
Total valid votes 38,892100.00
Total rejected ballots 2400.61-0.22
Turnout 39,13260.61+7.72
Elections Canada, Riding of Davenport, Electoral District 35015.
2008 Canadian federal election: Davenport
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalMario Silva15,95345.77-6.10$47,491
New DemocraticPeter Ferreira10,89631.26-1.35$55,530
ConservativeTheresa Rodrigues3,83811.01+0.21$13,993
GreenWayne Scott3,65510.49+6.79$12,172
Canadian ActionWendy Forrest1720.49+0.18$723
CommunistMiguel Figueroa1600.46+0.02$432
Animal AllianceSimon Luisi920.26–$957
Marxist–LeninistSarah Thompson870.25-0.01
Total valid votes/Expense limit 34,853100.00$79,438
Total rejected ballots 2450.70 +0.09
Turnout 35,09853.03-7.58
2011 Canadian federal election: Davenport
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticAndrew Cash21,09653.74+22.48
LiberalMario Silva10,94627.89-17.88
ConservativeTheresa Rodrigues5,57314.20+3.19
GreenWayne Scott1,3443.42-7.07
CommunistMiguel Figueroa1670.43-0.03
Animal AllianceSimon Luisi1280.33+0.07
Total valid votes/Expense limit 39,254100.00
Total rejected ballots 2350.60-0.10
Turnout 39,48961.92+8.88

References
  1. "Award to Canadians". Mario Silva. Government of Canada. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  2. "Official Biography". Human Rights Doctorate. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  3. "Official Biography". Mario Silva. Liberal Party of Canada. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
  4. "Minister Kenney announces Canada's appointment to chair International Task Force on Holocaust Education". Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Archived from the original on 2012-09-24. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  5. City Staff (1995-12-15). "Court ends seesaw council battle". The Globe and Mail. p. A2.
  6. "Press Release: CIJA Confirms Appointment of New Directors". CIJA. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  7. "Mario Silva appointed distinguished visiting professor - Ryerson Today - Ryerson University". www.ryerson.ca. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  8. "Globalization and Its Impact on the Future of Human Rights and International Criminal Justice". Intersentia NV. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
Archives at
LocationCity of Toronto Archives 
IdentifiersFonds 255
SourceMario Silva fonds
How to use archival material
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