Dave Cooke
| Dave Cooke | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
|
In office 1977–1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Fred Burr |
| Succeeded by | Wayne Lessard |
| Constituency | Windsor—Riverside |
| More... | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 1, 1952 Windsor, Ontario |
| Political party | New Democrat |
| Occupation | Social worker |
Dave Cooke (born August 1, 1952) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was an NDP member of the provincial legislature from 1977 to 1997, and was a senior cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
Cooke was born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Sid and Betty Cooke. He attended the University of Windsor and graduated with a degree in social work. He worked as a social worker at the Essex Children's Aid Society in Windsor. He served on the Windsor Planning Board in 1974 and was a member of the Windsor Board of Education from 1975 to 1976.
He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the general election of 1977, defeating Liberal Michael MacDougall by over 2,000 votes in the riding of Windsor—Riverside. He was re-elected by greater margins in the elections of 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1990. Cooke defeated future Liberal MP Rick Limoges by almost 6,000 votes in 1987.
Unlike most other members of the NDP caucus, Cooke was supportive of Bob Rae's leadership throughout the 1980s. As early as 1981, he had petitioned Rae to run for the leadership of the provincial party. He became the party's whip in 1985 and acted as the health critic. In 1987, he was appointed as the party's House leader, and became pensions critic.
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