Elizabeth Rowley
| Elizabeth Rowley | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Leader of the Communist Party of Canada | |
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Assumed office 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Miguel Figueroa |
| Leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Ontario) | |
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In office 2001–2016 |
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| Preceded by | Hassan Husseini |
| Succeeded by | Dave McKee |
| East York School Board Trustee | |
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In office 1994–1997 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1949 British Columbia |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Communist Party of Canada |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Alma mater | University of Alberta |
| Occupation | Politician |
Elizabeth Rowley is the first woman leader of the Communist Party of Canada. A long-time politician, writer, and political activist, Rowley served as a school trustee in the Toronto Borough of East York. Before becoming leader of the CPC, Rowley was leader of the Communist Party of Ontario. She has been a member of the Central Executive of the Communist Party of Canada since 1978, and has campaigned for office many times at both the municipal, federal and provincial levels. Rowley was elected leader of the Communist Party of Canada in January 2016 by the Party's Central Committee, following the retirement of Miguel Figueroa.
Born in British Columbia in 1949, Rowley attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and was active with the Young Communist League of Canada. She joined the Communist Party in 1967. As a young activist, Rowley campaigned against the War Measures Act during the October Crisis in 1970. She was the Party’s youngest candidate in the 1972 federal election, campaigning on issues such as women's reproductive rights, as abortion was then illegal in Canada, as well as calling for an end to the Vietnam War and Canada's participation. After traveling across the country and spending a short time in Quebec, she moved to southern Ontario and worked as a typesetter apprentice and secretary in Windsor, where she became a local party organizer.
In 1975, she became Ontario Provincial organizer and moved to Hamilton. There, she became involved in many labour struggles to defend jobs, living standards, labour rights, women’s equality, social programs and Canadian sovereignty. While campaigning to ban the Ku Klux Klan, Rowley’s apartment was destroyed by arson and, the following year, her car was fire bombed.
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