Tony Grande
| Tony Grande | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
|
In office 1975–1987 |
|
| Preceded by | New riding |
| Succeeded by | Chaviva Hošek |
| Constituency | Oakwood |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 11, 1943 Calabria, Italy |
| Died | August 9, 2006 (aged 63) Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | New Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Schlanger |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Anthony William (Tony) Grande (January 11, 1943 – August 9, 2006) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1987, as a member of the New Democratic Party who represented the Toronto riding of Oakwood.
Grande was born in Calabria, Italy, and moved to Canada with his family at age eleven. He was educated at the University of Toronto, Lakeshore Teacher's College and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and worked as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Prior to his election, he was teacher liaison chair for the New Democratic Party.
In 1974 he married Helen Schlanger. They had three children: Aaron David (1977), Daniel Robert (1979) and Laura Simone (1983).
Grande was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1975 provincial election, and re-elected in 1977, 1981 and 1985. He served as NDP education critic in the early 1980s, and was reassigned as critic for citizenship, culture and special issues of education in 1983.
Grande supported Bob Rae's successful campaign for the NDP leadership in 1982, and was subsequently asked to relinquish his seat to allow Rae to run for a position in the legislature. He declined, arguing that the local Italian community in his riding would be upset if he were forced to resign in favour of a non-Italian.
Grande was a strong advocate for multiculturalism and multicultural services during his time. He supported minority language rights in education, and in 1986 he introduced a Private Member's Bill that would have made it easier for students to be taught in languages other than English or French. The bill died on the order paper when a new election was called in 1987. Grande was also an advocate for labour, and successfully represented three workers from a North York factory before the Ontario Labour Relations Board in 1979-80. He also supported the rights of tenants, and promoted legislation to permit persons over sixteen years of age to gain access to their medical records.
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