{{Short description|Canadian politician (1941–2024)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Mike Farnan | image = | caption = | office1 = Ontario MPP | term_start1 = 1987 | term_end1 = 1995 | predecessor1 = Bill Barlow | successor1 = Gerry Martiniuk | constituency1 = Cambridge | office2 = More... | party = New Democratic Party | birth_name = Michael Liam Farnan | birth_date = {{birth date|1941|01|29| df=yes}} | birth_place = Dublin, Ireland | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|06|24|1941|01|29| df=yes}} | occupation = Teacher, real estate agent | spouse = | children = | death_place = Cambridge, Ontario, Canada }}
'''Michael Liam Farnan''' (29 January 1941 – 24 June 2024) was an Irish-born Canadian politician. He was an Ontario New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
==Background== Farnan was educated at University College Dublin, the National University of Ireland; the University of London in England; and McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He had a Master's degree in Education, and a bachelor's degree of arts. He worked as a primary and secondary school teacher in London, Montreal, Cambridge, Ontario and Brampton Ontario for twenty-seven years. A devout Roman Catholic working within Ontario's separate school system, he served as provincial director of the Ontario English Catholic Teacher's Association for a time, as well as participating in a variety of community outreach projects in Cambridge. After he retired in 2002, he studied to become a real estate agent and broker of his own company Mike Farnan Realty in Cambridge. He also served as associate broker for Crown Realty Royal Le Page and for Peak Realty, both located in Cambridge.
Farnan died on 24 June 2024, at the age of 83. He had pancreatic cancer and died by medical assistance in dying.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=D'Amato |first=Luisa |date=25 June 2024 |title=Mike Farnan, former Cambridge MPP and NDP cabinet minister, dies |url=https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/mike-farnan-former-cambridge-mpp-and-ndp-cabinet-minister-dies/article_969dc3d5-2495-55b5-9fe6-425f340df0af.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240919235315/https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-region/mike-farnan-former-cambridge-mpp-and-ndp-cabinet-minister-dies/article_969dc3d5-2495-55b5-9fe6-425f340df0af.html |archive-date=19 September 2024 |access-date=20 September 2024 |work=Waterloo Region Record}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 June 2024 |title=Council pays tribute to former councillor and MPP Mike Farnan, who died Monday |url=https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/council-pays-tribute-to-former-councillor-and-mpp-mike-farnan-who-died-monday-9137271 |access-date=20 September 2024 |work=Cambridge Today}}</ref>
==Politics== Farnan ran for the federal New Democratic Party in Cambridge during the 1980 federal election. He came second, 3,080 votes behind Progressive Conservative Chris Speyer.<ref>{{cite news |title=How Canada voted |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=19 February 1980 |page=13}}</ref> He also served on the Cambridge city council for the period in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Aldermen agree to reverse decision for 50% pay raise |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=19 December 1983 |page=5}}</ref>
Farnan was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Claudette Millar in the provincial riding of Cambridge (incumbent Progressive Conservative Bill Barlow finished third).<ref name="1987 results">{{cite news |title=Results from individual ridings |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=11 September 1987 |page=F2}}</ref> The NDP were the official opposition in this period, and Farnan served as his party's critic for Correctional Services and Tourism and Recreation.<ref>{{cite news |title='Why did our 5 boys die?' families ask Poor security at detention centre let youths escape, they say |first1=Jack |last1=Lakey |first2=Lisa |last2=Wright |first3=Allan |last3=Thompson |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=6 February 1989 |page=A4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lottery boss fired after $8 million ticket recall |first=Kathleen |last=Kenna |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=17 June 1988 |page=A3}}</ref>
The NDP won a majority government in the 1990 provincial election, and Farnan was re-elected by a landslide in Cambridge.<ref name="1990 results">{{cite news |title=Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=7 September 1990 |page=A12}}</ref> On 1 October 1990, he was appointed the Rae government's first Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services.<ref name="1990RaeCabinet">{{cite news |title=Ontario cabinet |newspaper=The Windsor Star |date=1 October 1990 |page=A4}}</ref>
As Solicitor-General, Farnan introduced employment equity provisions for Ontario's police force.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eventual goal: women in half Ontario's police jobs |last=Hall |first=Chris |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=11 April 1991 |page=A1}}</ref> He also established a "common pause day" which continued the province's previous restrictions on Sunday shopping.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ontario sets Sunday shopping guidelines |newspaper=Edmonton Journal |date=5 June 1991 |page=A9}}</ref> In the spring of 1991, he became involved in a minor controversy concerning two letters which had been sent from his staff to Justices of the Peace in Ontario, one of which requested the review of a case. This was seen by some as inappropriate interference from his office, and while Farnan did not write the letters himself, he was nonetheless dropped from cabinet on 31 July 1991.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ferguson in, Farnan out: Rae shuffles cabinet just 10 months into term |last=Thompson |first=Catherine |newspaper=Kitchener - Waterloo Record |date=31 July 1991 |page=A1}}</ref> In September 1991 he was appointed Deputy Chairman of the house and he served in that role for the next two years.<ref>{{cite news |title=Farnan promoted : MPP to be legislature's deputy chairman |newspaper=Kitchener - Waterloo Record |date=24 September 1991 |page=A3}}</ref>
On 17 June 1993, Farnan was re-appointed a Minister without portfolio responsible for Education and Training. In this capacity, he served as an assistant to Minister of Education Dave Cooke.<ref>{{cite news |title=Farnan rejoins cabinet |newspaper=Kitchener - Waterloo Record |date=17 June 1993 |page=A2}}</ref>
Farnan returned to a full cabinet position on 21 October 1994, having been appointed Minister of Transportation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rae fills cabinet posts emptied by illness, scandal |last=Payne |first=Elizabeth |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=22 October 1994 |page=A4}}</ref>
In 1994, Farnan was one of twelve NDP members to vote against Bill 167, a bill extending financial benefits to same-sex partners. Premier Bob Rae allowed a free vote on the bill which allowed members of his party to vote with their conscience.<ref name="Bill 167">{{cite news |title=How MPPs voted on controversial legislation |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=10 June 1994 |page=A10}}</ref>
The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Farnan lost the Cambridge seat to Progressive Conservative Gerry Martiniuk by about 5,500 votes.<ref name="1995 results">{{cite web|url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=cambridge&flag=E&layout=G |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140303212416/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=cambridge&flag=E&layout=G |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 March 2014 |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=8 June 1995 |accessdate=3 February 2014 }}</ref> He ran a second time for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1997 federal election, but finished third against Liberal Janko Peric.<ref>{{cite news |title=Final Results Riding by Riding |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=4 June 1997 |page=A5}}</ref>
===Cabinet positions=== {{s-start}} {{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Bob_Rae}} {{ministry box cabinet posts |num=4 | post3preceded = Gilles Pouliot | post3 = Minister of Transportation of Ontario | post3years = 1994–1995 | post3note = | post3followed = Al Palladini
| post2preceded = Steven Offer | post2 = Solicitor General | post2years = 1990–1991 | post2note = Also responsible for anti-drug strategy | post2followed = Allan Pilkey
| post1preceded = Richard Patten | post1 = Minister of Correctional Services | post1years = 1990–1991 | post1note = | post1followed = Allan Pilkey }} {{ministry box sub-cabinet posts | post1preceded = Shelley Wark-Martyn | post1 = Minister Without Portfolio | post1years = 1993–1994 | post1note = Responsible for Education and Training | post1followed = Steve Owens }} {{s-end}}
==After politics== After losing his seat in 1995, Farnan became a school teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario. He specialized in social science courses (mainly Religion). He retired in December 1996.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex- MPP retires from teaching |newspaper=The Record |location=Kitchener, Ont |date=31 December 1996 |page=B1}}</ref>
==Electoral record==
===Provincial=== {{1987 Ontario general election/Cambridge}} {{1990 Ontario general election/Cambridge}} {{Canadian election result/top|ON|1995|percent=yes|change=yes}}
{{CANelec|ON|PC|Gerry Martiniuk | 17,269| 46.9| +34.6}} {{CANelec|ON|NDP|Mike Farnan| 11,797| 32.1| -28.2}} {{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Ben Tucci| 5,606| 15.2| -5.7 }} {{CANelec|ON|Family Coalition|Al Smith| 1,690| 4.6| -1.9}} {{CANelec|XX|Independent|Reg Gervais| 433| 1.2|–}} {{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 36,795| 100.0}} {{end}}
===Federal=== {{1997 Canadian federal election/Cambridge}} {{1980 Canadian federal election/Cambridge}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ontario MPP biography|id=mike-liam-farnan|name=Mike Liam Farnan|old_id=384}}
{{Rae Ministry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farnan, Mike}} Category:1941 births Category:2024 deaths Category:2024 suicides Category:Deaths by euthanasia Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Alumni of University College Dublin Category:Canadian Roman Catholics Category:McGill University alumni Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Category:Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Category:Irish emigrants to Canada Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Category:Candidates in the 1980 Canadian federal election Category:Candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election Category:New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Category:Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Category:Male suicides Category:Canadian politicians who died by suicide