# Peter Fonseca

    For other people with a similar name, see Pedro da Fonseca (disambiguation)
Peter Fonseca MP (born 5 October 1966) is a Portuguese-born Canadian politician and former athlete. He is a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville since his election in 2015.
Prior to entering federal politics, Fonseca was a provincial Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing Mississauga East (2003-2007) and Mississauga East—Cooksville (2007- 2011). He was a cabinet minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty.
Fonseca was re-elected in his safe Liberal riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville with roughly 53% of the vote in the 2019 federal election and again with 50% of the vote in the 2021 federal election.
In the 44th parliament which was formed after the 2021 federal election (where the governing Liberals were re-elected with an increased minority), Fonseca was selected as the chair of the powerful Finance Committee.

## Background

Fonseca was born in Lisbon, Portugal and immigrated to Toronto with his family in 1968. He was raised in Little Portugal. He graduated from St. Michael's College School and attended the University of Oregon, gaining a Bachelor of Arts on an athletic scholarship. He also holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Windsor. He worked as a senior performance management consultant for the Coach Corporation and has run an importing and distributing company in Portugal.
He married his wife Christine "Chris" Fonseca in 2003. Christine was elected to Mississauga City Council as Councillor for Ward 3 in the 2010 Mississauga municipal election and re-elected in 2014 Mississauga municipal election, 2018 Mississauga municipal election, and 2022 Mississauga municipal election.
Fonseca holds Dual-citizenship with Portugal.

## Athletic career

He finished 5th in the 10,000 metres at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. He also represented Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia in the Men's Marathon. He was the top finisher for the Canadians, placing 21st overall in a 42.195-kilometre (26.219 mi) race with a time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 28 seconds. He also placed second in the 1994 Toronto Marathon and the 1994 Houston Marathon, and third in the 1992 New York City Marathon and the 1990 Los Angeles Marathon.
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Canada ||||||
| 1994 | Houston Marathon | Houston, United States | 2nd | Marathon | 2:13:53 |
| 1994 | Toronto Marathon | Toronto, Canada | 2nd | Marathon | 2:17:16 |
| 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 5th | 10,000 m | 29:14.85 |
| 1995 | Houston Marathon | Houston, United States | 1st | Marathon | 2:11:52 |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 21st | Marathon | 2:17:28 |
| 1997 | Toronto Marathon | Toronto, Canada | 1st | Marathon | 2:28:26 |

## Politics
### Provincial

Fonseca was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 2003, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative Carl DeFaria by about 3,000 votes in Mississauga East. On 23 October 2003, he was named parliamentary assistant to George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. In July 2005, he became the parliamentary assistant to Jim Watson, the Minister of Health Promotion.
In October 2007, Fonseca was named to cabinet as Minister of Tourism and Recreation. In a cabinet shuffle on 18 September 2008, Fonseca was appointed as the province's Minister of Labour.

### Federal

On 16 December 2010, Fonseca resigned from the Ontario cabinet to run for the federal Liberals in the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville. He was defeated by Conservative candidate Wladyslaw Lizon in the 2011 federal election by 676 votes.
Fonseca ran for the Liberals again in the 2015 federal election and defeated Lizon by a wide margin as part of the Liberal sweep of Mississauga ridings. Fonseca was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
Fonseca's constituency office was on fire, on 22 February 2022. Peel Regional Police is investigating the matter as arson.

## Electoral record
### Federal

vte2021 Canadian federal election: Mississauga East—Cooksville :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Peter Fonseca | 22,806 | 50.0 | -3.1 | $48,174.27 |
| | Conservative | Grace Adamu | 14,722 | 32.3 | -1.3 | $16,774.32 |
| | New Democratic | Tom Takacs | 4,678 | 10.3 | +1.5 | 1,363.00 |
| | People's | Joseph Westover | 2,933 | 6.4 | +5.2 | $809.98 |
| | Independent | Gord Elliott | 329 | 0.7 | N/A | $0.00 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Dagmar Sullivan | 107 | 0.2 | -0.1 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 45,575 | 99.2 | – | $112,477.70 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 383 | 0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 45,958 | 55.6 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 82,603 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -0.9 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Mississauga East—Cooksville :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Peter Fonseca | 27,923 | 53.1 | -1.13 | $54,292.81 |
| | Conservative | Wladyslaw Lizon | 17,664 | 33.6 | -1.75 | none listed |
| | New Democratic | Tom Takacs | 4,643 | 8.8 | +0.17 | none listed |
| | Green | Maha Rasheed | 1,578 | 3.0 | +1.52 | $0.00 |
| | People's | Syed Rizvi | 637 | 1.2 | | $2,799.42 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Anna Di Carlo | 178 | 0.3 | -0.01 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 52,623 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 483 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 53,106 | 62.1 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 85,584 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +0.31 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2015 Canadian federal election: Mississauga East—Cooksville :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Peter Fonseca | 28,154 | 54.23 | +18.07 | $85,296.75 |
| | Conservative | Wladyslaw Lizon | 18,353 | 35.35 | -8.20 | $109,692.04 |
| | New Democratic | Ali Naqvi | 4,481 | 8.63 | -9.03 | $34,143.24 |
| | Green | Jaymini Bhikha | 766 | 1.48 | -0.69 | – |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Tim Sullivan | 163 | 0.31 | – | – |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,917 | 100.00 | | $217,661.14 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 287 | 0.55 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,204 | 63.87 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 81,736 |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | Swing | +13.13 |
| Source(s) "Mississaugs East--Cooksville". Election Results. Elections Canada. Retrieved 22 October 2015. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates |||||||
vte2011 Canadian federal election: Mississauga East—Cooksville :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Wladyslaw Lizon | 18,796 | 39.97 | +7.42 | $90,142 |
| | Liberal | Peter Fonseca | 18,120 | 38.53 | -11.63 | $71,450 |
| | New Democratic | Waseem Ahmed | 8,836 | 18.79 | +7.44 | $6,591 |
| | Green | Jaymini Bhikha | 1,032 | 2.19 | -3.05 | $968 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Pierre Chénier | 241 | 0.51 | -0.16 | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 47,025 | 100.00 | | $169,151 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 289 | 0.61 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 47,314 | 56.8 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 83,018 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +9.52 |
| Source(s) Elections Canada (2011). "Official Voting Results: Forty-first General Election". Retrieved 28 September 2015. |||||||

### Provincial

vte2007 Ontario general election: Mississauga East—Cooksville :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Liberal | Peter Fonseca | 22,249 | 58.93 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Zoran Churchin | 8,715 | 23.08 |
| | New Democratic | Satish Balasunderam | 3,192 | 8.46 |
| | Green | Carla Cassanova | 2,361 | 6.25 |
| | Family Coalition | Al Zawadzki | 992 | 2.63 |
| | Freedom | Ryan Jamieson | 243 | 0.64 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 37,752 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 349 | 0.92 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 38,101 | 47.47 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 80,247 |
| Source(s) Elections Ontario (2007). "General Election Poll by Poll Results, 048 Mississauga East—Cooksville" (PDF). Retrieved 24 August 2015. |||||||
| | Liberal pickup new district. | Liberal pickup new district. | Liberal pickup new district. | Liberal pickup new district. | Liberal pickup new district. | Liberal pickup new district. | Liberal pickup new district. |
vte2003 Ontario general election: Mississauga East :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Peter Fonseca | 16,686 | 48.68 | +9.69 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Carl DeFaria | 13,832 | 40.35 | -11.23 |
| | New Democratic | Michael Hancock | 2,479 | 7.23 | -0.01 |
| | Green | Donald Barber | 666 | 1.94 |
| | Family Coalition | Gary Nail | 358 | 1.04 |
| | Independent | Pierre Chénier | 256 | 0.75 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 34,277 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 252 | 0.73 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,529 | 51.38 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 67,198 |
| | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +10.46 |
| Source(s) Elections Ontario (2003). "General Election of October 2, 2003 Poll By Poll Results 47 Mississauga East". Retrieved 24 August 2015. |||||||