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Evelyn Gigantes
Evelyn Adelaide Gigantes (November 1, 1942 – January 16, 2026) was a Canadian politician who served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for five terms between 1975 and 1995. She was a cabinet minister in the Government of Ontario under premier Bob Rae.
Gigantes was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on November 1, 1942. She was raised in Aylmer, Quebec. Her father, Earle Peach, was an author who wrote a book called Memories of a Cape Breton Childhood. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University. She worked as a radio and television broadcaster before entering political life, and was for a time an interviewer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and host of her own current affairs show in Ottawa. During her time out of political office, she was a member of the City of Ottawa Municipal Energy Planning Project and served as a representative on women's issues for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees. Gigantes had a daughter, Clea, from a first marriage and a son, Matthew, with her second husband, John Sifton.
Gigantes ran for the Ontario legislature in a by-election held on November 7, 1974. She was defeated by Progressive Conservative Paul Frederick Taylor in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton East, losing by 240 votes. The following year, however, she defeated Taylor by 281 votes in the provincial election of 1975. During her first term she was the NDP's critic for energy and later, education.
In the provincial election of 1977 Gigantes was re-elected over Progressive Conservative Darwin Kealey by 781 votes. In the summer of 1980, Gigantes gave birth to her first child. The birth was a first for a sitting Ontario MPP. She said the baby was conceived during an NDP convention the previous fall. She quipped, "It was one of the most positive products of the convention."
In the 1981 provincial election she finished third behind both Liberal Bernard Grandmaitre and the winner, Progressive Conservative Bob MacQuarrie.
Gigantes returned to the legislature through a by-election win in Ottawa Centre on December 13, 1984, called after former Ontario NDP leader Michael Cassidy resigned as MPP (Cassidy had won election to the House of Commons at Ottawa Centre with the Canadian NDP in the federal election). She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Graham Bird by 1,878 votes. The Liberal candidate, radio call-in show host Lowell Green, came in third. Gigantes was re-elected over Bird by an increased margin in the 1985 provincial election.
After the 1985 election, the Liberal Party under David Peterson was able to form a minority administration with support from the NDP (which did not join the Liberals in a formal coalition, but offered support on key legislative initiatives). Gigantes served as her party's critic for the Attorney General and for Women's Issues in this period. In November 1986, Gigantes proposed a gay rights amendment to a bill that sought to bring Ontario statutes into line with the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Her amendment proposed to protect gays from being discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. The bill, including her contentious amendment, was passed a month later by a vote of 64–45. At the same time during debate on another bill about pay equity, Gigantes was expelled from the legislature for calling Attorney General Ian Scott a liar.
The Liberals won a majority government in the 1987 provincial election, and Gigantes lost her seat to Liberal Richard Patten by 1,087 votes. Between 1987 and 1990, she worked as a union representative for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees.
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Evelyn Gigantes
Evelyn Adelaide Gigantes (November 1, 1942 – January 16, 2026) was a Canadian politician who served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for five terms between 1975 and 1995. She was a cabinet minister in the Government of Ontario under premier Bob Rae.
Gigantes was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, on November 1, 1942. She was raised in Aylmer, Quebec. Her father, Earle Peach, was an author who wrote a book called Memories of a Cape Breton Childhood. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University. She worked as a radio and television broadcaster before entering political life, and was for a time an interviewer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and host of her own current affairs show in Ottawa. During her time out of political office, she was a member of the City of Ottawa Municipal Energy Planning Project and served as a representative on women's issues for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees. Gigantes had a daughter, Clea, from a first marriage and a son, Matthew, with her second husband, John Sifton.
Gigantes ran for the Ontario legislature in a by-election held on November 7, 1974. She was defeated by Progressive Conservative Paul Frederick Taylor in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton East, losing by 240 votes. The following year, however, she defeated Taylor by 281 votes in the provincial election of 1975. During her first term she was the NDP's critic for energy and later, education.
In the provincial election of 1977 Gigantes was re-elected over Progressive Conservative Darwin Kealey by 781 votes. In the summer of 1980, Gigantes gave birth to her first child. The birth was a first for a sitting Ontario MPP. She said the baby was conceived during an NDP convention the previous fall. She quipped, "It was one of the most positive products of the convention."
In the 1981 provincial election she finished third behind both Liberal Bernard Grandmaitre and the winner, Progressive Conservative Bob MacQuarrie.
Gigantes returned to the legislature through a by-election win in Ottawa Centre on December 13, 1984, called after former Ontario NDP leader Michael Cassidy resigned as MPP (Cassidy had won election to the House of Commons at Ottawa Centre with the Canadian NDP in the federal election). She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Graham Bird by 1,878 votes. The Liberal candidate, radio call-in show host Lowell Green, came in third. Gigantes was re-elected over Bird by an increased margin in the 1985 provincial election.
After the 1985 election, the Liberal Party under David Peterson was able to form a minority administration with support from the NDP (which did not join the Liberals in a formal coalition, but offered support on key legislative initiatives). Gigantes served as her party's critic for the Attorney General and for Women's Issues in this period. In November 1986, Gigantes proposed a gay rights amendment to a bill that sought to bring Ontario statutes into line with the new Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Her amendment proposed to protect gays from being discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. The bill, including her contentious amendment, was passed a month later by a vote of 64–45. At the same time during debate on another bill about pay equity, Gigantes was expelled from the legislature for calling Attorney General Ian Scott a liar.
The Liberals won a majority government in the 1987 provincial election, and Gigantes lost her seat to Liberal Richard Patten by 1,087 votes. Between 1987 and 1990, she worked as a union representative for the National Union of Provincial Government Employees.