Charles Caccia
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Charles L. Caccia, P.C. (born April 28, 1930 in Milan, Italy) is a Canadian politician.
Caccia is a former |Liberal member of the Canadian House of Commons. He represented the Toronto riding of Davenport between 1968 and 2004. A professor of forestry at the University of Toronto, Caccia is best known for his strong pro-environment views on the left of the Liberal party. He served at various times as Minister of Labour, Minister of the Environment, Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Manpower and Immigration. He most recently was the Chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, and of the subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.
One of the most left-leaning Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) known for his stance on environmental issues and his staunch opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he was one of the few Liberal MPs to back Sheila Copps in the Liberal Party's 2003 leadership convention. His left-leaning politics and support of Copps ended his political career when the more right-leaning Paul Martin became Liberal leader and prime minister in 2004. Martin backed former Toronto city councillor Mario Silva for the Liberal Party nomination in Davenport.
When Silva seemed poised to win the Liberal nomination, Caccia withdrew, and after some talk, also chose not to run as an independent in the 2004 election.
Caccia's first wife, Millicent Caccia, was a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party in a provinicial election in the 1970s. They are divorced, and have two children, Nicola and John.
| Preceded by: Walter L. Gordon | Member of Parliament for Davenport 1968-2004 | Succeeded by: Mario Silva |