Shirley Coppen

Shirley Coppen (born in Port Colborne, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.

Coppen was educated at Niagara College, in the Labour Studies program. She was a registered nursing assistant at Welland County General Hospital for eighteen years, and served as president of the Welland and District Labour Council from 1986 to 1990.

She was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1990 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate John Lopinski by almost 4,000 votes in the riding of Niagara South. The NDP won an unexpected majority government in this election, and Coppen was named as a minister without portfolio and Chief Government Whip on October 1, 1990. On February 3, 1993, she was promoted to minister without portfolio responsible for Culture, Tourism and Recreation. Finally, on October 21, 1994, she was appointed to a full cabinet portfolio as Minister of Labour, replacing the retiring Robert W. Mackenzie.

In early 1995, Coppen announced that $8.9 million would be provided to schools in the Niagara region for repairs and upgrades. She also clarified that the Toronto Blue Jays would not be permitted to use scab labour at Toronto's Skydome in the event of a strike by Major League Baseball.

The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Coppen finished third in her bid for re-election, losing to Progressive Conservative Tim Hudak. She has not sought a return to provincial politics since this time.