Hon Elinor Caplan was born in Toronto in 1944. She has been married to M. Wilfred Caplan since 1963. They have 4 children & 7 grandchildren.

Hon Elinor Caplan’s political career began as an elected Municipal Alderman in North York from 1978-1985.

When Elinor Caplan was appointed to the Ontario cabinet in 1985 she became the first Jewish woman Cabinet Minister in Canadian History.

As a Provincial MPP (1985-97), she served in the Peterson Government as Minister of Government Services, Chair of Management Board & Chair of the first Peterson Cabinet. She was a member of the Policy & Priorities cabinet committee & chair of the cabinet committee on Social Policy. While in opposition (1990-1997) Elinor served as Chief Opposition Whip & Chair of Social Development committee.

Elinor Caplan is best known as Ontario’s Health Minister (1987-1990).

Elected as Federal MP for Thornhill (1997-2004), Elinor served as Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Health before joining the Chrétien Cabinet in 1999 as Minister of Citizenship & Immigration. She introduced & had passed the first new Canadian Immigration legislation in 25 years. (The Immigration & Refugee Protection Act, 2001)

In 2001 she was named Minister of National Revenue where she had responsibility for Revenue Canada as well as Canada Customs. Elinor had responsibility for the implementation of the first (2002) Canada/USA Smart Border Accord. Her recommendation to establish the Canadian Border Services Agency was accepted & implemented by Rt Hon Paul Martin.

While in Federal cabinet (1999-2003) Elinor served on the Public Security & Anti-Terrorism committee, the Social Union committee, the Reference Group of Ministers on Health, as well as the Reference Group of Ministers on the Voluntary Sector.

Elinor Caplan did not seek re-election in 2004.

In 2005 Elinor completed a review of Ontario Home Care Procurement Policy & Practices. The ‘Caplan Report’ (Competing for Excellence by Rewarding Results) recommendations have been accepted by government & are being implemented.

During the Spring 2005, Elinor Caplan was a Visiting Fellow at Ryerson University. She has been a guest lecturer at the Rotman School of Management as well as the Faculty of Nursing at University of Toronto. On November 6th 2009, Elinor delivered The 11th Annual Dr Duncan G. Sinclair Lectureship in Health Services & Policy Research at Queen’s University titled, “Medicare in Canada: What is Wrong & How to Fix It”. The ppt presentation is available on their website as well as at www.canadastrategies.com From 2007-2009 Elinor Caplan taught regularly at the Canada School of Public Service.

Elinor is a ’systems thinker’ & change agent. She provokes thinking with probing questions that enable & help people to think strategically.

Her passions include the implementation of strategies to improve the delivery of safe, quality services in the Health & Social Services sector as well as coaching to support excellence in governance.

In February 2006 Elinor completed the Director Education Program as well as the Finance Program for Corporate Directors at the University of Toronto, Rotman School. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) & The Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC).

Elinor Caplan has been a Life Member of Canadian Hadassah Wizo for more than 25 years.

From 2005-2007 Elinor was the Governance, Program & Financial, Lead, on the Ministry of Health & Long Term Care project to create independent ‘best practice’ governance for Sunnybrook Health Science Centre & Women’s College Hospital. Her work supported the Ministry of Health & Long Term Care’s Transformation Agenda & could result in the creation of a Centre of Excellence in Academic Ambulatory Care at the new Women’s College Hospital.

In 2008 she co-authored the paper “Can Local Governance Survive?” & Elinor was a presented at the Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) conference on that topic.

In March 2009 she retired from the Board of National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC) when the merger with the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) was completed. In June 2008 Elinor retired from the Board of Directors of the Dr Jay Charitable Foundation which supports pediatric palliative care programs.

In late 2007 Elinor completed a project for the World Health Organization (WHO) assisting with the development of an integrated Health System & new Health Legislation in Armenia.

During 2009 Elinor was part of a WHO Team that completed an evaluation of the National Health Plan (NHP) of Portugal.

Currently, Elinor Caplan is a member of the Board of Canadian Jewish Congress. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Institute of Clinical & Evaluative Sciences (ICES) & is the chair of the Governance & Nominating committee. In March 2010 she joined the Board of the North Simcoe Muskoka Community Care Access Centre (NSM CCAC).

Presently Elinor Caplan is the Chief Executive Officer of Canada Strategies Inc.