Leslie Emery Wismer (February 21, 1909 – July 8, 1978) was a trade union official and a member of the Ontario legislature representing Riverdale for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) from 1943 to 1945 and again from 1948 until 1951.
[1] Wismer was born in Louth Township of Lincoln County, Ontario to parents of Dutch and German descent.
During World War II, Wismer served as an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force with the rank of flight lieutenant.
[2][3] In 1946, he was hired by Kalmen Kaplansky to lead the Joint Labour Committee whose goal was to combat racial intolerance in the workplace.
Wismer's stand was criticized by Labor-Progressive (Communist) MPP Joseph Salsberg who proclaimed "it will be a sorry day when politicians assume the role of arbiters in art."