What you may not know about the new MPs
Fall leaves on trees overlooking Ottawa’s Peace Tower
A total of 51 new MPs are heading to Ottawa this fall. While they come from a variety of different backgrounds, we’ve identified some interesting threads that connect them.
Three former Conservative staffers
Three of the new Conservative MPs aren’t new to Parliament at all.
In fact, they have an insider’s understanding of how decisions are made that few of their fellow rookie politicians would:
Adam Chambers (Simcoe North, Ont.) served as senior advisor to the late former finance minister Jim Flaherty.
Melissa Lantsman (Thornhill, Ont.) served as a ministerial staffer in the Harper minority government, working for former finance minister Joe Oliver.
Dan Muys (Flamborough-Glanbrook, Ont.) worked for the riding’s outgoing Conservative MP, David Sweet, for 15 years, serving as his chief of staff.
Doctors from COVID front lines
Two of the new MPs had a front-row seat of the healthcare system during the pandemic:
Dr. Stephen Elllis (Cumberland-Colchester, N.S.) was medical lead for the COVID-19 response in the northern zone of Nova Scotia. The new Conservative MP worked as a family doctor in Truro.
Liberal MP Dr. Brendan Hanley (Yukon) served as Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer since 2008 and oversaw the territory’s response to COVID-19.
New moms on the campaign trail
Two rookie female MPs took on special roles during the election — they gave birth to new babies!
Conservative MP Laila Goodridge (Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, Alta.) welcomed son Eoghan during the campaign.
Bloc MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné (Terrebonne, Que.) was pregnant during the campaign, giving birth just two days before election day.
Hats off to these multi-tasking mamas!
Immigrants to Canada
Canada’s Parliament just gained the rich experiences and insights of immigrants from all over the world. Joining the Liberal caucus are:
Wilson Miao (Richmond Centre, B.C.), who immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1996.
Shafqat Ali (Brampton Centre, Ont.), known within the Liberal party as an “immigrant success story.”
Paul Chiang (Markham-Unionville, Ont.), who immigrated to Toronto in 1976 and speaks eight languages, including Mandarin, Urdu and Punjabi.
Iqwinder Singh Gaheer (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.), who was born in a small village in the Punjab and moved to Canada when he was six years old. He went on to study at Harvard.
Arielle Kayabaga (London West, Ont.), whose family fled the civil war in Burundi and immigrated to Canada when she was 11.
Former television journalists
Three new MPs come to Ottawa camera-ready, having spent time working as on-air journalists:
Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain, Ont.) spent two decades as a journalist for Hamilton’s CHCH News.
Conservative MP Michelle Ferreri (Peterborough-Kawartha, Ont.) is a former local television news journalist in Peterborough, Ont.
Conservative MP Dominique Vien (Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Levis, Que.) is a former news anchor at Radio-Canada’s CBV-FM in Quebec City.
Former provincial politicians
Not surprisingly, many new MPs have made the leap from municipal or provincial politics, including:
Liberal MPs Heath MacDonald (Malpeque, P.E.I.), first elected as MLA for Cornwall-Meadowbank in 2015, and Lena Metlege Diab (Halifax-West, N.S.), who served as MLA in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. She was also a member of the provincial cabinet, becoming the first female attorney general for Nova Scotia.
Two new Liberal MPs served as ministers in Ontario. Michael Coteau (Don Valley East, Ont.), MPP for Don Valley East from 2011-2021, held a variety of portfolios as minister, including immigration and community and social services. Former Ontario attorney general Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre, Ont.) was MPP for Ottawa Centre from 2007-2017.
On the Conservative bench, Jake Stewart (Miramichi-Grand Lake, N.B.) was an MLA in New Brunswick from 2010 to 2020. Laila Goodridge (Fort McMurray-Cold Lake, Alta.) was an MLA for the region and served as parliamentary secretary for the Francophonie.
Former city councillors
The list of MPs who put their time in at city hall include:
Liberals George Chahal (Calgary Skyview, Alta.), Jenna Sudds (Kanata-Carleton, Ont.), Chad Collins (Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, Ont.), Arielle Kayabaga (London West, Ont.)
Conservatives Ryan Williams (Bay of Quinte, Ont.) and Shelby Kramp-Neuman (Hastings-Lennox-Addington, Ont.).
NDP MP Bonita Zarrillo (Port Moody-Coquitlam, B.C.)
Creative hobbies
And finally, some MPs have tapped into their creative sides to showcase their talents.
Liberal Rechie Valdez (Mississauga-Streetsville, Ont.) started her own baking business and produces and hosts her own TV show called Fearlessly Creative.
Conservative Jake Stewart (Miramichi-Grand Lake, N.B.) released a studio album in 2011.