The Honourable
Jenna Sudds
PC MP
Sudds in 2023
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Assumed office
July 26, 2023[1]
Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau
Preceded byKarina Gould
Member of Parliament
for Kanata—Carleton
Assumed office
September 20, 2021
Preceded byKaren McCrimmon
Deputy Mayor of Ottawa
In office
December 9, 2020 – September 20, 2021
Serving with Laura Dudas and George Darouze
MayorJim Watson
Preceded byMatthew Luloff
Succeeded byVacant
Ottawa City Councillor
for Kanata North (Ward 4)
In office
December 1, 2018 – September 20, 2021
Preceded byMarianne Wilkinson
Succeeded byCathy Curry (appointed)
Personal details
Born (1979-02-08) February 8, 1979 (age 44)
Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseTim[2]
Residence(s)Whitemarsh Crescent, rural Kanata (2018)[3]

Jenna Sudds PC MP (born February 8, 1979)[4][5] is a Canadian politician who presently serves as the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, as well as the Member of Parliament for Kanata—Carleton in the House of Commons of Canada.

Prior to becoming Minister, she served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women, Gender Equality, and Youth. A member of the Liberal Party, she was elected in the 2021 Canadian federal election.

Previously, she served as Deputy Mayor of Ottawa and member of the Ottawa City Council for Kanata North (Ward 4).[6] Sudds was elected to Ottawa City Council on October 22, 2018, and took office on December 1, 2018.

Career

Sudds grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Sudds attended Brock University in St. Catharines and moved to the National Capital Region in 2001 to complete her master's degree in economics at Carleton University.[7] Sudds worked as an economist in the federal government for twelve years before becoming the inaugural President and executive director of the Kanata North Business Association, after being appointed to the role by a hiring committee that consisted of her predecessor on Council, Marianne Wilkinson.[8] From November 2017 to November 2018, Sudds was the inaugural executive director at the CIO Strategy Council, a national technology council.[9] In March 2018, she announced her decision to run for Ottawa City Council, Kanata North.

Sudds has been a longtime volunteer with the Kanata Food Cupboard and the Ottawa Network for Education. She has received a Special Recognition Award from the Kanata Food Cupboard for her leadership and service to those in need in the community. She received a Forty Under 40 Award from the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and was named one of Development Counsellors International's Top 40 under 40 working in economic development in 2017.[10]

Politics

Sudds was elected as a Liberal in Kanata—Carleton in the 2021 Canadian federal election, replacing outgoing Liberal Member of Parliament Karen McCrimmon.[11]

44th Parliament

Sudds was appointed to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women, Gender Equality, and Youth by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 3, 2021.[10] Sudds sat on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women as a voting member from December 1, 2021 through September 25, 2023.[12]

Throughout her tenure, Sudds has seconded and voted in favour of legislation which sought to advance women's rights, affordable housing, and worker's rights.[13] She supported legislation to ban the practice of conversion therapy, which passed the House of Commons in a unanimous vote.[14] She is a strong supporter of economic actions to strengthen Canada's technology sector, particularly semiconductor fabrication and critical mineral development.[15]

In foreign policy, she has supported sanctions against Russian political leaders and oligarchs in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and sanctions against Iran following the Mahsa Amini protests.[16]

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sudds was sanctioned by government of the Russian Federation after the Canadian government sanctioned many Russian officials close to Vladimir Putin over the Ukrainian invasion.[17]

Awards

Electoral record

2021 Canadian federal election

2021 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Jenna Sudds 26,394 41.8 -1.5
Conservative Jennifer McAndrew 24,373 38.6 +2.1
New Democratic Melissa Coenraad 8,822 14.0 +1.5
People's Scott Miller 1,858 2.9 +1.5
Green Jennifer Purdy 1,709 2.7 -3.9
Total valid votes 63,156
Total rejected ballots 372
Turnout 63,528 73.52
Eligible voters 86,404
Liberal hold Swing -1.8
Source: Elections Canada[20]

2018 Ottawa municipal election

Council candidate Vote %
    Jenna Sudds 5,298 46.68
    Matt Muirhead 3,634 32.02
    David Gourlay 2,335 20.57
    Lorne Neufeldt 56 0.49
    Philip Bloedow 27 0.24

Personal life

Sudds is married and has three daughters.[2]

References

  1. ^ Tunney, Catharine (July 26, 2023). "Trudeau overhauls his cabinet, drops 7 ministers and shuffles most portfolios". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Meet Jenna Sudds". Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Willing, Jon (November 5, 2018). "Jenna Sudds wants city hall to know that Kanata North's tech sector is a big deal". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  4. ^ Watson, Jim [@JimWatsonOttawa] (February 8, 2021). "Happy birthday to Kanata North councillor and Deputy Mayor @JennaSudds" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 8, 2021 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ "Filling Marianne Wilkinson's shoes in Kanata North". CBC News. September 12, 2018 [September 4, 2018]. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  6. ^ Bagnall, James; Endemann, Erica (October 22, 2018). "Jenna Sudds scores decisive win in Kanata North". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  7. ^ "Kanata North BIA Announces its first Executive Director". Kanata North Business Association. July 8, 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  8. ^ Lord, Craig (October 20, 2017). "KNBIA's Jenna Sudds spearheads new national CIO strategy council". Ottawa Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  9. ^ Sali, David (March 5, 2018). "Former Kanata North BIA director Jenna Sudds to run for city council". Ottawa Business Journal. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Jenna Sudds". Office of the Prime Minister. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Harvey, Natalie; Duffy, Andrew (September 21, 2021). "Riding results: Liberal Jenna Sudds wins Kanata-Carleton". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  12. ^ "Committee Members". House of Commons of Canada. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  13. ^ "Votes - Jenna Sudds, 44th Parliament, 1st Session (November 22, 2021 to present)". House of Commons of Canada. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  14. ^ Boisvert, Nick (December 2, 2021) [December 1, 2021]. "MPs embrace after bill to ban conversion therapy passes unanimously in House". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  15. ^ Sudds, Jenna [@JennaSudds] (November 15, 2022). "Canada will need to harness #Kanata's innovation and leadership to propel our country & economy forward. We can become a world leader in semiconductors, critical minerals & the clean, green technology of the future" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Canada imposes new sanctions on Russian, Iranian and Myanmar regimes". Global Affairs Canada. Government of Canada. December 9, 2022. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  17. ^ "Trudeau and almost every Canadian MP banned from Russia". National Post. The Canadian Press. March 15, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  18. ^ Ottawa Board of Trade (April 24, 2015). "Unveiling Our 2015 Forty Under 40 Recipients". The Voice Blog. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022.
  19. ^ "Kanata's Jenna Sudds named among top 40 Under 40". Inside Halton. February 2, 2017.[dead link]
  20. ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 2, 2021.

External links

Cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (2015–present)
Members of the House of Commons of Canada
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