Carla Qualtrough
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough PC MP | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion | ||||||||||||||||||||
Incumbent | ||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office November 20, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau | |||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Patty Hajdu | |||||||||||||||||||
Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility Receiver General for Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
In office August 28, 2017 – November 20, 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau | |||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Judy Foote | |||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Anita Anand | |||||||||||||||||||
Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities | ||||||||||||||||||||
In office November 4, 2015 – August 28, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau | |||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Bal Gosal | |||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Kent Hehr | |||||||||||||||||||
Member of Parliament for Delta | ||||||||||||||||||||
Incumbent | ||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office October 19, 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Riding established | |||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | ||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | October 15, 1971|||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Liberal | |||||||||||||||||||
Spouse(s) | Eron Main | |||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Delta, British Columbia | |||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater |
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Profession | Lawyer | |||||||||||||||||||
Sports career | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Carla Dawn Qualtrough PC MP (/ˈkwɒltroʊ/; born October 15, 1971) is a Canadian politician and former Paralympic swimmer who is the minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion. She was first elected as a member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada to represent the federal electoral district of Delta during the 2015 federal election.[1] Qualtrough was re-elected in 2019 and 2021. Previously she served as minister of public services and procurement and accessibility. She played an interim role as president of the Treasury Board.
Early life and education[]
Qualtrough was born in Calgary, Alberta, on October 15, 1971, to parents Patricia and Harry Qualtrough, and was raised in Langley, British Columbia.[2] Qualtrough has been visually impaired since birth and only sees 10 percent with her glasses on.[3] She graduated from Brookswood Secondary School[4] and studied political science at the University of Ottawa[5] before earning a law degree from the University of Victoria in 1997.[6][7] Her parents separated when she was a teenager and her father died in 2007.[8]
Qualtrough's visual impairment qualified her to compete in the Paralympic Games. She earned three bronze medals in swimming at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Paralympics, as well as four world championship medals for Team Canada.[9] During the Paralympics, she swam in the 4x100 medley relay and 4x100 freestyle relay.[2]
Legal career[]
After earning her law degree, Qualtrough served on the governing board of the Americas Paralympic Committee.[10] She also served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 2006 to 2011.[9] During this time, she also directed Sport Initiatives for 2010 Legacies Now and Chaired the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, leading to her election as one of Canada’s Most Influential Women in Sport of 2009.[11][12]
As a lawyer, Qualtrough primarily focused on human rights matters. She served as counsel to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and prior to her election to the House of Commons, she was the vice-chair of British Columbia's Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal.[2] In recognition of her work, she was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.[13] During the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she was the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) legal officer and later received the IPCs International Women’s Day Recognition in 2016.[14]
Political career[]
On November 4, 2015, Qualtrough was named minister of sport and persons with disabilities in the 29th Canadian Ministry, headed by Justin Trudeau.[15] As a result, she became the first Paralympic athlete to be elected to Canadian Parliament.[2] During her tenure, Qualtrough was inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Committee's Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2017.[16]
In a cabinet shuffle triggered by the resignation of Judy Foote, Qualtrough succeeded Foote as minister of public services and procurement on August 28, 2017; Kent Hehr then took over as minister of sport and persons with disabilities.[17][18] After the cabinet shuffle on July 18, 2018, Qualtrough retained her ministerial position but gained the added portfolio of accessibility, styled as "minister of public services and procurement and accessibility".[19]
The November 20, 2019, cabinet shuffle had Qualtrough become minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, building on her work in the accessibility portfolio.[20]
Personal life[]
Qualtrough is married to the former secretary-general of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, Eron Main, and they have four children together.[9]
Electoral record[]
2019 Canadian federal election: Delta | ||||||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 22,257 | 41.2 | -7.92 | ||||
Conservative | Tanya Corbet | 17,809 | 33.0 | +0.22 | ||||
New Democratic | Randy Anderson-Fennell | 8,792 | 16.3 | +1.38 | ||||
Green | Craig DeCraene | 3,387 | 6.3 | +3.13 | ||||
People's | Angelina Ireland | 948 | 1.8 | - | ||||
Independent | Amarit Bains | 398 | 0.7 | - | ||||
Independent | Tony Bennett | 385 | 0.7 | - | ||||
Total valid votes/expense limit | 53,976 | 100.0 | ||||||
Total rejected ballots | 361 | |||||||
Turnout | 54,337 | 70.7 | ||||||
Eligible voters | 76,871 | |||||||
Liberal hold | Swing | -4.07 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[21][22] |
2015 Canadian federal election: Delta | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 27,355 | 49.12 | +30.55 | $72,634.16 | |||
Conservative | Kerry-Lynne Findlay | 18,255 | 32.78 | -15.17 | $174,408.46 | |||
New Democratic | Jeremy Leveque | 8,311 | 14.92 | -13.13 | $59,352.24 | |||
Green | Anthony Edward Devellano | 1,768 | 3.17 | -1.57 | – | |||
Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,689 | 100.00 | $206,935.20 | |||||
Total rejected ballots | 200 | 0.36 | – | |||||
Turnout | 55,889 | 74.47 | – | |||||
Eligible voters | 75,044 | |||||||
Liberal notional gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.86 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[23][24][25] |
References[]
- ^ "Liberal Carla Qualtrough upsets Conservatives, captures Delta". Vancouver Sun. October 19, 2015. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Hawthorn, Tom (October 23, 2019). "Carla Qualtrough". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Aiello, Rachel (February 27, 2017). "Blind cabinet minister promises Canada's first national accessibility legislation will have teeth, could be retroactive". The Hill Times. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Brown, Scott (November 4, 2017). "Five things about Carla Qualtrough, Canada's new minister for sport and persons with disabilities". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Linda Scales (December 15, 2015). "Friends in high places". uottawa.ca. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "3 Alumnae Named to Federal Cabinet". uvic.ca. University of Victoria. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "Carla Qualtrough and Murray Rankin win seats in Ottawa". uvic.ca. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Joanna Smith (September 4, 2017). "Carla Qualtrough is 'swimming the laps' as she takes on challenging role". therecord.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c Spencer, Donna (November 6, 2015). "Life as athlete and sport leader propelled Delta's Carla Qualtrough to Trudeau's cabinet". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "CARLA QUALTROUGH – VP APC EXEC". caaws.ca. October 19, 2013. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian Paralympic Committee President Carla Qualtrough Named to Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity List for 2009". newswire.ca. January 26, 2010. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "NPC Canada President Wins Most Influential Award". paralympic.org. February 4, 2010. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Canadian Paralympians honoured with Jubilee medal". Paralympic Games. January 28, 2013. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "IPC RECOGNIZES QUALTROUGH ON IWD". caaws.ca. March 8, 2016. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ Larsen, Karin (November 4, 2015). "Delta MP Carla Qualtrough named minister of sport and persons with a disability". CBC News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ "Carla Qualtrough named to Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame". cbc.ca. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ MacCharles, Tonda; Campion-Smith, Bruce (August 28, 2017). "Trudeau shuffles ministers, overhauls Indigenous Affairs, brings friend O'Regan into cabinet". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Zimonjic, Peter (August 28, 2017). "Who's who in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet shuffle". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
- ^ Harris, Kathleen (July 18, 2018). "Trudeau adds 5 new ministers, shifts others in cabinet shakeup". CBC News. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Zimonjic, Peter (November 20, 2019). "Who is in Justin Trudeau's 2019 cabinet". CBC News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Delta, 30 September 2015
- ^ Official Voting Results - Delta
- ^ "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on August 15, 2015.
External links[]
- Living people
- Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia
- Liberal Party of Canada MPs
- Women members of the House of Commons of Canada
- Paralympic swimmers of Canada
- Canadian Paralympic Committee presidents
- Canadian politicians with physical disabilities
- Canadian sportsperson-politicians
- Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
- Blind politicians
- Women in British Columbia politics
- Sportspeople with a vision impairment
- People from Delta, British Columbia
- Politicians from Calgary
- Swimmers from Calgary
- University of Ottawa alumni
- University of Victoria alumni
- Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
- Members of the 29th Canadian Ministry
- Ministers of Labour of Canada
- 1971 births
- Women government ministers of Canada
- Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada
- University of Victoria Faculty of Law alumni
- Canadian female freestyle swimmers
- 21st-century Canadian women politicians
- Medalists at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic medalists in swimming