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Biographies of Committee members

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Karen Vecchio (Chair) (CPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Karen Vecchio was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

Karen currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and the Chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

In her capacity as Member of Parliament, Karen has served as the Deputy House Leader for the Official Opposition (2020– 2021); Shadow Minister for Women and Gender Equality (2019–2020); Chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (2017–2020); Shadow Minister for Families, Children and Social Development (2015– 2019); Chair of the Conservative Social Development Caucus (2016–2019) and the Conservative Caucus Liaison to the LGBTQ2+ community.

She participates regularly in the All-Party Agricultural Caucus, the All-Party Anti-Poverty Caucus, the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Caucus, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

Karen was raised on a turkey and hog farm in Sparta, Ontario and remains connected to her rural roots in Southern Ontario. Prior to entering politics, she owned and operated a small business in London, Ontario and worked alongside former Member of Parliament Joe Preston as his Executive Assistant for 11 years. Karen is married to Mike Vecchio and they have five children.

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Sonia Sidhu (Vice-Chair) (LPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Sonia Sidhu was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Brampton South in 2015. She is not only a champion for her constituents but all Canadians. Sonia differentiates herself in Parliament as someone who is focused on health care and advocating for women. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and she worked in health care for over 18 years before entering politics.

MP Sidhu is a proud member of the Standing Committee on Health and holds the position of Vice-Chair of the Status of Women Committee, advocating for women in her riding and all across Canada. She acknowledges how far we have come in regards to women’s rights. However, there is still work to be done. Sonia is also the Chair of the All-Party Caucus on Diabetes as she has been a lifelong advocate for Canadians living with pre-diabetes or diabetes.

In 2018, she introduced Motion 173 to make November of every year diabetes awareness month. Her goal was to raise national awareness of this disease and its complications. This was the first step in Sonia’s fight to end diabetes. In June 2021 MP Sidhu’s Private Members’ Bill C-237, An Act to establish a National Framework for Diabetes passed unanimously in the Parliament and is now law in Canada. Her private members’ bill will help the 11 million Canadians living with diabetes through research, awareness and funding. As a Member of the Special Committee on Pay Equity in 2016, MP Sidhu worked on implementing a Report that guided Federal Government’s Pay Equity Legislation. The law is set to be implemented in August 2021.

MP Sidhu is proud of her record on creating jobs through Federal investments in Brampton through signature projects such as the Riverwalk, the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, public transit projects and many more. MP Sidhu lives in her riding of Brampton South with her husband Gurjit, twin daughters Arshia and Amrit, and her son Akash.

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Andréanne Larouche (Vice-Chair) (BQ)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament for the riding of Shefford, Andréanne Larouche, was elected in the 2019 federal election.

Ms. Larouche studied art and media technology at Cégep de Jonquière and has always been engaged locally, sitting on the board of directors for the Ecosphere Group and the Sutton Museum of Communications and History. While this is her first time in the House of Commons, Ms. Larouche holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Sherbrooke in Applied Politics and worked for the former Member of Parliament for Brome-Missisquoi, Christian Ouellet, and a Member of Quebec’s National Assembly.

She was also a project manager for Alternative Justice and Mediation, raising awareness on elder abuse.

Ms. Larouche was appointed as the Bloc Québécois Critic for Women and Gender Equality and Critic for Seniors. Ms. Larouche’s first speech in the House of Commons was on the topic of the anti-feminist attack at École Polytechnique, advocating for stricter gun control to protect women against such violence.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Larouche has focused on senior women, women in essential services, and the ability for women to access help. Like other members of the Bloc Québécois, she has advocated for increased health and social transfers to Quebec, as she believes many of these issues are best resolved by the province. She has also advocated for an increase to GIS/OAS for seniors under 75.

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Dominique Vien (CPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Dominique Vien was elected Member of Parliament for the riding of Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Lévis in 2021.

Ms. Vien was born in Lévis and completed her secondary studies at the Collège de Saint-Damien and the Collège Jésus-Marie in Sillery. She finished her college at Collège de Lévis and subsequently obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Public Communication from Laval University.

Recognized for her hard work, determination, and results-based management, Ms. Vien has many achievements to her credit, including the construction of a four-lane road between Saint-Henri and Saint-Anselme, the supply of natural gas, the safeguard of Mont-Orignal, the granting of an unprecedented budget to the MRC des Etchemins, and the maintenance in Saint-Anselme of the Exceldor plant.

Ms. Vien has worked in many community organizations. She is the mother of a young adult.

A journalist for 10 years on community radio Passion FM (Radio-Bellechasse) and on Radio-Canada radio, Ms. Vien has been elected Member of Parliament for Bellechasse under the banner of the Liberal Party of Quebec for nearly 15 years.

During this period, Ms. Vien headed four ministries, including the Ministry of Labour. Until recently, Ms. Vien was the general manager of the Les Etchemins R C M.

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Anna Roberts (CPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Anna Roberts grew up in the GTA and is the daughter of Italian Immigrants. She currently lives in the Hamlet of Kettleby in King Township. Having lived and worked in King-Vaughan for 20+ years, she understands the needs of her community firsthand and is passionate about being a strong representative for its residents.

She is an energetic volunteer, youth mentor, wife, mother, and grandmother. Professionally, Anna brings over 30 years of senior administrative experience from the banking and financial industry.

Anna has spent much of her adult life dedicated to her community through her strong record of volunteering. With a dedicated commitment of over 30 years to public service, Anna has received numerous awards including the prestigious Ontario Provincial Volunteer Award. She has also been recognized by Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital, the Salvation Army, and many other community service organizations for her dedicated efforts. Recognizing the increased vulnerability of the elderly, she has volunteered at the King City Lodge Senior’s Residence for over a decade and currently serves as a member of the King Township Accessibility Committee. Most recently Anna volunteered with the local Chamber of Commerce to assist in a local “drive-flu” clinic to ensure the community had access to a necessary vaccination program.

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Michelle Ferreri (CPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Michelle Ferreri was elected Member of Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha in 2021.

She is a proud mother of three children, between the ages of 12 and 17, and shares her life with her supportive partner, Ryan, and his three daughters.

Prior to being elected, Ms. Ferreri was a well-known community advocate, an award-winning entrepreneur, a committed volunteer, and a sought-after public speaker and social media marketer.

She has over 20 years’ experience in media, marketing, and public speaking.

During her time as a reporter, one of Michelle’s most memorable experiences was when she had the opportunity to visit the Canadian Forces Base in Alert and fly to the station on a C-17 Globemaster.

She is a graduate of Trent University (Biology/Anthropology) and Loyalist College (Biotechnology). Her education in science has led her to be a passionate advocate for physical and mental health.

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Jenna Sudds (LPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Jenna Sudds was elected Member of Parliament for Kanata in 2021. Ms. Sudds is a long-time Kanata resident, economist, former city councillor, and community advocate. She and her husband Tim have raised their three daughters in Kanata-Carleton since moving to the community two decades ago. Since 2013, Ms. Sudds has been an integral part of the development of Kanata North, from serving as a founding director of the Kanata North Business Association to representing the community at City Hall as the City Councillor for Kanata North.

She has been highly engaged in her community since moving to Kanata-Carleton in 2001. She grew up in Niagara Falls, attended Brock University in St. Catharines, and moved to the National Capital Region to complete her Master’s of Economics at Carleton University.

She spent the first 12 years of her career working as an economist in the federal government. She left her role in the federal government in 2013 to pursue directorship opportunities within Kanata-Carleton’s world-class technology sector.

Ms. Sudds became the founding President and Executive Director of the newly formed Kanata North Business Association in 2013. After four years of supporting Kanata businesses, she became the Executive Director of the CIO Strategy Council, a national technology council.

In 2015, Jenna was named one of “Forty under 40” who would lead Ottawa into the future by the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. Two years later, Jenna was named one of the world’s “Top 40 under 40” International Economic Development Professionals.

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Emmanuella Lambropoulos (LPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Emmanuella Lambropoulos was first elected Member of Parliament for Saint-Laurent in 2017.

Ms. Lambropoulos was raised in the Saint-Laurent borough of Montréal. She attended Vanier College, where she received the Program Award upon graduation, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement in the Social Science (Psychology Major) Program. During her time at Vanier, Ms. Lambropoulos was a member of the Vanier Key Society, composed of a talented group of students chosen for their high academic standing, strong communication skills, and demonstrated leadership abilities.

She then graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Education in 2013, where she was the president of the McGill Hellenic Students Association.

She then became a teacher at Rosemount High School, where she taught French and history. Most recently, she completed her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from McGill University.

Ms. Lambropoulos has served on the parliamentary committees for Veterans Affairs (May 2017-Sept. 2018), Status of Women (Sept. 2017-Sept. 2019), and Official Languages (Sept. 2018-Sept. 2019).

As part of her work for the Status of Women committee, she has studied such issues as shelters and transition homes for women who are seeking to escape domestic violence and barriers to women entering politics.

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Anita Vandenbeld (LPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Anita Vandenbeld was first elected Member of Parliament for Ottawa-West Nepean in 2015. Ms. Vandenbeld was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

During her previous mandate, she chaired the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights and sat on the Foreign Affairs and International Development Committee and the Committee on Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics.

She also served on the Committee on the Status of Women and the Procedure and House Affairs committee and was chair of the Special Committee on Pay Equity. From 2015 to September 2018, Ms. Vandenbeld chaired the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus.

She is also founding chair of the All-Party Democracy Caucus. Prior to her election to the Canadian House of Commons, she worked for over a decade in international democratic development and women’s political participation, having worked in over 20 countries on inclusive governance and women’s leadership. She managed a global, multi-partner online network to promote women’s political rights and participation, called iKNOWpolitics.org. Ms. Vandenbeld was a parliamentary advisor with the United Nations Development Programme in Bangladesh, and Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of the Central Assembly and Political Parties Section of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo. She coordinated an anti-corruption campaign with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as the resident director of the National Democratic Institute’s office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ms. Vandenbeld established a political party program during the 2011 elections. Anita has also led women’s campaign and leadership training in several countries, including Haiti, and she authored a UNDP study on women’s political participation in Vietnam.

She has a Master’s degree in Constitutional and Political History from York University. Shortly after leaving graduate school, she spent six years as a staff member in the Canadian Parliament, including as a policy analyst in the National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau, as Director of Parliamentary Affairs in the office of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister Responsible for Democratic Reform, and as Chief of Staff to a Senator.

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Marc G. Serré (LPC)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Marc Serré was first elected Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt in 2015.

Son of former Liberal Member of Parliament Gaetan Serré and nephew of former Liberal Member of Parliament Ben Serré, Marc Serré was born into a family tradition of politics. He is a proud member of the Algonquin First Nation in Mattawa/North Bay and a proud Francophone. Before joining the House of Commons, Mr. Serré graduated from Laurentian University with an Honours Bachelor in Commerce with a specialization in Human Resources and Marketing. He is an award-winning telecom technologist specializing in research and development who founded the family-run Internet provider PhoneNet. He also received the Canadian CANARIE IWAY Award in recognition of his innovative and outstanding achievements in Internet adaptive technology.

He was also the Northeastern Ontario Regional Director of the Canadian Hearing Society, a staff and faculty member at Collège Boréal and Cambrian College, and the Northeastern Ontario Managing Director at Eastlink. Mr. Serré served as a trustee at the Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) and was also a municipal councillor in West Nipissing. In Parliament, he has been involved in several standing committees, caucus and parliamentary associations, including: the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology; the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities; Chair of the National Rural Liberal Caucus; and Chair of the Northern Ontario Liberal Caucus. Mr. Serré has demonstrated his advocacy for increased rural infrastructure, affordable housing, accessibility, and seniors in and outside the House of Commons. His motion M-106, calling on the federal government to develop Canada’s first National Senior Strategy, was successfully passed in the House of Commons in May 2017.

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Leah Gazan (NDP)

Biography (from the political party’s website)

Leah Gazan was elected as the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre in 2019.

As an educator, advisor, and media contributor, Ms. Gazan has been deeply engaged with issues and organizing in Winnipeg’s core for nearly three decades. She has spent her life working for human rights on the local, national, and international stage. As president of the Social Planning Council between 2011 and 2015, she organized and pushed policy in support of an end to poverty, violence against women and girls, finding solutions for housing insecurity and homelessness, ensuring fair wages, and implementing community-based actions addressing addictions and proper supports for mental health.

Ms. Gazan was a prominent Winnipeg lead during Idle No More, articulating the movement to the Winnipeg public. She also co-founded the #WeCare campaign aimed at building public will to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. She is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory.

She is currently the NDP Critic for Women and Gender Equality; Families, Children and Social Development and Deputy Critic for Housing. In the last session, she was a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, and the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament.

In 2019, she introduced a private member’s bill, Bill C-232, The Climate Emergency Action Act, which recognizes the right to a healthy environment as a human right. In August 2020, she submitted M-46, which calls on the federal government to convert the Canada Emergency Response Benefit into a permanent Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. She was recently named in Maclean’s 2021 Power List.

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