Jenna Sudds

Jenna Sudds (born February 8, 1979)^[3][4] is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Kanata since 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, Sudds was the minister of families, children and social development from 2023 to 2025. Previously, Sudds was an Ottawa City Councillor, representing Ward 4 Kanata North from 2018 to 2021 and served as a deputy mayor from 2020 to 2021.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7] From November 2017 to November 2018, Sudds was the inaugural executive director at the CIO Strategy Council, a national technology council.^[8] In March 2018, she announced her decision to run for Ottawa City Council, Kanata North. In December 2020, she was appointed to serve as Deputy Mayor of Ottawa.^[9][10]

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.^[11] On March 14, Ottawa MP Jenna Sudds was shuffled out of cabinet.

The removal of Sudds, who was minister of Families, Children and Social Development, came the morning of March 14 as new Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a leaner cabinet with nearly half the number of ministers.

Politics

Sudds was elected as a Liberal in Kanata—Carleton in the 2021 Canadian federal election, replacing outgoing Liberal Member of Parliament Karen McCrimmon.^[12]

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.^[11] Sudds sat on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women as a voting member from December 1, 2021 through September 25, 2023.^[13]

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.^[14] She supported legislation to ban the practice of conversion therapy, which passed the House of Commons in a unanimous vote.^[15] She is a strong supporter of economic actions to strengthen Canada's technology sector, particularly semiconductor fabrication and critical mineral development.^[16]

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.^[17]

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sudds, like many other Canadian Parliamentarians, was sanctioned by government of Russia after the Canadian government sanctioned many Russian officials close to Vladimir Putin over his Ukrainian invasion.^[18]

Awards

• Kanata North Citizen of the Year (2012–2013)
• Forty Under 40 Award (2015) from the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade^[19]
• 40 Under 40 International Economic Development Professional Award (2016)^[20]

Electoral record

2018 Ottawa municipal election

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 September 5, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
2. ^ "Meet Jenna Sudds". Archived July 26, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
3. ^ Watson, Jim (8 Feb 2021). "Happy birthday to Kanata North councillor and Deputy Mayor @JennaSudds". No. 1358812300325646344. Archived February 8, 2021 at the Wayback Machine.
4. ^ "Filling Marianne Wilkinson's shoes in Kanata North". CBC News. September 12, 2018. Archived February 3, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
5. ^ Bagnall, James & Endemann, Erica (October 22, 2018). "Jenna Sudds scores decisive win in Kanata North". Ottawa Citizen. Archived May 16, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
6. ^ "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.
7. ^ 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.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ "Jenna Sudds | Keep Kanata Strong". Re-elect Jenna Sudds for Kanata. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
10. ^ "Coun. Jenna Sudds appointed deputy mayor". ottawacitizen. Archived January 27, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
11. ^ "Jenna Sudds". Office of the Prime Minister. Archived January 30, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
12. ^ Harvey, Natalie & Duffy, Andrew (September 21, 2021). "Riding results: Liberal Jenna Sudds wins Kanata-Carleton". Ottawa Citizen. Archived October 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
13. ^ "Committee Members". House of Commons of Canada. Archived October 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
14. ^ "Votes - Jenna Sudds, 44th Parliament, 1st Session (November 22, 2021 to present)". House of Commons of Canada. Archived October 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
15. ^ Boisvert, Nick (December 2, 2021 [December 1, 2021]). "MPs embrace after bill to ban conversion therapy passes unanimously in House". CBC News. Archived September 29, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
16. ^ Sudds, Jenna (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.". No. 1592581146726264832. Archived October 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
17. ^ "Canada imposes new sanctions on Russian, Iranian and Myanmar regimes". Government of Canada. December 9, 2022. Archived June 4, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
18. ^ "Trudeau and almost every Canadian MP banned from Russia". National Post. The Canadian Press. March 15, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
19. ^ 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.
20. ^ "Kanata's Jenna Sudds named among top 40 Under 40". Inside Halton. February 2, 2017.^{[dead link]}

External links

• Official website
• Jenna Sudds – Parliament of Canada Voting Record