The Honourable Dr. Carolyn Bennett

The Honourable Dr. Carolyn Bennett Member of Parliament St. Paul’s, Ontario Government of Canada    

Biography

A self-described “accidental tourist” in politics, The Hon. Dr. Carolyn Bennett, M.D., M.P. helped lead the charge in the fight to save Women’s College Hospital without really knowing that was ‘politics’. Carolyn was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1997 general election representing the electoral district of St. Paul’s. She was re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008 and again in 2011. As a member of Paul Martin’s cabinet, Carolyn served as the first ever Minister of State for Public Health. During her tenure she established the Public Health Agency of Canada as well as the Public Health Network which provides a framework for provinces and territories to work collaboratively with the federal government on matters related to the health and well-being of Canadians. She also appointed Canada’s first Chief Public Health Officer. While in opposition, Carolyn served as Health Critic and the critic for Democratic Renewal. She is currently the Liberal critic for Aboriginal Affairs and the Chair of Liberal Women’s Caucus. Prior to her election, Dr. Bennett was a family physician and President of the Medical Staff Association of Women’s College Hospital. Dr. Bennett is author of Kill or Cure? How Canadians Can Remake their Health Care System, published in October 2000. She and her husband, Canadian film producer Peter O’Brian, have two sons and a chocolate lab named Marley. Carolyn is a speaker at the Women’s International Forum.

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