T he Honourable, Dr. Carolyn Bennett, PC, MP, MD, was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1997 general election and was re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2006 representing the Toronto riding of St. Paul’s. Prior to her entrance into the Federal Liberal Leadership race Carolyn served as Opposition Critic for Social Development, a portfolio that includes social policy areas such as child care, Canadians with disabilities, homelessness and housing. Carolyn served as the Vice Chair on the Standing Committee on Health and also sat on the Standing Committee on National Defense and traveled with the Committee in January 2007 to Afghanistan. Presently Carolyn is the Opposition Critic for Seniors, Canadians with Disabilities and the Social Economy Portfolio. In December 2003, in the wake of the SARS epidemic, Paul Martin asked Carolyn to become Canada's first Minister of State for Public Health. During her 2 years as Minster, Carolyn set up the Public Health Agency of Canada, appointed the first Chief Public Health Officer for Canada and oversaw the establishment of a true public health network for Canada through which all 13 jurisdictions would be able to plan together in protecting the health of Canadians. Carolyn in her role as Minister of State for Public Health established Canada’s first ever health goals in 2005.
Carolyn served under the previous Liberal government in a wide variety of roles within Parliament, including Chair of the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, the sub-Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities (Human Resources Development Committee) and was responsible for significant changes in the Disability Tax Credit, as well as the innovative e-consultation on the necessary changes to the Canada Pension Plan for Persons with Disabilities. Carolyn also served as a member of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, the Standing Committee on Health, and the Standing Committee on Finance. As one of Parliament's most influential women MPs, she has chaired the Liberal Women's Caucus and the All-party Women's Caucus and was chair of the Canada-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Prior to her election, Dr. Bennett was a family physician and a founding partner of Bedford Medical Associates in downtown Toronto. She was President of the Medical Staff Association of Women's College Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bennett served on the Boards of Havergal College, Women's College Hospital, the Ontario Medical Association, and the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto.
In 1986, Dr. Bennett received the Royal Life Saving Society Service Cross - a Commonwealth award recognizing her more than twenty years of distinguished service. In 2002, she was the recipient of the coveted EVE Award for contributing to the advancement of women in politics and in 2003 received the first ever CAMIMH Mental Health Champion Award. In 2005, Carolyn received the Non-Consumer involvement award for promoting and facilitating consumer participation within the CMHA. In 2006, Carolyn received the May Cohen leadership award for hear role in the promotion of women’s health, and the Fiona Neilson Award for outstanding initiatives that foster life opportunities for children. Carolyn was also the first recipient of the National Award of Excellence for Outstanding Leadership and Dedication to Injury Prevention and Safety promotion in Canada. Carolyn is also author of “Kill or Cure? How Canadians Can Remake their Health Care System,” published in October 2000.
Carolyn is a strong believer in “democracy between elections” and she leads by example. Her town hall meetings, neighbourhood checkups – Carolyn has held over 100 town halls and neighbourhood checkups - and weekly MSN chats have resulted in a 75% voter turnout amongst the youngest voters in St. Paul’s.
Dr. Bennett obtained her degree in medicine from the University of Toronto in 1974, and received her certification in Family Medicine in 1976. She and her husband, Canadian film producer Peter O’Brian, have two sons Jack and Ben and a lovely chocolate Lab named Marley.
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