Amanda Simard
{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Amanda Simard
| image = Amanda Simard.png
| caption = Amanda Simard MPP (Ontario)
| honorific-suffix =
| parliament1 = Ontario Provincial
| term_start1 = June 7, 2018
| term_end1 = June 2, 2022
| predecessor1 = Grant Crack
| successor1 = Stéphane Sarrazin
| riding1 = Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
| office4 = Russell Township Councillor
| term_start4 = December 1, 2014
| term_end4 = June 7, 2018
| constituency4 = At-large
| office2 = Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Francophone Affairs
| term_start2 = June 29, 2018
| term_end2 = November 29, 2018
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 = Gila Martow
| party = Liberal
| otherparty = Progressive Conservative (until 2018)
Independent (2018–2020)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1989|2|27}}
| birth_place =
| residence = Embrun, Ontario, Canada
| occupation = Politician, Political staffer
| partner = Yvan Baker (e. 2023)
| children =
}}
Amanda Simard is the former MPP for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 42nd Parliament of Ontario. Simard was elected in the 2018 provincial election as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario,{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/glengarry-prescott-russell-ontario-results-2018-1.4691195|title=PC Amanda Simard elected in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell|date=June 7, 2018|publisher=CBC News}} but left the PC caucus on November 29, 2018, after Ontario premier Doug Ford eliminated the province's French-language services commissioner and cancelled plans for a new French language university.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/amanda-simard-mpp-progressive-conservative-1.4925179|title=MPP Amanda Simard leaving PCs, will sit as an independent|date=November 29, 2018|work=CBC News|access-date=November 29, 2018|language=en-CA}} On January 16, 2020, Simard joined the Ontario Liberal Party.{{cite web| first1=Rob| last1=Ferguson| first2=Robert| last2=Benzie| url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/01/16/amanda-simard-joins-liberals-a-year-after-quitting-doug-fords-tories-over-french-language-cuts.html| title=Amanda Simard joins Liberals a year after quitting Doug Ford's Tories over French-language cuts| website=Toronto Star| date=January 16, 2020}} She lost her seat in the 2022 Ontario general election.{{Cite web |title=PC Stéphane Sarrazin wins Glengarry-Prescott-Russell |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pc-st-phane-sarrazin-wins-023313013.html |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=ca.news.yahoo.com |date=3 June 2022 |language=en-CA}}
During the 2022 provincial election Simard was defeated by Stéphane Sarrazin.{{Cite web |title=Stéphane Sarrazin wins in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell |url=https://ottawa.citynews.ca/2022-ontario-election-news/stephane-sarrazin-wins-in-glengarry-prescott-russell-5438944 |access-date=2022-06-03 |website=CityNews Ottawa |date=3 June 2022 |language=en}}
She is president of the International Network of Young Parliamentarians.{{Cite web|title=Le Réseau des jeunes parlementaires|url=http://apf.francophonie.org/-Le-Reseau-des-jeunes-.html|access-date=2020-10-27|website=Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF)|language=fr}}
Early life
Simard was raised in Embrun, Ontario, in her riding, where she lives along with her family. She worked to pay for law school, graduating from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law in 2013. After graduating, her intention to run for public office postponed her plans to be called to the bar in Ontario.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-law/common-law|title=Common Law|website=Faculty of Law}}{{Cite web|url=https://lso.ca/public-resources/finding-a-lawyer-or-paralegal/directory-search/results?q=amanda%20simard|title=Search Results | Law Society of Ontario}}
Simard was part of the Senate Page Program from 2009 to 2010{{Cite web|url=https://sencanada.ca/en/about/working-at-the-senate/page-program/page-team/?y=2009-2010|title=The Page Team 2009-2010|date=23 November 2018}} and continued to work at the Senate of Canada as an Executive Assistant and Policy Advisor to Senators from 2010 to 2017.
Simard was elected as a municipal councillor in the Township of Russell in 2014.{{cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/egan-mpp-amanda-simard-parked-ford-now-starts-bumpy-ride-as-independent|title=Egan: MPP Amanda Simard parked Ford, now starts bumpy ride as independent|last=Egan|first=Kelly|date=March 4, 2019|work=The Ottawa Citizen|access-date=September 24, 2019}} During her time on council, she was the Chair of the Public Library Board, the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee and the ad hoc Recreation Complex Committee. She ceased holding municipal office upon her election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2018.
Simard is fluent in French and English.{{Cite web |url=https://www.amandasimard.ca/about |title=Meet Amanda |website=amandasimard.ca |access-date=14 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614072100/https://www.amandasimard.ca/about |archive-date=14 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}
Legislative career
She served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Francophone Affairs. On December 4, 2017, Simard was acclaimed as the Ontario PC candidate for Glengarry Prescott Russell after another nominee, Derek Duval, was disallowed by the party executive.{{Cite web|url=https://thereview.ca/2016/12/05/amanda-simard-named-next-local-pc-candidate/|title = Amanda Simard named next local PC candidate|date = 5 December 2016}} Simard left the Ontario PC Party on November 29, 2018, to sit as an independent when Premier Doug Ford eliminated the province's French-language services commissioner and cancelled plans for a French-language university. She was praised for defence of her fellow Franco-Ontarians including by a unanimous resolution of the National Assembly of Quebec.{{cite news |last1=Lévesque |first1=Catherine |title=L'Assemblée nationale démontre sa solidarité envers Amanda Simard et les Franco-Ontariens |url=https://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/11/30/assemblee-nationale-quebec-amanda-simard-ontario_a_23605552 |access-date=December 3, 2018 |work=HuffPost Québec |date=November 30, 2018 |language=fr-CA}}
On January 16, 2020, Simard joined the Ontario Liberal Party.{{Cite web |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6421229/former-ontario-pc-mpp-to-join-liberals/ |title=Ex-PC MPP Amanda Simard joining Ontario Liberal Party |first1=Nick |last1=Westoll |first2=Ryan |last2=Rocca |date=16 January 2020 |website=Global News |archive-date=26 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226032856/https://globalnews.ca/news/6421229/former-ontario-pc-mpp-to-join-liberals/ |url-status=live}} She was also selected as the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for the 2022 provincial elections. This nomination was defended by interim leader John Fraser but opposed by former riding MPP Jean-Marc Lalonde.{{cite web| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/glengarry-prescott-russell-provincial-liberal-association-asks-for-open-nomination-amanda-simard-1.5432752| title = Liberals in GPR call for open nomination after ex-PC MPP joins party {{!}} CBC News}} On May 8, 2020, she was named the Ontario Liberal Party Critic for Francophone Affairs, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, and Small Business and Red Tape Reduction.{{Cite web |url=https://ontarioliberal.ca/del-duca-appoints-new-critics/ |title=Del Duca Appoints New Critics |date=8 May 2020 |website=Ontario Liberal Party |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208040709/https://ontarioliberal.ca/del-duca-appoints-new-critics/ |url-status=live}}
Election results
| class="wikitable" | ||
| style="background:#ddf; width:200px;"| 2014 Councillors Candidate Russell Township ! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;"| Vote ! style="background:#ddf; width:50px;"| % | ||
|---|---|---|
| Amanda Simard{{Cite web|url=http://www.amo.on.ca/election2014.aspx|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030022841/http://www.amo.on.ca/election2014.aspx|url-status=dead|title=2014 Municipal Election Ontario Votes|archivedate=October 30, 2014}} | 2763 | 18.68 |
| Jamie Laurin | 2124 | 14.36 |
| Pierre Leroux | 2074 | 14.02 |
| André D. Brisson | 1923 | 13.00 |
| Cindy Saucier | 1411 | 9.54 |
| Patrick Thibodeau | 1246 | 8.43 |
| Raymond Saint-Pierre | 1205 | 8.15 |
| Ron Barr | 1184 | 8.01 |
| Duane Fitzpatrick | 858 | 5.80 |
{{2018 Ontario general election/Glengarry—Prescott—Russell}}
{{2022 Ontario general election/Glengarry—Prescott—Russell}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Twitter|ASimardL}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simard, Amanda}}
Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians
Category:Canadian women lawyers
Category:Franco-Ontarian people
Category:Ontario municipal councillors
Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs
Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs
Category:Women MPPs in Ontario