Jennifer Cossitt

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=February 2012}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Jennifer Cossitt

| honorific-suffix =

| image =

| riding = Leeds—Grenville

| parliament = Canadian

| predecessor = Thomas Cossitt

| successor = Jim Jordan

| term_start = 12 October 1982

| term_end = 20 November 1988

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1948|06|22}}

| birth_place = Redcar, Yorkshire, England

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| spouse = Thomas Cossitt

| party = Progressive Conservative

| relations =

| children =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation = Business executive

| profession =

| religion =

| birth_name = Jennifer Birchall

}}

Jennifer Cossitt (née Birchall; born 22 June 1948) was a Progressive Conservative party member of the House of Commons of Canada. She was a business executive by career.

Her husband was Thomas Cossitt, member of Parliament for the Leeds—Grenville electoral district. Cossitt served as her husband's executive assistant for nine years.{{cite news | url= http://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/06/19/Jennifer-Cossitt-widow-of-the-late-Parliamentary-gadfly-Thomas/1201393307200/ | title= Jennifer Cossitt, widow of the late Parliamentary gadfly Thomas | newspaper= UPI | date= 19 June 1982 | accessdate= 23 January 2017}} Following his death in 1982, she campaigned at the riding in a 12 October 1982 by-election and won the seat. Cossitt took a fifth-ballot victory at a nominating convention of Leeds-Grenville Conservative Riding Association in the town of Prescott, Ontario, gaining 262 votes. On her first day in the House of Commons (27 October 1982), she spoke against Liberal employment policies and entered an unsuccessful motion to debate these.{{cite news | title=Cossitt slams PM in House debut | newspaper=Ottawa Citizen | date=28 October 1982 | page=5 }}

Jennifer Cossitt won re-election in the 1984 federal election, but was defeated in the following 1988 federal election by Jim Jordan of the Liberal party. She served for the latter part of the 32nd Canadian Parliament and a full term in the 33rd Parliament.{{cite news | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/leeds-grenville-1.963867 | title=Leeds - Grenville | date=22 September 2010 | publisher=CBC News | accessdate=10 August 2020 }}