Amanda Simard
Amanda Simard MPP (Ontario)
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
In office
June 7, 2018 – June 2, 2022
Preceded byGrant Crack
Succeeded byStéphane Sarrazin
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Francophone Affairs
In office
June 29, 2018 – November 29, 2018
Succeeded byGila Martow
Russell Township Councillor
In office
December 1, 2014 – June 7, 2018
ConstituencyAt-large
Personal details
Born (1989-02-27) February 27, 1989
Political partyLiberal
Other political
affiliations		Progressive Conservative (until 2018)
Independent (2018–2020)
Domestic partnerYvan Baker (e. 2023)
Residence(s)Embrun, Ontario, Canada
OccupationPolitician, Political staffer

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,[1] 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.[2] On January 16, 2020, Simard joined the Ontario Liberal Party.[3] She lost her seat in the 2022 Ontario general election.[4]

During the 2022 provincial election Simard was defeated by Stéphane Sarrazin.[5]

She is president of the International Network of Young Parliamentarians.[6]

Early life

Simard grew up in Embrun, Ontario, in her riding, where she lives along with her family, who have been there for centuries. She worked throughout her high school, college, and university years, and worked full-time while simultaneously attending law school full-time. She held down two jobs in high school and paid her own way through law school, graduating from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law in 2013. After graduating from law school, her intention to run for public office postponed plans to get called to the bar in Ontario.[7][8]

Simard was part of the Senate Page Program from 2009 to 2010[9] 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.[10] 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 fluently bilingual in French and English.[11]

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.[12] 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.[2] She was praised for defence of her fellow Franco-Ontarians including by a unanimous resolution of the National Assembly of Quebec.[13]

On January 16, 2020, Simard joined the Ontario Liberal Party.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16]

Election results

2014 Councillors Candidate Vote  %
Amanda Simard[17]276318.68
Jamie Laurin212414.36
Pierre Leroux207414.02
André D. Brisson192313.00
Cindy Saucier14119.54
Patrick Thibodeau12468.43
Raymond Saint-Pierre12058.15
Ron Barr11848.01
Duane Fitzpatrick8585.80
2018 Ontario general election: Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeAmanda Simard19,95240.98+8.41
LiberalPierre Leroux15,40931.65-18.03
New DemocraticBonnie Jean-Louis10,61021.79+9.29
GreenDaniel Bruce Reid1,4272.93-0.28
Ontario PartyJoël Charbonneau7551.55
LibertarianDarcy Neal Donnelly5371.10
Total valid votes 48,69098.68
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 6511.32
Turnout 49,34155.42
Eligible voters 89,035
Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +13.22
Source: Elections Ontario[18]

References

  1. ↑ "PC Amanda Simard elected in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell". CBC News. June 7, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "MPP Amanda Simard leaving PCs, will sit as an independent". CBC News. November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  3. ↑ Ferguson, Rob; Benzie, Robert (January 16, 2020). "Amanda Simard joins Liberals a year after quitting Doug Ford's Tories over French-language cuts". Toronto Star.
  4. ↑ "PC Stéphane Sarrazin wins Glengarry-Prescott-Russell". ca.news.yahoo.com. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  5. ↑ "Stéphane Sarrazin wins in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell". CityNews Ottawa. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  6. ↑ "Le Réseau des jeunes parlementaires". Assemblée Parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) (in French). Retrieved 2020-10-27.
  7. ↑ "Lindsey Park (J.D. 2013), Amanda Simard (J.D. 2013) and Effie Triantafilopoulos (LL.B. 1976) Appointed as Parliamentary Assistant in New Ontario Government".
  8. ↑ https://lso.ca/public-resources/finding-a-lawyer-or-paralegal/directory-search/results?q=amanda%20simard
  9. ↑ "The Page Team 2009-2010". 23 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Egan, Kelly (March 4, 2019). "Egan: MPP Amanda Simard parked Ford, now starts bumpy ride as independent". The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Meet Amanda". amandasimard.ca. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "Amanda Simard named next local PC candidate". 5 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Lévesque, Catherine (November 30, 2018). "L'Assemblée nationale démontre sa solidarité envers Amanda Simard et les Franco-Ontariens". HuffPost Québec (in Canadian French). Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  14. ↑ Westoll, Nick; Rocca, Ryan (16 January 2020). "Ex-PC MPP Amanda Simard joining Ontario Liberal Party". Global News. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "Liberals in GPR call for open nomination after ex-PC MPP joins party | CBC News".
  16. ↑ "Del Duca Appoints New Critics". Ontario Liberal Party. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 8 December 2020.
  17. ↑ 2014 Municipal Election Ontario Votes Archived 2014-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
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