Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is still considered by some to be an issue that governments will address on their behalf. If we are to succeed as a country – environmentally, economically, morally – learning the truth and working toward reconciliation must become a shared responsibility for every Canadian.
Join the Hon. Carolyn Bennett as she discusses her perspectives on the work necessary to renew Canada’s relationship with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Hear what she has learned as a physician, a parliamentarian, and a Minister – what has worked, what has not, and how we all need to work together to get this right
The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D. was first elected to Parliament in 1997, and subsequently re-elected six times. She is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s.
Under Prime Minister Paul Martin, Carolyn served as the Minister of State for Public Health. In November 2015, Carolyn was appointed Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In 2017, she became the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs with a mandate to guide the Government’s forward-looking and transformative work to create a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples.
Prior to her election, Carolyn was a family physician and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Carolyn’s fight to save the Women’s College Hospital in Toronto is what inspired her to enter politics. Now, the system is her patient.
Carolyn is married to Canadian film producer Peter O’Brian in Toronto. They have two sons and a chocolate lab, Marley.
