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Carla Qualtrough
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| Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion | |
| Assumed office November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Patty Hajdu |
| Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility Receiver General for Canada | |
| In office August 28, 2017 – November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Judy Foote |
| Succeeded by | Anita Anand |
| Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities | |
| In office November 4, 2015 – August 28, 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Bal Gosal |
| Succeeded by | Kent Hehr |
| Member of Parliament for Delta | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1971-10-15) October 15, 1971 (age 52) Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Eron Main |
| Residence | Delta, British Columbia |
| Alma mater |
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| Profession | Lawyer |
| Sports career | |
Medal record | |
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Carla Dawn Qualtrough PC MP (/ˈkwɒltroʊ/; born October 15, 1971) is a Canadian politician and former Paralympic swimmer who is the minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion since 2019. Qualtrough has sat as the member of Parliament (MP) for Delta since she was first elected in 2015, as a member of the Liberal Party. She served as minister of public services and procurement and accessibility from 2017 to 2019, and minister of sport and persons with disabilities from 2015 to 2017.
Qualtrough was born in Calgary, Alberta, on October 15, 1971, to parents Patricia and Harry Qualtrough, and was raised in Langley, British Columbia.[1] Qualtrough has been visually impaired since birth and only sees 10 percent with her glasses on.[2] She graduated from Brookswood Secondary School[3] and studied political science at the University of Ottawa[4] before earning a law degree from the University of Victoria in 1997.[5][6] Her parents separated when she was a teenager and her father died in 2007.[7]
Qualtrough's visual impairment qualified her to compete in the Paralympic Games. She earned three bronze medals in swimming at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Paralympics, as well as four world championship medals for Team Canada.[8] During the Paralympics, she swam in the 4x100 medley relay and 4x100 freestyle relay.[1]
After earning her law degree, Qualtrough served on the governing board of the Americas Paralympic Committee.[9] She also served as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee from 2006 to 2011.[8] During this time, she also directed Sport Initiatives for 2010 Legacies Now and Chaired the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, leading to her election as one of Canada's Most Influential Women in Sport of 2009.[10][11]
As a lawyer, Qualtrough primarily focused on human rights matters. She served as counsel to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and prior to her election to the House of Commons, she was the vice-chair of British Columbia's Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal.[1] In recognition of her work, she was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.[12] During the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she was the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) legal officer and later received the IPCs International Women's Day Recognition in 2016.[13] In 2021, Qualtrough became part of the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.[14]
On November 4, 2015, Qualtrough was named minister of sport and persons with disabilities in the 29th Canadian Ministry, headed by Justin Trudeau.[15] As a result, she became the first Paralympic athlete to be elected to Canadian Parliament.[1] During her tenure, Qualtrough was inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Committee's Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2017.[16]
In a cabinet shuffle triggered by the resignation of Judy Foote, Qualtrough succeeded Foote as minister of public services and procurement on August 28, 2017; Kent Hehr then took over as minister of sport and persons with disabilities.[17][18] After the cabinet shuffle on July 18, 2018, Qualtrough retained her ministerial position but gained the added portfolio of accessibility, styled as "minister of public services and procurement and accessibility".[19]
The November 20, 2019, cabinet shuffle had Qualtrough become minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, building on her work in the accessibility portfolio.[20]
Qualtrough is married to the former secretary-general of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, Eron Main, and they have two children together.[8]
| 2021 Canadian federal election | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 22,105 | 42.26 | +1.03 | ||||
| Conservative | Garry Shearer | 17,695 | 33.83 | +0.84 | ||||
| New Democratic | Monika Dean | 9,591 | 18.33 | +2.04 | ||||
| People's | Paul Tarasenko | 1,291 | 2.47 | +0.71 | ||||
| Green | Jeremy Smith | 1,244 | 2.39 | -3.89 | ||||
| Independent | Hong Yan Pan | 379 | 0.72 | - | ||||
| Total valid votes | 52,305 | 99.43 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 300 | 0.57 | -0.09 | |||||
| Turnout | 52,605 | 67.54 | -3.15 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 77,892 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +0.10 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[21] | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 22,257 | 41.2 | -7.92 | ||||
| Conservative | Tanya Corbet | 17,809 | 33.0 | +0.22 | ||||
| New Democratic | Randy Anderson-Fennell | 8,792 | 16.3 | +1.38 | ||||
| Green | Craig DeCraene | 3,387 | 6.3 | +3.13 | ||||
| People's | Angelina Ireland | 948 | 1.8 | - | ||||
| Independent | Amarit Bains | 398 | 0.7 | - | ||||
| Independent | Tony Bennett | 385 | 0.7 | - | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 53,976 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 361 | |||||||
| Turnout | 54,337 | 70.7 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 76,871 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | -4.07 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[22][23] | ||||||||
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 27,355 | 49.12 | +30.55 | $72,634.16 | |||
| Conservative | Kerry-Lynne Findlay | 18,255 | 32.78 | -15.17 | $174,408.46 | |||
| New Democratic | Jeremy Leveque | 8,311 | 14.92 | -13.13 | $59,352.24 | |||
| Green | Anthony Edward Devellano | 1,768 | 3.17 | -1.57 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,689 | 100.00 | $206,935.20 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 200 | 0.36 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 55,889 | 74.47 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 75,044 | |||||||
| Liberal notional gain from Conservative | Swing | +22.86 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Canada[24][25][26] | ||||||||
| 29th Ministry – Cabinet of Justin Trudeau | ||
| Cabinet posts (3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Patty Hajdu | Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion November 20, 2019 – |
Incumbent |
| Judy Foote | Minister of Public Services, Procurement and Accessibility August 28, 2017 – November 20, 2019 |
Anita Anand |
| Bal Gosal | Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities November 4, 2015 – August 28, 2017 |
Kent Hehr |
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| Ministers of Labour (1900–96) |
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| Ministers of Human Resources Development (1996–2005)2 |
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| Ministers of Human Resources and Skills Development (2005–13) |
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| Ministers of Employment and Social Development (2013–15) |
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| Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (2015–present) | |
| Ministers of Labour (1996–2015) |
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| Minister of Employment, Workforce and Labour (2015–2019) |
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| Minister of Labour (2019–present) |
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1Until 1909, the office of the minister of Labour was a secondary function of the Postmaster-General of Canada. W. L. M. King was the first to hold the office independently.
2The office of Minister of Employment and Immigration, and Minister of Labour were abolished and the office of Minister of Human Resources Development went in force on July 12, 1996. Under the new provisions, a Minister of Labour may be appointed. However, when no Minister of Labour is appointed, the Minister of Human Resources Development shall exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Minister of Labour. | |
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| Ministers of Public Works (1867–1996) |
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| Minister of Public Works and Government Services (1996–2015) |
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| Minister of Public Services and Procurement (2015–present) |
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1As part of substantial governmental reorganization, the position was merged with that of the Minister of Supply and Services to create the position of Minister of Public Works and Government Services on July 12, 1995. | |
