Catherine Eileen Fife (born ) is a politician in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. She is a New Democratic member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

who represents the riding of Waterloo. She has been a Member of Provincial Parliament since first winning her seat in the 2012 Kitchener—Waterloo byelection.

Background

Prior to entering politics, she spent 10 years with the

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...

as an educational assistant, a school community advisor and a settlement worker for new immigrants. She was the research coordinator for the Partnerships for Children and Families Project at

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a Public university, public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Ontario, Waterloo, Brantford, Ontario, Brantford and Milton, Ontario, Milton. The ...

. She lives in Kitchener-Waterloo with her husband Dale and their two children.

Politics

Fife was elected to represent Waterloo/Wilmot as a trustee for the

Waterloo Region District School Board Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB, known as English-language Public District School Board No. 24 prior to 1999) is the public school board for the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It operates 105 elementary schools, 16 secondar ...

in 2003, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2010. In the 2007 provincial election, Fife ran as the

New Democrat New Democrats may refer to: * New Democratic Party, a social democratic party in Canada * New Democrats (United States), the ideological centrist faction of the Democratic Party ** New Democrat Coalition, the related caucus in the United States H ...

candidate in the riding of Kitchener—Waterloo. She came in third behind incumbent Progressive Conservative Elizabeth Witmer and Liberal candidate Louise Ervin. After Witmer resigned to take a position with the

Workplace Safety & Insurance Board The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is the workplace compensation board for provincially regulated workplaces in Ontario, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces a ...

, Fife ran in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

on September 6, 2012 to replace her. She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Tracey Weiler by 3,748 votes."Ontario NDP’s by-election win leaves majority outside Liberals’ grasp"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', September 6, 2012. She was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Jamie Burton by 3,843 votes. She was subsequently re-elected in the 2018 and 2022 provincial elections. She was the party's critic for Jobs, Employment, Research and Innovation and the Chair for Standing Committee on Public Accounts. As of September 7, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Finance and Treasury Board.

Election results

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fife, Catherine 1960s births Living people Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs Ontario school board trustees Politicians from Waterloo, Ontario Women MPPs in Ontario Settlement workers 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Year of birth missing (living people)