Jennifer Stevens is a Canadian politician, who was elected to 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 ...

in the 2018 provincial election. She represents the riding of

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

as a member of the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP; , NPD) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It is Ontario’s provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. The ...

. Prior to her election in the legislature, she was a city councillor for 15 years for St. Catharines City Council.

Background

Stevens has a background in the not-for profit sector, serving on the board of the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre. She also served on the Merritton Athletic Association.

Political career

Stevens' political career began in municipal politics. She served as city councillor for 15 years, for St. Catharines City Council, representing Merritton Ward (Ward 1), located in the city's southeast. Stevens' first foray into provincial politics was in the

2014 Ontario general election The 2014 Ontario general election was held on June 12, 2014, to elect the members of the 41st Parliament of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party, Liberal Party won a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, legislature, allowing it ...

, where she was unsuccessful against Liberal incumbent Jim Bradley. In the

2018 Ontario general election The 2018 Ontario general election was held on June 7, 2018, to elect the 124 members of the 42nd Parliament of Ontario. The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, led by Doug Ford Jr., Doug Ford, won 76 of the 124 seats in the legislature an ...

, Stevens defeated Bradley, becoming the first woman to represent St. Catharines in the legislature. In April 2021, Stevens introduced a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

titled ''Bill 274, Intimate Partner Violence Disclosure Act''. The bill was based on

Clare's Law Clare's Law, often known officially as a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme or similar, designates several ways for police officers to disclose a person's history of abusive behaviour to those who may be at risk from such behaviour. It is inten ...

, and sought to provide additional protections for individuals at-risk of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

. Bill 274 was defeated in a vote the same month; after the Progressive Conservatives voted against it. Stevens was re-elected in the

2022 Ontario general election The 2022 Ontario general election was held on June 2, 2022, to elect Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada), Members of the Provincial Parliament to serve in the 43rd Parliament of Ontario. The governing Progressive Conservative Party of Ont ...

, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate and St. Catharines city councillor Sal Sorrento. As of August 11, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Sports, Tourism, and for Veterans, Legions, and Military Affairs. In October 2024, Stevens introduced a bill known as ''Bill 213, Affordable Home Heating Act''. The bill proposed creating a Heating Support Program to assist low-income seniors and families with the costs of heating their homes during the winter. On December 9th, the bill was defeated. In 2024, she advocated for increased supports for homeless veterans. Stevens stated that the number of homeless veterans was growing, and that they were having difficulties accessing government assistance.

Electoral record

2014 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Merriton

2010 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Merriton

2006 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Meritton

2003 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Merriton

2000 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Merriton

References

Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs 21st-century Canadian women politicians Living people St. Catharines city councillors Women MPPs in Ontario Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Women municipal councillors in Ontario 20th-century Canadian municipal councillors 20th-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century Canadian municipal councillors {{Ontario-MPP-stub