Hedy

Hedy Fry, the longest serving female Canadian MP.

For almost 25 years Hedy Fry has been a member of the Canadian parliament (MP) following a successful medical career. Most of her time in politics has centered on helping immigrants with other roles focusing on health and Canadian heritage.

Hedy was born in Trinidad and Tobago and received a scholarship to Oxford University to study English literature. She changed her course and managed to complete a BA in science in one year; following this she earned her medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin. Once her studies were complete she immigrated to Canada in 1970 where she opened a medical practice in Vancouver. She would go on to hold many important roles in the medical world including President of the Vancouver Medical Association and the British Colombia Medical Association, as well as being a part of the TV show Doctor Doctor.

Hedy entered politics in 1993 and earned the Liberal Party nomination for Vancouver and ran in the general elections that year. In those elections she defeated the Prime Minister at the time (Kim Campbell) making history by defeating a sitting Prime Minister in her first election. Her first role in the cabinet was as Minster of Health, which she held for three years. She was next Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women, a post she would hold for the next six years. Since then she has been a member on different committees on a variety of topics including health, homelessness and social policy. She also holds the honour of being the longest reigning female MP in Canada.

-Michelle O’Brien
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.

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