Jenna Sudds

Jenna Sudds (born February 8, 1979)  is a Canadian politician who presently serves as the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, as well as the Member of Parliament for Kanata—Carleton in the House of Commons of Canada.

Prior to becoming Minister, she served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women, Gender Equality, and Youth. A member of the Liberal Party, she was elected in the 2021 Canadian federal election.

Previously, she served as Deputy Mayor of Ottawa and member of the Ottawa City Council for Kanata North (Ward 4). Sudds was elected to Ottawa City Council on October 22, 2018, and took office on December 1, 2018.

Career
Sudds grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Sudds attended Brock University in St. Catharines and moved to the National Capital Region in 2001 to complete her master's degree in economics at Carleton University. Sudds worked as an economist in the federal government for twelve years before becoming the inaugural President and executive director of the Kanata North Business Association, after being appointed to the role by a hiring committee that consisted of her predecessor on Council, Marianne Wilkinson. From November 2017 to November 2018, Sudds was the inaugural executive director at the CIO Strategy Council, a national technology council. In March 2018, she announced her decision to run for Ottawa City Council, Kanata North.

Sudds has been a longtime volunteer with the Kanata Food Cupboard and the Ottawa Network for Education. She has received a Special Recognition Award from the Kanata Food Cupboard for her leadership and service to those in need in the community. She received a Forty Under 40 Award from the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and was named one of Development Counsellors International's Top 40 under 40 working in economic development in 2017.

Politics
Sudds was elected as a Liberal in Kanata—Carleton in the 2021 Canadian federal election, replacing outgoing Liberal Member of Parliament Karen McCrimmon.

44th Parliament
Sudds was appointed to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Women, Gender Equality, and Youth by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 3, 2021. Sudds sat on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women as a voting member from December 1, 2021 through September 25, 2023.

Throughout her tenure, Sudds has seconded and voted in favour of legislation which sought to advance women's rights, affordable housing, and worker's rights. She supported legislation to ban the practice of conversion therapy, which passed the House of Commons in a unanimous vote. She is a strong supporter of economic actions to strengthen Canada's technology sector, particularly semiconductor fabrication and critical mineral development.

In foreign policy, she has supported sanctions against Russian political leaders and oligarchs in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and sanctions against Iran following the Mahsa Amini protests.

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sudds was sanctioned by government of the Russian Federation after the Canadian government sanctioned many Russian officials close to Vladimir Putin over the Ukrainian invasion.

Awards

 * Kanata North Citizen of the Year (2012–2013)
 * Forty Under 40 Award (2015) from the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade
 * 40 Under 40 International Economic Development Professional Award (2016)

Personal life
Sudds is married and has three daughters.