Carolyn Bennett

Carolyn A. Bennett, PC, MP, MD (born December 20, 1950 in Toronto, Ontario) is the Member of Parliament for the riding of St. Paul's, a constituency located in Toronto, Canada. She is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, and was formerly a candidate for its leadership.

Dr. Bennett attended Havergal College, obtained her degree in medicine from the University of Toronto in 1974, and received her certification in Family Medicine in 1976. She and her husband, Canadian film producer Peter O'Brian, have two sons. Bennett worked as a family physician at Wellesley Hospital and Women's College Hospital in Toronto from 1977 to 1997, and was a founding partner in Bedford Medical Associates. She was also President of the Medical Staff Association of Women's College Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Bennett served on the Boards of Havergal College, Women's College Hospital, the Ontario Medical Association, and the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto.

In 1986, Dr. Bennett received the Royal Life Saving Society Service Cross -- a Commonwealth award recognizing her more than twenty years of distinguished service. In 1990, she was named as one of Simpson's "Women Who Make a Difference". She was the recipient of the coveted EVE Award for contributing to the advancement of women in politics in 2002, and in 2003 received the first ever CAMIMH Mental Health Champion Award. Bennett is also author of ''Kill or Cure? How Canadians Can Remake their Health Care System'', published in October 2000. Carolyn Bennet is pro-choice and supported the launch of the Canadian Public Policy and Outreach Program of the US-based National Abortion Federation which is critical of Canada's current abortion care system.

Bennett first ran for public office in the 1995 Ontario provincial election as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Ontario. Running in the riding of St. Andrew—St. Patrick, she lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Isabel Bassett by about 3,500 votes. The following year, she supported Gerard Kennedy in his unsuccessful bid for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

Bennett was far more successful in the 1997 federal election, defeating her closest opponent in St. Paul's by almost 15,000 votes. She was re-elected by increased margins in the elections of 2000 and 2004.

Bennett was a supporter of Paul Martin's bid to succeed Jean Chrétien as Liberal Party leader, and was not appointed to cabinet under Chrétien. As chair of the Liberal Party's women's caucus in 2002, she criticized Chrétien for not appointing enough women to cabinet.

In December 12, 2003, after Martin became Prime Minister, he appointed Bennett as his Minister of State for Public Health. The Minister of State (Public Health) assists the Minister of Health. Martin's first appointee to the latter position was Pierre Pettigrew; following the 2004 election, he was replaced by Ujjal Dosanjh.

Bennett was chair of the Canada-Israel Friendship Group from 1999 to 2003 and is a member of Liberal Parliamentarians for Israel.

Bennett was re-elected but lost her cabinet position in the 2006 election when the Liberals were defeated. She became only the third opposition MP in the history of St. Paul's. The riding had once been considered a bellwether, but the Liberals have dominated it since their landslide in 1993. She announced on April 24, 2006 that she will pursue the leadership of the party. On September 15, 2006, she withdrew from the leadership race and threw her support behind former Ontario Premier Bob Rae.

In 2007, she attended fellow member of parliament Ujjal Dosanjh when he suffered a mild heart attack outside the Canadian House of Commons, until Dosanjh could be taken to the hospital.