Families Minister Jenna Sudds 'always happy to stick up' for Ottawa as sole federal cabinet minister from capital region

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Newly appointed Families Minister Jenna Sudds says she is “always happy to stick up” for Ottawa as she takes on a role as the sole cabinet minister representing the national capital region following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet shuffle Wednesday.

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“I am always happy to stick up on behalf of our incredible city and the residents — one million people who now call Ottawa home — I’m very comfortable in that capacity, and quite frankly, honoured to take on that challenge,” Sudds said in a phone interview Thursday, one day after she was sworn in as Minister of Families, Children and Social Development in a ceremony at Rideau Hall.

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Sudds has enjoyed a rapid political rise from a first-time Ottawa city councillor and deputy mayor to jumping into federal politics and winning a tightly-contested and highly-competitive Kanata-Carleton seat in the 2021 general election.

She served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Women prior to her cabinet appointment Wednesday.

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“It’s obviously been a bit of a whirlwind, but we’re settling in slowly but surely,” Sudds said. “I very much enjoyed my time as a city councillor and deputy mayor despite the fact that some of that was during a very difficult time during the pandemic. But it’s fair to say that I learned a lot in that role about my community and about our city and also made some lifelong friends and connections that I still have to this day as I’ve taken on first a role as a member of Parliament and now, of course, as minister.”

Sudds already has a lengthy list of priorities with her new portfolio, but says she is equally enthusiastic about taking on the unwritten role of representing the city and region in cabinet.

Pundits have predicted that will be an important role for Sudds, given the presence of her neighbour in the riding next door: Conservative leader and Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre.

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“We will see as Parliament resumes and as we move forward,” Sudds said when asked whether she expected to square off with Poilievre on local issues.

“I guess time will tell, but, having said that, I’m always happy to engage and to represent my constituents in Kanata-Carleton and Ottawa more broadly — as needed,” she said. “I feel very comfortable that our government is on the right track and doing the hard work Canadians expect us to do to make life more affordable, to work and build a better future for Canadians.”

University of Ottawa political science professor Geneviève Tellier said geographical connection to the opposition leader, along with Sudds’ skill set and experience on Parliament Hill, were likely “high in the strategy” when it came to cabinet appointments.

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“My initial reaction was that she’s in the neighbouring riding to Pierre Poilievre, and Trudeau needs a good communicator who can speak for the government (on Ottawa-area issues),” Tellier said.

“So now, each time there will be an issue in this area, you won’t just have Pierre Poilievre talking about that, you’ll also have Jenna Sudds as a spokesperson for the government. Yes, part of the strategy was to raise her profile to make sure she keeps her riding, but also to counterbalance the presence of Pierre Poilievre,” she added.

Tellier pointed to several other factors to explain Sudds’ “quick rise” through federal Liberal ranks, including Trudeau’s longstanding commitment to gender equality among cabinet ministers and the importance of geographical representation in Parliament.

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“The fact is that you are elected and your team is elected from across the country, and so it’s important to be representative of the people who elected you,” Tellier said. “We see that with every prime minister and on the provincial level as well. They will try to be as broad as possible, to cover as much as possible, even in areas where the (party’s) popularity is not as strong.

“Representation is a very important consideration and some (pundits) will say that it’s even more important than experience or a lack of experience — and I believe we saw that in this cabinet shuffle.”

Though she is a “rookie” MP, Sudds points to the wealth of experience she gained in her former career in the public service before making the jump to politics.

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“I was very fortunate to start my career in the federal public service and spent the first 12 years of my career working as an economist. It was a tremendous experience and, looking back on that now, the insight and experience I gained is incredibly relevant and useful as I take on this role,” Sudds said.

Since being sworn in on Wednesday, Sudds has been spending her time engulfed in briefings and meetings as her department plots out its priorities.

“It’s an amazing department and portfolio that I’m having the opportunity to dive into and to lead,” Sudds said.

“I’m personally very excited and very proud of the commitment our government has made toward rolling out the early learning and child care program. That’s a nearly $30-billion plan and we still have a lot of work to do on that, so that is definitely a priority.”

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Sudds says provinces and territories have reduced their child-care fees by 50 per cent, and many are now at $10 a day, “but there’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure that Canadian families reap the benefits of this program and get quality affordable child care.

Sudds says her department will be working on creating more affordable child-care spaces, with initial agreements in place to create 250,000 more spaces across the country, but with “much work to be done.

“As we look to ensure we create new child-care spaces, we also need to ensure the workforce is there to support that growth,” Sudds added, while listing the national food policy and poverty reduction strategy as other top priorities.

“We’ve done some amazing work, but, obviously, there is a lot of important work to be done there.”

ahelmer@postmedia.com

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