Patty Hajdu | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hajdu in 2016 | |
| Minister of Jobs and Families | |
| Assumed office May 13, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Carney |
| Preceded by | Steven MacKinnon |
| Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario | |
| Assumed office May 13, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Mark Carney |
| Preceded by | Herself[a] |
| In office October 26, 2021 – March 14, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Mélanie Joly |
| Succeeded by | Herself[a] |
| Minister of Indigenous Services | |
| In office October 26, 2021 – May 13, 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau Mark Carney |
| Preceded by | Marc Miller |
| Succeeded by | Mandy Gull-Masty |
| Minister of Health | |
| In office November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Ginette Petitpas Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Yves Duclos |
| Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour | |
| In office January 10, 2017 – November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | MaryAnn Mihychuk |
| Succeeded by | Carla Qualtrough (Employment and Workforce Development) Filomena Tassi (Labour) |
| Minister of Status of Women | |
| In office November 4, 2015 – January 10, 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Kellie Leitch |
| Succeeded by | Maryam Monsef |
| Member of Parliament forThunder Bay—Superior North | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bruce Hyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1966-11-03)November 3, 1966 (age 59) |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Residence(s) | Thunder Bay,Ontario |
| Alma mater | Lakehead University (BA) University of Victoria (MPA) |
Patricia A. Hajdu (/ˈhaɪduː/;[1][2] born November 3, 1966) is a Canadian politician who has beenMinister of Jobs and Families since May 13, 2025. A member of theLiberal Party, Hajdu was first elected to theHouse of Commons in the2015 election and serves as themember of Parliament (MP) forThunder Bay—Superior North.[3] Hajdu is also theminister responsible forFedNor and previously served as theminister of status of women (2015–2017),minister of employment, workforce development and labour (2017–2019),minister of health (2019–2021) andminister of Indigenous services (2021–2025).
Born inMontreal, Hajdu spent her early years inChisholm, Minnesota, U.S. with her brother Sean Patrick Hajdu (1969–2003), raised by her aunt and uncle.[4] Her Hungarian last name comes from her stepfather.
At 12 years old, Hajdu moved to Thunder Bay to live with her mother. Due to a tumultuous relationship, she ended up living on her own at age 16, while she finished high school.[4] After graduating, she got a job in Thunder Bay through an employment insurance initiative, at a non-profit adult-literacy group, where she trained in graphic design.[4]
Hajdu then attendedLakehead University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology.[5] In 2015, she received a Masters of Public Administration from theUniversity of Victoria.[6][7]
Hajdu worked mainly in the field of harm prevention, homelessness, and substance misuse prevention, including nine years as the head of the drug awareness committee of the Thunder Bay District Health Unit. She also worked as a creative director and graphic designer in marketing. Prior to her election in 2015 she was the executive director at Shelter House, the city's largest homeless shelter.[8]
On November 4, 2015, she sworn into Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau'sCabinet, as minister of status of women.[9] In July 2016, she formed an advisory council to help develop of Canada's strategy against gender-based violence.[10]
She was sworn in as minister of employment, workforce development and labour on January 10, 2017.
On October 29, 2018, Minister Hajdu, alongside Status of Women MinisterMaryam Monsef andPresident of the Treasury Board andMinister for Digital GovernmentScott Brison, introduced pay equity legislation for federally regulated workplaces.[11]
Hajdu was shuffled to minister of health following the2019 federal election.
As health minister from 2020 to 2021, Hajdu oversawHealth Canada and thePublic Health Agency of Canada, key agencies coordinating theCanadian government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On March 25, 2020, Hajdu informed the Senate that she would invoke theQuarantine Act effective at midnight, federally mandating that all travellers (excluding essential workers) returning to the country mustself-isolate for 14 days, prohibiting those who are symptomatic from using public transit as transport to their place of self-isolation, and prohibiting self-isolation in settings where they may come in contact with those, who are vulnerable (people with pre-existing conditions and the elderly).[12]
In October 2021, Hajdu was shuffled to theIndigenous Services portfolio following the2021 federal election.[13]
Following Mark Carney's victory in the2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, Hajdu was appointed as minister of jobs and families.
A few hours after the2025 Air Canada flight attendants strike began, Hajdu announced that she had exercised her power under section 107 of theCanada Labour Code (CLC) to direct theCanada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to force arbitration between theCanadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) andAir Canada to end the strike.[14]
President of the Air Canada Component of CUPE Wesley Lesosky said in a statement: "The Liberals are violating ourcharter rights to take job action and giving Air Canada exactly what they want — hours and hours of unpaid labour from underpaid flight attendants".[15] CIRB ordered the flight attendants to return to work at 14:00 EDT on August 17, and Air Canada announced that they would start resuming flights in response.[16] However, the union called the return-to-work order unconstitutional and vowed to continue the strike, which resulted in a further cancellation of the planned flights.[17][18]
Hajdu is the mother of two adult sons.[19]
| 2025 Canadian federal election:Thunder Bay—Superior North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ** Preliminary results — Not yet official ** | ||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Patty Hajdu | 25,140 | 55.23 | +14.83 | ||||
| Conservative | Bob Herman | 16,274 | 35.75 | +11.79 | ||||
| New Democratic | Joy Wakefield | 3,239 | 7.12 | –20.59 | ||||
| People's | Amos Bradley | 457 | 1.00 | –4.89 | ||||
| Green | John Malcolm Northey | 410 | 0.90 | –0.87 | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | ||||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | 45,520 | 67.84 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 67,100 | |||||||
| Liberalnotional hold | Swing | +1.52 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[20][21] | ||||||||
| 2021 Canadian federal election:Thunder Bay—Superior North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Patty Hajdu | 16,893 | 40.7 | -2.2 | $94,557.23 | |||
| New Democratic | Chantelle Bryson | 11,244 | 27.1 | +6.0 | $40,417.50 | |||
| Conservative | Joshua Taylor | 10,035 | 24.2 | -1.4 | $7,497.92 | |||
| People's | Rick Daines | 2,465 | 5.9 | +4.2 | $0.00 | |||
| Green | Amanda Moddejonge | 735 | 1.8 | -6.6 | $2,082.49 | |||
| Libertarian | Alexander Vodden | 111 | 0.3 | 0.0 | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes | 41,483 | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 311 | |||||||
| Turnout | 41,794 | 63.61 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 65,703 | |||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[22] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election:Thunder Bay—Superior North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Patty Hajdu | 18,502 | 42.85 | -2.14 | $94,089.37 | |||
| Conservative | Frank Pullia | 11,036 | 25.56 | +8.13 | $33,102.79 | |||
| New Democratic | Anna Betty Achneepineskum | 9,126 | 21.14 | -2.04 | $42,426.79 | |||
| Green | Bruce Hyer | 3,639 | 8.43 | -5.37 | $23,709.76 | |||
| People's | Youssef Khanjari | 734 | 1.70 | – | $5,389.00 | |||
| Libertarian | Alexander Vodden | 140 | 0.32 | – | $1,783.16 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 43,177 | 99.05 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 416 | 0.95 | ||||||
| Turnout | 43,593 | 65.48 | -3.22 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 66,579 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -5.13 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[23][24] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election:Thunder Bay-Superior North | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Patty Hajdu | 20,069 | 44.99 | +28.51 | $90,854.71 | |||
| New Democratic | Andrew Foulds | 10,339 | 23.18 | -26.97 | $121,837.34 | |||
| Conservative | Richard Harvey | 7,775 | 17.43 | -12.22 | $59,457.39 | |||
| Green | Bruce Hyer | 6,155 | 13.80 | +10.78 | $123,098.51 | |||
| Independent | Robert Skaf | 270 | 0.61 | – | $6,944.34 | |||
| Total valid votes/Expense limit | 44,608 | 100.0 | $248,538.44 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 178 | – | – | |||||
| Turnout | 44,786 | – | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 63,995 | |||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[25][26][27] | ||||||||
| 29th Canadian Ministry (2015-2025) – Cabinet ofJustin Trudeau | ||
| Cabinet posts (4) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Marc Miller | Minister of Indigenous Services October 26, 2021 – May 13, 2025 | Mandy Gull-Masty |
| Ginette Petitpas Taylor | Minister of Health November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021 | Jean-Yves Duclos |
| MaryAnn Mihychuk | Minister of Employment, Workforce, and Labour January 10, 2017 – November 20, 2019 | Carla Qualtrough(Employment and Workforce Development) Filomena Tassi(Labour) |
| Kellie Leitch | Minister of Status of Women November 4, 2015 – January 10, 2017 | Maryam Monsef |
