Carla Qualtrough | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Qualtrough in 2023 | |
| Minister of Sport and Physical Activity | |
| In office July 26, 2023 – December 20, 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Pascale St-Onge |
| Succeeded by | Terry Duguid |
| Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion | |
| In office November 20, 2019 – July 26, 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Patty Hajdu |
| Succeeded by | Randy Boissonnault (Employment and Workforce Development) Kamal Khera (Persons with Disabilities) |
| President of the Treasury Board (Acting) | |
| In office March 5, 2019 – March 18, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Jane Philpott |
| Succeeded by | Joyce Murray |
| Minister of Accessibility | |
| In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Kirsty Duncan |
| Succeeded by | Carla Qualtrough (as Minister of Disability Inclusion) |
| Minister of Public Services and Procurement Receiver General for Canada | |
| In office August 28, 2017 – November 20, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Judy Foote |
| Succeeded by | Anita Anand |
| Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities | |
| In office November 4, 2015 – August 28, 2017 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Bal Gosal |
| Succeeded by | Kent Hehr |
| Member of Parliament forDelta | |
| In office October 19, 2015 – March 23, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Riding established |
| Succeeded by | Jill McKnight |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carla Dawn Qualtrough (1971-10-15)October 15, 1971 (age 54) |
| Party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Eron Main |
| Residence(s) | Delta, British Columbia, Canada |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Lawyer, politician |
| Sports career | |
Carla Dawn QualtroughPC (/ˈkwɒltroʊ/; born October 15, 1971) is a Canadian politician and formerParalympic swimmer who served as theMinister of Sport and Physical Activity from July 2023 to December 2024. A member of theLiberal Party, Qualtrough represented the riding ofDelta in theHouse of Commons from 2015 to 2025.
She previously served as theMinister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion from 2019 to 2023, theMinister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility from 2017 to 2019, and theMinister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities from 2015 to 2017. Qualtrough was also theReceiver General for Canada from 2017 to 2019.
Qualtrough was born inCalgary, Alberta, on October 15, 1971, to parents Patricia and Harry Qualtrough, and was raised inLangley, British Columbia.[1] Qualtrough has beenvisually impaired since birth and only sees 10 percent with her glasses on.[2] She graduated fromBrookswood Secondary School[3] and studied political science at theUniversity of Ottawa[4] before earning a law degree from theUniversity of Victoria in 1997.[5][6] Her parents separated when she was a teenager and her father died in 2007.[7]
Qualtrough's visual impairment qualified her to compete in theParalympic Games. She earned three bronze medals in swimming at the1988 and1992 Summer Paralympics, as well as four world championship medals for Team Canada.[8] During the Paralympics, she swam in the 4x100 medley relay and 4x100 freestyle relay.[1]
After earning her law degree, Qualtrough served on the governing board of theAmericas Paralympic Committee.[9] She also served as president of theCanadian Paralympic Committee from 2006 to 2011.[8] During this time, she also directed Sport Initiatives for 2010 Legacies Now and Chaired the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, leading to her election as one of Canada's Most Influential Women in Sport of 2009.[10][11]
As a lawyer, Qualtrough primarily focused on human rights matters. She served as counsel to theBritish Columbia Human Rights Tribunal and theCanadian Human Rights Commission, and prior to her election to the House of Commons, she was the vice-chair of British Columbia's Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal.[1] In recognition of her work, she was a recipient of theQueen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.[12] During the2012 Summer Paralympics, she was theInternational Paralympic Committee's (IPC) legal officer and later received the IPCs International Women's Day Recognition in 2016.[13] In 2021, Qualtrough became part of theCanadian Disability Hall of Fame.[14]
Qualtrough was first elected as Member of Parliament for Delta on October 19, 2015. She was the first Paralympic athlete to be elected toCanada's Parliament.[1] On November 4, 2015, she was named minister of sport and persons with disabilities in the29th Canadian Ministry, headed byJustin Trudeau.[15] During her tenure, Qualtrough was inducted into theCanadian Paralympic Committee's Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2017.[16]
In a cabinet shuffle triggered by the resignation ofJudy Foote, Qualtrough succeeded Foote as minister of public services and procurement on August 28, 2017;Kent Hehr then took over as minister of sport and persons with disabilities.[17][18] After the cabinet shuffle on July 18, 2018, Qualtrough retained her ministerial position but gained the added portfolio of accessibility, styled as "minister of public services and procurement and accessibility".[19]
AfterJane Philpott's resignation from cabinet on March 5, 2019, Qualtrough was appointed ActingPresident of the Treasury Board, filling the role until the appointment ofJoyce Murray on March 18.[20] The November 20, 2019, cabinet shuffle had Qualtrough become minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion, building on her work in the accessibility portfolio.[21]
Qualtrough returned to the sport portfolio in the July 26, 2023, cabinet shuffle, replacing Pascale St-Onge as minister of sport and physical activity.[22]
On October 17, 2024, she announced her retirement at the2025 Canadian federal election.[23] She left Cabinet in the December 20, 2024, cabinet shuffle.[24] She stood down at the2025 Canadian federal election and was succeeded by fellow Liberal candidateJill McKnight.[25]
Qualtrough is married to the former secretary-general of theInternational Wheelchair Rugby Federation, Eron Main, and they have four children together.[26]
| 2021 Canadian federal election:Delta | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 22,105 | 42.26 | +1.03 | $103,546.64 | |||
| Conservative | Garry Shearer | 17,695 | 33.83 | +0.84 | $80,980.88 | |||
| New Democratic | Monika Dean | 9,591 | 18.33 | +2.04 | $3,705.19 | |||
| People's | Paul Tarasenko | 1,291 | 2.47 | +0.71 | $0.00 | |||
| Green | Jeremy Smith | 1,244 | 2.39 | -3.89 | $0.00 | |||
| Independent | Hong Yan Pan | 379 | 0.72 | - | $0.00 | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 52,305 | 99.43 | +0.09 | $109,817.32 | ||||
| Total rejected ballots | 300 | 0.57 | -0.09 | |||||
| Turnout | 52,605 | 67.54 | -3.15 | |||||
| Eligible voters | 77,892 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | +0.10 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[27] | ||||||||
| 2019 Canadian federal election:Delta | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 22,257 | 41.2 | -7.92 | ||||
| Conservative | Tanya Corbet | 17,809 | 33.0 | +0.22 | ||||
| New Democratic | Randy Anderson-Fennell | 8,792 | 16.3 | +1.38 | ||||
| Green | Craig DeCraene | 3,387 | 6.3 | +3.13 | ||||
| People's | Angelina Ireland | 948 | 1.8 | - | ||||
| Independent | Amarit Bains | 398 | 0.7 | - | ||||
| Independent | Tony Bennett | 385 | 0.7 | - | ||||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 53,976 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 361 | |||||||
| Turnout | 54,337 | 70.7 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 76,871 | |||||||
| Liberalhold | Swing | -4.07 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[28][29] | ||||||||
| 2015 Canadian federal election:Delta | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Liberal | Carla Qualtrough | 27,355 | 49.12 | +30.55 | $72,634.16 | |||
| Conservative | Kerry-Lynne Findlay | 18,255 | 32.78 | -15.17 | $174,408.46 | |||
| New Democratic | Jeremy Leveque | 8,311 | 14.92 | -13.13 | $59,352.24 | |||
| Green | Anthony Edward Devellano | 1,768 | 3.17 | -1.57 | – | |||
| Total valid votes/expense limit | 55,689 | 100.00 | $206,935.20 | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 200 | 0.36 | – | |||||
| Turnout | 55,889 | 74.47 | – | |||||
| Eligible voters | 75,044 | |||||||
| Liberalnotional gain fromConservative | Swing | +22.86 | ||||||
| Source:Elections Canada[30][31][32] | ||||||||
| 29th Canadian Ministry (2015–2025) – Cabinet ofJustin Trudeau | ||
| Cabinet posts (3) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Patty Hajdu | Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion November 20, 2019 – | Incumbent |
| Judy Foote | Minister of Public Services, Procurement and Accessibility August 28, 2017 – November 20, 2019 | Anita Anand |
| Bal Gosal | Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities November 4, 2015 – August 28, 2017 | Kent Hehr |
