Arielle Kayabaga is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the

Canadian House of Commons The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicam ...

in the 2021 Canadian federal election. She represents the electoral district of

London West London West (french: London-Ouest) is a federal electoral district in London, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968. Geography The district includes the northwest part of the City of London. I ...

as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Biography

Born in Bujumbura, Burundi, Kayabaga's family moved to Canada when she was 11 as refugees from the

Burundian Civil War The Burundian Civil War was a civil war in Burundi lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of longstanding Ethnic conflict, ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi ethnic groups. The conflict began following the first Mult ...

, living in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

for a year before moving to

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

in Ottawa in 2013. Before her election to the London City Council, Kayabaga worked as a settlement worker for newcomers to London and nearby Sarnia, Ontario. In 2018, she was elected to the

London City Council London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada. Composition London is divided into 14 wards, with residents in each ward electing one councillor. The mayor is elected citywide, who along with the councillors for ...

at age 27, becoming the first black woman to do so in the city's history. As a city councillor, she chaired the Corporate Services Committee and sat on the Standing Committee on Municipal Finance. In September 2020, London police launched an investigation after she reported her office receiving harassing phone calls. Ahead of the 2021 Canadian federal election, she announced her intention to run for the federal House of Commons, winning the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for the riding of London West three days before the start of the electoral campaign. She successfully won the seat with 36,8% of the vote, replacing outgoing Liberal MP Kate Young. She is the first Franco-Ontarian to serve as MP for London West.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kayabaga, Arielle Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Burundian emigrants to Canada London, Ontario city councillors Black Canadian politicians Black Canadian women Franco-Ontarian people People from Bujumbura Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Carleton University alumni 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Year of birth missing (living people)