Suze Morrison is a Canadian former politician, who was elected to the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
in the
2018 provincial election.
She represented the riding of
Toronto Centre
Toronto Centre (french: Toronto-Centre) is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto (1872–1903) ...
as a member of the
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...
, and was the Ontario New Democratic Party's Caucus Critic for both Housing and Women's Issues. She did not run for re-election in 2022.
Background
Of mixed European and Indigenous heritage, Morrison was born in the
Parry Sound District
Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its boundaries are District of Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District to the north-northwest, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing Distri ...
before moving to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
in childhood. She took her
Bachelor of Applied Arts The Bachelor of Applied Arts, often abbreviated as BAA or B.A.A. is an undergraduate degree, with different meaning in different countries. The term 'Applied' means that the degree is vocational in nature, and not research-oriented (depending on the ...
degree in media studies from
Guelph-Humber, and has worked in communications and public relations in the non-profit sector.
[ She first became prominent within the riding as an advocate for community safety after witnessing the drive-by shooting of Lemard Champagnie in Toronto's ]Regent Park
Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing. It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and ...
neighbourhood in 2017.[
Morrison is a motorsports enthusiast, and competes in ]autocross
Autocross (also called "Solo", "Auto-x" or "Autoslalom") is a timed competition in which drivers navigate one at a time through a defined course on either a sealed or an unsealed surface. It is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe competitio ...
events. She is a two-time winner of the Lorna Wilson Ladies Championship, which is awarded by the Western Ontario Sports Car Association.
In June 2021, Morrison came out as bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
.
Politics
During the election campaign, she participated alongside Liberal MPP Steven Del Duca
Steven Alfonso Del Duca (born July 7, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has been serving as the 5th mayor of Vaughan since 2022. Del Duca previously served as the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2020 to 2022 and was an Ontario cabin ...
and Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa Thompson in Election Brew, a non-partisan event sponsored by Equal Voice
Founded in 2001 by Rosemary Speirs, Donna Dasko, Libby Burnham and Christina McCall. Equal Voice is a national, bilingual, multi-partisan, non-governmental, non-profit organization that promotes the election of more women to all levels of Canad ...
and Labatt
Labatt Brewing Company Limited (french: La Brasserie Labatt Limitée) is a Belgian-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada.
In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Int ...
to increase citizen engagement in politics through a friendly competition to create craft beer brews; Morrison's beer, an India pale ale, won the competition.
She was one of three MPPs of Indigenous heritage elected in 2018, alongside caucus colleagues Guy Bourgouin
Guy Bourgouin is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election. He represents the riding of Mushkegowuk—James Bay as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party.
Bourgouin, of ...
and Sol Mamakwa
Sol Mamakwa (Oji-Cree language, Oji-Cree: ᓴᐧᓬ ᒣᒣᑫᐧ) is a Canadians, Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 Ontario general election, 2018 provincial election. He represents the ridin ...
.
She served as a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts,"Ontario Legislature"
August 24, 2018 and as the official opposition critic for housing and women's issues.
Morrison was diagnosed with endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease of the female reproductive system in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside the uterus. Most often this is on the ovaries, f ...
in 2019. As a result, she declined to run for re-election in the 2022 Ontario general election, instead opting to undergo treatment for the disease.
Electoral record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Suze
Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs
21st-century Canadian politicians
21st-century Canadian women politicians
Living people
Women MPPs in Ontario
Politicians from Toronto
First Nations women in politics
University of Guelph alumni
1988 births
Canadian LGBT people in provincial and territorial legislatures
LGBT First Nations people
Bisexual politicians
Bisexual women