Carla Dawn Qualtrough (; born October 15, 1971) is a Canadian politician and former

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

swimmer who is the

minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion The minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion () is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Employment and Social Development Canada, the Government of Canada department that oversees ...

since 2019. Qualtrough has sat as the

member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for Delta since she was first elected in 2015, as a member of the Liberal Party. She served as minister of public services and procurement and accessibility from 2017 to 2019, and minister of sport and persons with disabilities from 2015 to 2017.

Early life and education

Qualtrough was born in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, on October 15, 1971, to parents Patricia and Harry Qualtrough, and was raised in Langley, British Columbia. Qualtrough has been

visually impaired Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

since birth and only sees 10 percent with her glasses on. She graduated from Brookswood Secondary School and studied political science at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

before earning a law degree from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...

in 1997. Her parents separated when she was a teenager and her father died in 2007.

Paralympic career

Qualtrough's visual impairment qualified her to compete in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

. She earned three bronze medals in swimming at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Paralympics, as well as four world championship medals for Team Canada. During the Paralympics, she swam in the 4x100 medley relay and 4x100 freestyle relay.

Legal career

After earning her law degree, Qualtrough served on the governing board of the Americas Paralympic Committee. She also served as president of the

Canadian Paralympic Committee The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC; French: ''Comité paralympique canadien'') is the private, non-profit organization representing Canadian Paralympic athletes in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Parapan American Games. ...

from 2006 to 2011. 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. As a lawyer, Qualtrough primarily focused on human rights matters. She served as counsel to the

British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal is a quasi-judicial human rights body in British Columbia, Canada. It was established under British Columbia's ''Human Rights Code''. It is responsible for "accepting, screening, mediating and adjudicati ...

and the Canadian 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. In recognition of her work, she was a recipient of the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

in 2012. During the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Ga ...

, she was the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and func ...

's (IPC) legal officer and later received the IPCs International Women's Day Recognition in 2016. In 2021, Qualtrough became part of the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.

Political career

On November 4, 2015, Qualtrough was named minister of sport and persons with disabilities in the

29th Canadian Ministry The Twenty-Ninth Canadian Ministry is the Cabinet of Canada, Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister of Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, that began governing Canada shortly before the opening of the 42nd Parliament of Canada, 42nd Parliament. ...

, headed by

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...

. As a result, she became the first Paralympic athlete to be elected to Canadian Parliament. During her tenure, Qualtrough was inducted into the

's Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2017. In a cabinet shuffle triggered by the resignation of

Judy Foote Judy May Foote ( Crowley; born June 23, 1952) is a Canadian former politician, 14th and current lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is the first woman to hold the position. Prior to her appointment as viceregal representative ...

, 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. 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". 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.

Personal life

Qualtrough is married to the former secretary-general of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, Eron Main, and they have four children together.

Electoral record

References

External links

Official Website

Mandate letter from Prime Minister
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qualtrough, Carla Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada MPs Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Paralympic swimmers of Canada Canadian Paralympic Committee presidents Canadian politicians with disabilities Canadian sportsperson-politicians Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Paralympics Blind politicians Women in British Columbia politics Sportspeople with a vision impairment People from Delta, British Columbia Politicians from Calgary Swimmers from Calgary University of Ottawa alumni University of Victoria alumni Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the 29th Canadian Ministry Ministers of Labour of Canada 1971 births Women government ministers of Canada Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada University of Victoria Faculty of Law alumni Canadian female freestyle swimmers 21st-century Canadian women politicians Medalists at the 1988 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in swimming Canadian Disability Hall of Fame