Ya'ara Saks (; born March 9, 1973) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician who served as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. She was elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of 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 Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

in a

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on October 26, 2020, following the resignation of Michael Levitt, and later re-elected on September 20, 2021. She represented the riding of York Centre as a member of the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. and generally sits at the Centrism, ...

until her defeat in the

2025 Canadian federal election The 2025 Canadian federal election was held on April 28, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. Governor General Mary Simon issued the writs of election on March 23, 2025, afte ...

Early life

A dual citizen of Canada and of Israel, Saks was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to an Israeli father and a Canadian mother and has lived in both Israel (1995 to 2006) and Canada. She attended

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

for her undergraduate education, and then completed her

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international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

and

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...

. Before entering politics, Saks owned a

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

studio in York Centre (in the north end of Toronto) and was the director of Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities, a charity that focuses on mental health.

Views on Israeli politics

Saks has been deeply critical of the direction of the Netanyahu government in Israel for its treatment of its Israeli Arab citizens and the 2018 Nation-State law and has expressed the concern that it is leading Israel to be "deeply racist towards its minorities and ... not to see itself as a light and shelter or future home to asylum seekers fleeing war," as well as its elevation of leadership at the expense of the justice system. Saks has stated that she is "an unapologetic

Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

who believes passionately in the State of Israel" and that she condemns the BDS Movement (boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel), considering it antisemitic.

Canadian federal politics

Saks won the 2020 York Centre federal by-election as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Upon being sworn in as a member of Canada's House of Commons (along with fellow rookie parliamentarian Marci Ien) it took the number of female MPs in Canada to 100, which, at 30%, is the highest proportion of women in that chamber in its history. In December 2021 she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. In February 2022, when speaking in the House about confirming the '' Emergencies Act'' in response to the "Freedom Convoy" protest, Saks claimed that "honk honk" (a phrase used by convoy supporters in reference to truck horns) was "an acronym for 'heil

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

'". Saks provided evidence for her claim on Twitter, citing

antifascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

researcher and organizer Gwen Snyder, who posted a 4chan post that promoted using the claim as a prank similar to the site's previous hoax that the "OK" hand gesture was code for “white power”. In July 2023 she was appointed Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saks, Yaara 1973 births Living people Liberal Party of Canada MPs Canadian people of Israeli descent McGill University alumni Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario People from North York Politicians from Toronto Women government ministers of Canada Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Jewish Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Canadian Zionists 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Members of the 29th Canadian Ministry Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni