We’re excited to present Dr. Jennifer Purdy, our Green Party of Canada candidate for the next federal election.
Dr. Purdy is a family physician who practices Lifestyle Medicine in Kanata. Dr. Purdy retired from the Canadian Armed Forces after 23 years of service. She lives in Dunrobin with her husband Bill Whelan on a small farm. Dr. Purdy is also the newly appointed shadow cabinet critic for Health.
“We must use our voices and our votes to speak to what matters to us. The pandemic has affected all of us, some of us in profound and awful ways as we saw loved ones get very ill, and in some cases die, from COVID-19. The fact of the matter is that our health, as individuals and as a society, is linked to everything, but above all, we must respond to the climate emergency, and get mitigation and adaptation strategies right. But we cannot do this in isolation.
The pandemic highlighted great social inequities, so now is the time for political parties to cooperate and implement enduring changes so that we can ALL feel safe, protected, and supported: we need true Indigenous reconciliation and restitution; a Canada Health Act that includes Long Term Care, basic Pharmacare, enhanced mental health care, and basic dental for low-income persons; and Guaranteed Livable Income.
We can work towards a better Canada that is well-equipped to survive and even thrive economically in spite of climate change, but we must work together for a better and safer future.” - Dr. Jennifer Purdy
Jennifer Purdy was the GPC candidate in Kanata-Carleton in the 2019 federal election. She earned almost 4400 votes, or 6.6% of all those cast, well above the 6.0% average across the eight Ottawa ridings. While the number of ballots cast in Kanata--Carleton went up 5% from 2015, the number cast for our Green candidate increased by more than 150%, indicating Kanata-Carleton voters are ready for daring, courageous Green leadership.
Jen grew up in Kanata, attended Queen’s University for two years in Nursing Science, and then joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Royal Military College of Canada. Jen was a Health Care Administration Officer in Quebec, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan for six years, before starting medical school at the University of Ottawa, where she subsequently completed her residency in Family Medicine. She worked as a family physician in CAF in Trenton, Petawawa, and Ottawa before retiring in 2018.
Jen is running for the Green Party of Canada because of her deep concern for climate change and its impact on all Canadians. She has taken actions on an individual level to minimize her environmental footprint, but she is inspired by the GPC to take the next step and aspires to work in Parliament to protect Canada and Canadians against the impacts of unchecked climate change.
Residents of Kanata--Carleton have repeatedly experienced the climate emergency firsthand: tornadoes and hail storms, floods and droughts, air quality alerts and increasing weather extremes.
The pandemic has highlighted the significant inequities that exist in Kanata--Carleton and across Canada. Jen is passionate about many issues, especially reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis; Guaranteed Livable Income; Pharmacare; addressing the opioid crisis by decriminalizing drugs and providing a safe supply; and improving mental health care.
We are excited to have Jennifer Purdy representing Greens in Kanata-Carleton again. We are ready for an election campaign whenever it is called. We hope you will help by volunteering, supporting and donating.
You can learn more about Jen here. Read our media release here.
