Melissa Lantsman
- Born
- April 8, 1984 — Toronto
- Family
- Married to Lauren in 2017
- Education
- Honours Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto; graduate studies at the University of Ottawa and Rotman School of Management
- Career
- Public relations executive
- Political Experience
- Communications advisor to cabinet members in the 28th Canadian Ministry of Prime Minister Stephen Harper; senior advisor to the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party of Ontario; chief spokesperson during the 2018 Ontario provincial election; MP for Thornhill since 2021; co-deputy leader of the Conservative Party; co-deputy leader of the Official Opposition
- Property
- Director of a Toronto-based Venture Fund focused on investing in early-stage companies that prioritizes women founders
- Notable
- First openly lesbian and first Jewish woman ever elected as a Conservative MP; speaks English, French and Russian; lives with a severe form of Crohn's disease
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before entering politics, Melissa Lantsman had a career in public relations and communications. She was the Vice President of Public Affairs at Enterprise Canada, a strategic communications firm. She also worked as a senior advisor and director of communications for several high-profile politicians at both the provincial and federal levels. Lantsman was also a regular political commentator on television news programs, providing analysis on current events.
Key Relationships & Connections
Melissa Lantsman has well-documented ties to several prominent figures within the Conservative movement. She served as a key spokesperson and advisor for Stephen Harper's Conservative government and worked on campaigns for figures like former Finance Minister Joe Oliver and Ontario's Caroline Mulroney. She was also reportedly the head of communications for Doug Ford's successful 2018 Ontario PC Party campaign. More recently, she served as a co-chair for Pierre Poilievre's successful campaign to become the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Public Controversies
In February 2022, during the "Freedom Convoy" protests, Lantsman, who is Jewish, criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons for his use of the Emergencies Act and his rhetoric towards the protestors. In response, Trudeau accused the Conservative Party, including Lantsman, of standing with "people who wave swastikas." The comment was widely condemned by members of the opposition and some Jewish community groups as inappropriate and divisive, leading to calls for an apology, which the Prime Minister did not offer directly.
Where Melissa falls on key policy spectrums
Your Money
People & Society
How We're Governed
Land & Community
Melissa Lantsman won with 44,419 votes (66.4%)
Total votes cast: 66,918
How does Melissa Lantsman's voting record line up with your values?
Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.
Thank you very much. This is exactly the right opportunity to be in Parliament. It's exactly what Parliament is for. I appreciate being a part of this committee. It is nice to see some colleagues in person, although I know there are other important things going on in constituencies, so it's a shame we have to be here. Look, on this issue, there have been many questions swirling for the last
What we don't know—
I'm moving that the motion be amended, after the words “Bridge Authority”, with the following: “e. Additional witnesses that will help the committee fully understand the economic impact of the deal, including from impacted businesses and workers”. I think with that, you can probably support the motion.
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
I'll certainly continue with the motion. I'm sure my colleague will have the opportunity to speak. Prime Minister We want to know why thetold a number of different stories to Canadians and why the story of what he told doesn't match the agreement in place. I think Canadians want to know that. I think there have been questions swirling around that for now weeks at a time. That's exactly what
Thanks, Mr. Chair. I'm going to speak to the motion. I'm going to suggest that the reason you hear filibustering about the bridge—we all agree, of course, that the opening is a good thing—is that they don't want to actually talk about the motion. Let's get right back into the motion, because it's a good motion about governance and about what Canadians deserve to know. In it, we ask a few
I'm just wondering if there's anything in the member's notes relevant to the motion.
I'm wondering if that member's prepared notes have anything to do with the motion, because we've heard a lot of this but nothing yet on the motion.
Mr. Speaker, one thing is clear, which is that the families of those police officers deserve better answers than that. The Liberals are in government. They have been there for 11 years. They are not bystanders in any of this. They let terrorists flood our country. They built a catch-and-release bail system. They allowed judges to ignore almost every mandatory minimum, including for drive-by
secretary of state Mr. Speaker, yesterday, theconfirmed what many Canadians already feared. A foreign government is funding and directing attacks on synagogues, businesses and the U.S. Consulate, and now the murder of a Toronto police officer. This government has known for years; they did nothing. The Liberals imported terror, they weakened criminal justice laws, they slashed penalties and they
Mr. Speaker, the parliamentary secretary knows full well that law enforcement did not ask for anything in part 2 of this legislation. We offered to pass part 1. We offered to pass it weeks ago and we offered to pass it today. We will still make that offer if he wants to put that on the table, but that is not really what this is about.
Mr. Speaker, I have one comment to that: “Democracy Dies in Darkness”. That is what the Liberals should listen to very carefully.