Hedy Fry

Hedy Madeleine Fry, PCMP (born August 6, 1941) is a Canadian politician and physician, and is currently Canada's longest-serving female Member of Parliament. A member of the Liberal Party, she has won eleven consecutive elections in the constituency of Vancouver Centre, starting with the 1993 election, when she defeated then incumbent Prime Minister Kim Campbell.

Early life and career

Fry was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. She is of Scottish, Spanish, Indian, and Chinese ancestry. After declining an English Literature scholarship to the University of Oxford, Fry earned her equivalent of a BSc in one year and then went on to receive her medical training at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland. She immigrated to Canada in 1970 and established a practice in Vancouver.

Fry worked at St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver) for 23 years. She served as president of the British Columbia Federation of Medical Women in 1977, the Vancouver Medical Association from 1988 to 89, and the BC Medical Association from 1990 to 91. In addition, she chaired the Canadian Medical Association's Multiculturalism Committee from 1992 to 1999. She volunteered as a Tawny Owl as a member of the Girl Guides of Canada, leading a Brownie group. Fry was also a host on the nationally televised CBC show Doctor Doctor.

Political career

Fry sought the Liberal Party nomination for Vancouver Centre in the lead-up to the 1993 federal election, defeating lawyer David Varty and college lecturer John Lang. She was elected to the House of Commons of Canada, defeating Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Kim Campbell. Fry was the fifth person to unseat a sitting prime minister, and the first to do so in their first run for office. Fry has been re-elected in every subsequent election (1997, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2021 and 2025).

Chretien and Martin governments

She served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Health and Welfare from 1993 until 1996 when she was appointed to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women.

In 2002, Fry apologized to the people of Prince George, British Columbia after she said in the House of Commons that “crosses are being burned on lawns as we speak”. Fry did not remain a minister after cabinet was shuffled in 2002.

When Paul Martin became Prime Minister of Canada at the end of 2003, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration with special emphasis on Foreign Credentials. After the 2004 election, she was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development with special emphasis on the Internationally Trained Workers Initiative.

In opposition

In 2006, she defeated high-profile New Democratic Party activist and former MP Svend Robinson and in 2008 she defeated high-profile Conservative Party candidate Lorne Mayencourt. On May 4, 2006, Fry became the 11th person, 3rd woman, and the only Westerner to officially enter the Liberal party leadership race. Fry launched her leadership campaign saying that Canada's diversity is its greatest competitive advantage - "our weapon of mass inclusion" - and called for a "non-ideological" approach to problem solving. She withdrew from the contest on September 25 and announced her support for Bob Rae.

Re-elected in Vancouver Centre for a sixth term in 2008, Fry was appointed the Official Opposition Critic for Canadian Heritage. On November 21, 2008, Liberal leadership candidate Bob Rae announced that Fry would serve as his Campaign Co-Chair in British Columbia.

Fry was re-elected in 2011 by a margin of approximately 2,000 votes. When the Liberals lost power in 2006, Fry was named as Critic for Sport Canada in the Liberal shadow cabinet. In 2011, as the Liberals lost their designation as Official Opposition, Fry was named Liberal Critic for Health.

Trudeau government

In the 2015 election, Fry won her riding once more, becoming the oldest Canadian MP and the longest serving female MP. She received 56.1% of the vote, the highest popular vote share of her career. During the 42nd Parliament, she was appointed to the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which provides oversight to Canada's security services and requires a Top Secret security clearance.

In the 2019 Election, Fry once again won her riding for a 9th consecutive term. Fry served as a member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development, and the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic. Fry was re-elected again in the 2021 election.

Fry heads Canada's delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, and is the Special Representative for gender issues, a role she has held since 2010.

Carney government

On April 28, 2025, Fry won her riding for the eleventh consecutive term, receiving 55.2% of the vote, the second-highest popular vote share of her career. She was elected chair of the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in the 45th Canadian Parliament in 2025.

Family

Fry has three adult sons and four grandchildren. Her eldest son, Pete Fry, was elected to Vancouver City Council in the 2018 municipal election.

Electoral record

External links