Arielle Kayabaga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arielle Kayabaga MP
Kayabaga in 2019
Member of Parliament for London West
Incumbent
Assumed office September 20, 2021
Preceded by	Kate Young
London City Councillor
In office December 1, 2018 – September 20, 2021
Preceded by	Tanya Park
Succeeded by	John Fyfe-Millar
Constituency	Ward 13
Personal details
Born	1990/1991 (age 33–34) Bujumbura, Burundi
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Children	1
Residence	London, Ontario
Alma mater	Carleton University
Occupation	settlement worker

Arielle Kayabaga MP is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2021 Canadian federal election. She represents the electoral district of London West as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Biography

Born in Bujumbura, Burundi, Kayabaga's family moved to Canada when she was 11 as refugees from the Burundian Civil War, living in Montreal for a year before moving to London, Ontario. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Carleton University in Ottawa in 2013. Before her election to the London City Council, Kayabaga worked as a settlement worker for newcomers to London and nearby Sarnia, Ontario.

In 2018, she was elected to the London City Council at age 27, becoming the first black woman to do so in the city's history. As a city councillor, she chaired the Corporate Services Committee and sat on the Standing Committee on Municipal Finance. In September 2020, London police launched an investigation after she reported her office receiving harassing phone calls.

Ahead of the 2021 Canadian federal election, she announced her intention to run for the federal House of Commons, winning the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for the riding of London West three days before the start of the electoral campaign. She won the seat with 36.8% of the vote, replacing outgoing Liberal MP Kate Young. She is the first Franco-Ontarian to serve as MP for London West.

Electoral record