1. Irene R Mathyssen was born on August 16,1951 and is a Canadian politician and was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada from 2006 until 2019.
21 Facts About Irene Mathyssen
1. 2.
Irene Mathyssen was previously a New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario from 1990 to 1995, and briefly served as a minister in the government of Premier Bob Rae.
3.
Irene Mathyssen taught English at Saunders Secondary School in London, Ontario, until 2006 except for a five-year break between 1990 and 1995 when she was an MPP.
4.
Irene Mathyssen served on the District 11 Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation Political Action Committee.
5.
Irene Mathyssen was a vocal opponent of the Invasion of Iraq in 2003 and participated in many local peace rallies.
6.
Irene Mathyssen was president of the Middlesex NDP riding association from 1989 to 1990.
7.
Irene Mathyssen was elected to represent the riding of Middlesex in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 1990 provincial election, defeating incumbent Liberal Doug Reycraft by 520 votes.
8.
Irene Mathyssen served as a government Whip from 1990 to 1991, and was a parliamentary assistant to the Minister of the Environment from 1991 to 1994.
9.
The NDP was defeated by the Progressive Conservative Party in the 1995 provincial election, and Irene Mathyssen was defeated in Middlesex, finishing third behind Reycraft and winner Progressive Conservative Bruce Smith.
10.
Irene Mathyssen opted not to run in the 2006 election.
11.
Irene Mathyssen openly questioned his integrity and said his actions "disrespected women".
12.
Shortly after, Irene Mathyssen retracted her statement and apologized to Moore.
13.
Irene Mathyssen was re-elected as the Member of Parliament for London-Fanshawe in the 2008 federal election.
14.
Irene Mathyssen served as the NDP's deputy critic for Veterans' Affairs.
15.
In December 2010, Irene Mathyssen introduced Bill C-601, which allowed any worker who had lost their job through no fault of their own to make a single lump sum payment over the maximum allowable investment into their Registered Retirement Savings Plan without financial penalty.
16.
Irene Mathyssen was named the Official Opposition Critic for Seniors in the NDP's shadow cabinet by Jack Layton.
17.
On January 1,2012, Caterpillar Inc locked out over 450 workers from the Electro Motive Diesel plant in Irene Mathyssen's riding of London-Fanshawe.
18.
Irene Mathyssen was a vocal critic of the company's actions and a strong supporter of the locked out workers.
19.
In October 2013, Irene Mathyssen introduced Bill C-282 to eliminate the HST on feminine hygiene products.
20.
Irene Mathyssen took the lead in the House of Commons for an NDP Opposition Day, introducing a motion to force a vote on the issue.
21.
In October 2015, Irene Mathyssen was re-elected for another term in parliament.