# Indira Naidoo-Harris

Indira Naidoo-Harris is a former Canadian politician and journalist who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2014 provincial election, sitting as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Halton until 2018. A member of the Ontario Liberal Party, Naidoo-Harris was the province's Minister of Education in 2018, Minister of the Status of Women from 2017 to 2018, early years and child care Minister from 2016 to 2018, and Associate Minister of Finance in 2016.

## Background

Naidoo-Harris was born in Durban, South Africa under apartheid. She immigrated to Canada as a child and grew up in Alberta. She graduated from the University of Lethbridge and moved briefly to the United States in Troy, New York, where she developed a broadcasting career with NBC and PBS before returning to Canada in the 1990s, eventually anchoring for CBC Ottawa, CITV in Edmonton, CTV National, CBC National, and Newsworld International.
Prior to the election, she was a CBC Radio newsreader and a CBC Television journalist. She lives in Milton, Ontario with her husband Randy.

## Political career

Naidoo-Harris ran in the 2011 provincial election as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Halton. She was defeated by Progressive Conservative incumbent Ted Chudleigh by 3,148 votes. She ran again in the 2014 election against Chudleigh this time defeating him by 5,726 votes.
From 2014 to 2016, she was a Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. On June 13, 2016, she was named Associate Minister of Finance Responsible for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan. On August 24, 2016 she was transferred from the pension role to a new educational ministerial position responsible for early years and child care. In addition to her role as Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care, in January 2017, Minister Naidoo-Harris was also named Minister of the Status of Women. In January 2018, she was named Minister of Education and kept her role as Minister Responsible for Early Years and Child Care.
In 2017, Naidoo-Harris was nominated to run for re-election as the Liberal candidate for the newly formed riding of Milton but was defeated in the 2018 election.

## After politics

In August 2019, Naidoo-Harris was appointed as the University of Guelph’s Associate Vice-President of Diversity and Human Rights.

## Personal life

Her son Galen Naidoo Harris was the Liberal candidate in the 2024 Milton provincial by-election, in which he was defeated by the Progressive Conservative candidate Zee Hamid.

## Electoral history

2014 Ontario general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Indira Naidoo-Harris | 33,724 | 44.79 | +5.66 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ted Chudleigh | 27,937 | 37.10 | -7.37 |
| | New Democratic | Nik Spohr | 9,758 | 12.96 | -0.19 |
| | Green | Susan Farrant | 2,618 | 3.48 | +1.30 |
| | Libertarian | Kal Ghory | 916 | 1.22 | – |
| | Family Coalition | Gerry Marsh | 346 | 0.46 | -0.04 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 75,299 | 100.0 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 149,633 |
| | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Liberal gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +6.52 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
vte2018 Ontario general election: Milton :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Parm Gill | 18,249 | 41.67 | +4.12 |
| | Liberal | Indira Naidoo-Harris | 13,064 | 29.83 | -13.26 |
| | New Democratic | Brendan Smyth | 9,740 | 22.24 | +7.83 |
| | Green | Eleanor Hayward | 2,200 | 5.02 | +1.44 |
| | Libertarian | Benjamin Cunningham | 366 | 0.84 | |
| | Social Reform | Enam Ahmed | 170 | 0.39 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 43,789 | 99.09 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 403 | 0.91 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 44,192 | 56.11 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 78,764 |
| | Progressive Conservative notional gain from Liberal | Progressive Conservative notional gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +8.69 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||