# Jennifer French (politician)

Jennifer Kay French (born 1978) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2014. She represents the riding of Oshawa.

## Background

French was born in Winchester, Ontario, near Ottawa. She grew up in the United States after moving there with her family. She returned to Canada to attend Queen's University where she earned a bachelor's degree in biology. She spent three years teaching in Japan before returning to earn a master's degree in science with a teaching specialty. She moved to Oshawa where she spent eight years teaching elementary school.

## Politics

French ran in the 2014 provincial election as the New Democratic candidate in the riding of Oshawa. She defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent Jerry Ouellette by 7,692 votes.
She was the party's critic for pension issues, switched to critic for Community Safety and Correctional Services on March 23, 2015, and then to critic of Youth Engagement and critic of Citizenship and Immigration as of December 2, 2016.
French was reelected in the 2018.
In 2018, French tabled a private member's bill; known as Bill 43, Freeing Highways 412 and 418 Act. The bill proposed removing tolls on Ontario Highway 412 and Ontario Highway 418. The bill was not passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, but the government did remove the tolls in February 2022, which French called "a long-overdue victory.".
She was reelected for the second time in the 2022 election.
In April 2022, French called for urgent financial support for Oshawa's Back Door Mission, which offers mental health and addictions support. In June 2023, the provincial government committed $1.1 million dollars in funding for the mission, which Global News attributed to her advocacy on the matter.
As of August 11, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Highways.

## Electoral record

vte2025 Ontario general election: Oshawa :
| The 2025 general election will be held on February 27. |||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Viresh Bansal | | | |
| | New Democratic | Jennifer French | | | |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jerry Ouellette | | | |
| | Green | Nicholas Sirgool | | | |
| | Indepedent | Rahul Padmini Soumian | | | |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | |
vte2022 Ontario general election: Oshawa :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Jennifer French | 17,170 | 42.07 | −2.81 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Alex Down | 16,423 | 40.24 | −1.49 |
| | Liberal | Catherine Mosca | 3,726 | 9.13 | +1.23 |
| | Green | Katarina Dunham | 1,641 | 4.02 | +0.41 |
| | New Blue | Daryl Janssen | 1,006 | 2.47 | |
| | Ontario Party | Dave Forsythe | 843 | 2.07 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 40,809 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 195 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 41,004 | 39.48 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 103,705 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | −0.66 |
| Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18."Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-05-21. |||||||
2018 Ontario general election: Oshawa :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Jennifer French | 24,301 | 44.88 | -1.82 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Bob Chapman | 22,594 | 41.73 | +11.20 |
| | Liberal | Makini Smith | 4,278 | 7.90 | -11.12 |
| | Green | Deborah Ellis | 1,957 | 3.61 | -0.14 |
| | Libertarian | Jeannette Gory | 523 | 0.96 | +0.96 |
| | None of the Above | Cheryl Kelly | 490 | 0.91 | +0.91 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 97,605 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,143 | 55.57 | +4.76 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +6.61 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||
2014 Ontario general election: Oshawa :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Jennifer French | 22,227 | 46.70 | +10.52 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Jerry Ouellette | 14,532 | 30.53 | -11.72 |
| | Liberal | Esrick Quintyn | 9,052 | 19.02 | +1.53 |
| | Green | Becky Smit | 1,785 | 3.75 | +1.13 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 47,608 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 650 | 1.37 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,258 | 50.19 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 96,154 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +11.12 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||