# Bhutila Karpoche

Bhutila Tenzin Karpoche (/buːˈtɪlə ˌkɑːrpəˈtʃeɪ/ boo-TILL-ə KAR-pə-CHAY; Tibetan: བུ་ཁྲིད་ལ་དཀར་པོ་ཆེས།, born 1983 or 1984) is a Canadian politician who served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Parkdale—High Park from 2018 to 2025, as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP). Born in Nepal, Karpoche is the first person of Tibetan descent ever elected to public office in North America.

## Early life and education

Karpoche was born in Nepal and is the second of four children. Her name was chosen by the 14th Dalai Lama, whom she later met when she was 16, and means "Mother of 10,000 children." All her parents and grandparents were Tibetan refugees who fled Tibet with the Dalai Lama after the 1959 Tibetan uprising and settled in Nepal. In an interview, Karpoche said that she was born stateless despite her birth in Nepal and had no pathways to legalize her status there, as the Nepalese government systematically excludes Tibetans as refugees due to political reasons.
In 2002, Karpoche, then 18, left Nepal with her entire family in haste amid the escalation of the Nepalese civil war, which saw large-scale fightings between Nepali forces and the Communist Party of Nepal in rural areas. Her family first entered the United States, briefly staying in New York City, before arriving in Canada a day prior to Canada Day through Fort Erie, Ontario. They joined their relatives and settled in the Toronto neighbourhood of Parkdale, where Little Tibet is situated. She became a Canadian citizen in 2008, thus ending her statelessness.
Karpoche started her university education in January 2003. She attended University of British Columbia for her undergraduate studies, earning a bachelor of science degree. She also holds a master of public health degree in epidemiology from the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health and was a PhD candidate in public health policy at Toronto Metropolitan University, although she said in 2019 that she has put it "on hold."
Karpoche's first language is Tibetan and she learned English while living in Nepal. In addition, she also speaks Nepali and has taken lessons in Spanish and French.

## Political career

Prior to her election, Karpoche worked for Cheri DiNovo, her predecessor as MPP for Parkdale—High Park, first in DiNovo's constituency office and more recently as her executive assistant at Queen's Park. She also served on the board of directors of the Canadian Tibetan Association of Ontario, and on the steering committee of the International Tibet Network.
In November 2024, she was nominated as the federal NDP candidate for Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park.

### Member of Provincial Parliament

On September 14, 2017, the Parkdale—High Park NDP riding association nominated Karpoche as the party's candidate in the 2018 general election. She won the election on June 7, 2018, and her party won the second most seats, becoming the Official Opposition.
Following her election, NDP leader Andrea Horwath appointed Karpoche as deputy opposition whip and mental health and addictions critic. In a shadow cabinet shuffle on August 30, 2019, the deputy opposition whip was passed to Doly Begum.
In 2019, she was voted Toronto's Best Local Politician by Toronto Star readers. She was voted Best MPP by Now Magazine readers in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Karpoche was re-elected in the 2022 election with 53.97% of the popular vote.
Following the selection of Interim Leader Peter Tabuns, Karpoche retained her critic portfolio of early childhood development and children, and was assigned the additional portfolio of GTA issues. On July 15, 2022, it was announced that the Ontario NDP would be nominating Karpoche as a Deputy Speaker in the 43rd parliament.
As of August 11, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition's critic for Affordability and for GTA issues.
In September 2024, Karpoche announced she would not seek re-election in the 2025 Ontario general election so that she could run in the 2025 Canadian federal election in the federal constituency of Parkdale—High Park.

## Electoral record

vte2022 Ontario general election: Parkdale—High Park :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Bhutila Karpoche | 23,024 | 53.97 | −5.44 | $114,469 |
| | Liberal | Karim Bardeesy | 9,547 | 22.38 | +5.38 | $118,634 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Monika Frejlich | 6,270 | 14.70 | −3.31 | $12,433 |
| | Green | Patrick Macklem | 2,587 | 6.06 | +1.40 | $2,663 |
| | New Blue | Danielle Height | 537 | 1.26 | | $0 |
| | Ontario Party | Craig Peskett | 349 | 0.82 | | $0 |
| | Communist | Gunes Agduk | 221 | 0.52 | +0.27 | $0 |
| | People's Political Party | Oliver Roberts | 129 | 0.30 | | $0 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 42,664 | 99.47 | +0.33 | $120,799 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 228 | 0.53 | −0.33 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 42,892 | 50.25 | −12.18 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 86,295 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | −5.41 |
| Source(s) "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. |||||||
vte2018 Ontario general election: Parkdale—High Park :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Bhutila Karpoche | 32,407 | 59.41 | +13.21 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Adam Pham | 9,821 | 18.00 | +6.26 |
| | Liberal | Nadia Guerrera | 9,271 | 17.00 | -20.42 |
| | Green | Halyna Zalucky | 2,544 | 4.66 | +1.33 |
| | Libertarian | Matthias Nunno | 371 | 0.68 | +0.25 |
| | Communist | Jay Watts | 135 | 0.25 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 54,549 | 65.02 | +8.12 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 83,879 |
| | New Democratic hold | New Democratic hold | Swing | Swing | +3.42 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||