# Sona Lakhoyan Olivier

Sona Lakhoyan Olivier is a Quebec politician who was elected as the Member of the National Assembly for Chomedey in the Quebec Liberal Party during the general elections on October 3, 2022.

## Childhood and family

Sona Lakhoyan Olivier was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1961, to parents of Armenian descent from Aleppo, Syria. She is the daughter of Puzant Lakhoyan, an upholsterer and athlete, and Marie Lakhoyan, a housewife. She spent her first fifteen years in Lebanon before immigrating to Quebec with her parents, her brother Hagop, and her sister Zepure. In 1995, Sona Lakhoyan Olivier married Marc Olivier, a Quebecer, and later became the mother of two daughters, Sevana and Ariana Olivier. She balances her roles as a mother, wife, and politician.

## Education

She continued her studies at the university level at Concordia University, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Languages. Additionally, she completed a graduate program in Public Administration.
Before dedicating herself to her full-time political career, she worked at Casino de Montréal from 1993 to 2019 as an administrative host, and at Loto-Québec in online gaming from 2019 until her election in 2022.

## Community engagement

Since a young age, Sona Lakhoyan Olivier has taken on a multitude of roles within her community. She has always believed that community involvement is essential for the proper development of society. On one hand, she was actively involved in the health and educational sectors, serving as an elected commissioner for the Laval School Board from 2007 to 2014 and as vice-president of the board of directors for the Fondation Cité de la Santé de Laval from 2011 to 2013.

## Athletics

On the other hand, she has devoted much of her life to athletics, which is why she places great importance on physical activity in her projects. As an athlete for the Armenian Sports Association of Montreal (Homenetmen Gamk), her disciplines include the 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1,500 meters. In fact, she set a record in the 800-meter event at the age of 17. Later, drawing on her years of experience, she became an athletics coach for the Association and had the opportunity to participate in organizing the 2018 Armenian Olympiad in Laval. Her passion for sports led her, in 2016, to co-found the Armenian General Sports Union of Laval with her father and other enthusiasts. She later served as president until 2019, becoming the first woman to hold this position.

## Political career

Sona Lakhoyan Olivier took her first steps in the political sphere by joining the Youth Commission of the Quebec Liberal Party. At the same time, she had the opportunity to serve as the first youth vice-president of the executive alongside the MNA for Laurier-Dorion, Christos Sirros. She later became vice-president of the Chomedey Liberal Association in 2007, a position she held until 2018.
On August 8, 2022, she was nominated to represent the Quebec Liberal Party in the 2022 provincial election for the riding of Chomedey. On October 3, 2022, she won the election and became a member of the National Assembly of Quebec for the riding.
As a Member of the National Assembly, she holds the following roles:
* Vice-president of the National Assembly Delegation for Relations with Shandong since February 20, 2023.
* Vice-president of the National Assembly Delegation for Relations with Kyoto since February 20, 2023.
* Member of the Committee on Economy and Labor since December 2, 2022.
* Member of the Bureau of the National Assembly since December 1, 2022.
* Official Opposition Spokesperson for Tourism since October 27, 2022.
* Official Opposition Spokesperson responsible for the Lanaudière region since October 27, 2022.
* Official Opposition Spokesperson responsible for the Laurentides region since October 27, 2022.

## Electoral record

vte2022 Quebec general election: Chomedey :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Sona Lakhoyan Olivier | 11,895 | 36.52 | -16.16 |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | George Platanitis | 8,696 | 26.70 | +0.29 |
| | Conservative | Konstantinos Merakos | 6,467 | 19.85 | +16.28 |
| | Québec solidaire | Zachary Robert | 2,570 | 7.89 | +0.82 |
| | Parti Québécois | Rachid Bandou | 2,343 | 7.19 | -0.39 |
| | Green | Sahbi Nablia | 311 | 0.95 | -0.82 |
| | Bloc Montreal | Federica Gangai | 290 | 0.89 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 32,572 | 98.55 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 479 | 1.45 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 33,051 | 54.52 | +0.5 |
| Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | Electors on the lists | 60,626 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | – |