Patty Hajdu

BA’96, HBA’97

The understanding of humankind, culture and society that I learned at Lakehead University provided a rich context for many of the diverse positions I have held throughout my career. And now as a politician, the ability to observe without judgment is critical to understanding the variety of constituents that I serve both in my riding and across the country.

“I was the minister of health for a month and a half when we got into serious COVID-19 territory,” says Lakehead alumna Patty Hajdu.

She’s the federal MP at the forefront of Canada’s response to the coronavirus.

“In the early days, it was very hard to predict where this was going to land, there was a lot of hope that the virus could be contained,” she says. “In January, 40 million people were under quarantine in China.”

But Patty had to abruptly shift gears as the virus spread throughout Europe and then reached Canada’s shores. Much of her work developing the national pharmacare plan and improving access to primary care had to be paused.

“Now my primary mandate is to get the country through the COVID-19 pandemic,” she says.

Her ministry stepped up and took over the process of acquiring personal protective equipment. “Provinces and territories were trying to go it alone, but it was very tough,” she says.

Patty is also focused on rapid responses to outbreaks, investing in therapeutics and vaccine development, and handling the closure of the Canada – U.S. border.

Throughout all of this, her thoughts are on her fellow citizens.

“I have a deep sense of gratitude because Canadians have been making enormous sacrifices – people who are separated from their loved ones, people who’ve had to reimagine how they run their businesses, and essential workers who’re coping with extremely stressful conditions.”

Serving as the minister of health during a period of global upheaval is not something Patty envisioned for herself.

“I would say that I’m an unlikely politician.”

It was her work at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit overseeing harm prevention programs and developing the city’s drug strategy, as well as the encouragement of friends and colleagues, that convinced her to enter the political arena.

“I realized that if I wanted to make the world a better or a fairer place, bringing about policy changes at the national level could move forward issues I’d been involved with at the community level.”

Becoming the executive director of Shelter House – a homeless shelter in Thunder Bay – clinched her decision.

“As I got to know the stories of the folks using our services, I saw that so many of them were stuck in situations they had no control over.”

After winning the Thunder Bay-Superior North riding in the 2015 federal election, she was appointed the Minister of Status of Women and then the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour before being chosen as the Minister of Health in December 2019.

It’s a posting that draws upon her public health expertise and has introduced her to others who share her dedication to helping Canadians.

“There are many people I’ve been inspired by over the past few months, but the first person on my list is Dr. Theresa Tam. Her strength and resolve has really enabled us to navigate a science-driven response in a time of incredible crisis.”

Patty also applauds the country’s provincial ministers of health.

“One of the defining features of the way we have managed the pandemic is how well we’ve worked together, despite sometimes profound political differences.”

She believes that Canada is ideally placed to advocate for stronger global collaboration in fighting COVID-19, and her convictions and compassion ensure that she will add her voice to this debate.

“All my life, I’ve been called loud and aggressive,” she says. “It turns out that those are actually pretty good qualities to have in politics.”