Rachel Bendayan

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Rachel Bendayan
MP
Rachel Bendayan.jpg
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
Assumed office
December 12, 2019
MinisterMary Ng
Preceded byOmar Alghabra (International Trade)
Richard Hébert (Small Business and Export Promotion)
Member of Parliament
for Outremont
Assumed office
February 25, 2019
Preceded byTom Mulcair
Personal details
Born (1980-05-10) May 10, 1980 (age 41)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political partyLiberal
ResidenceOutremont, Quebec[1]
Alma materMcGill University
ProfessionLawyer

Rachel Bendayan MP (born May 10, 1980) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on February 25, 2019 and was re-elected at the general election the following October 21. Former New Democratic Party leader Tom Mulcair had resigned from the House in August 2018, causing the by-election.[2] She represents the electoral district of Outremont as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada,[2] In December 2019, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau asked her to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng.

She previously ran as the Liberal candidate for Outremont in the 2015 Canadian federal election, coming in second to Mulcair[2] and increasing the Liberal Party's vote share by a significant margin. Following the 2015 federal election, Bendayan served as Chief of Staff to Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism.[3]

Early life[edit]

Bendayan was born and raised in a Jewish family of Moroccan origin.[4] Bendayan studied law at McGill University and obtained her degree in 2007, specializing in commercial litigation and international arbitration.[5] After graduating, Bendayan was employed by the Norton Rose Fulbright law firm[3] and also teaches at the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal.

Political career[edit]

A member of the Liberal Party of Canada, she was a candidate for the first time in Outremont in the 2015 federal election, against Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the official opposition. She finished second with 33.4% of the vote. After the elections, she then became chief of staff to Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism.

Following Thomas Mulcair's departure from political life in June 2018, Bendayan announced her intention to once again be a candidate for the Liberal Party in the next election. She was nominated as a candidate against the teacher and activist Kim Manning in December 2018, after a vote by members of the constituency.[2] The elections were finally called to take place on February 25, When she became elected after winning with 40.4% of votes, 2,161 votes more than her nearest opponent, the NDP's Julia Sánchez with 26.1%.[6]

Bendayan was re-elected in the 2019 federal election, obtaining 46.2% of the votes and beating her closest opponent by 10,829 votes.[7] She was then appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, Mary Ng, by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Antisemitic attacks[edit]

Along with other Jewish Liberal Party candidates, Bendayan has been a victim of anti-Semitic attacks during the campaign for the 2021 Canadian federal elections, with swastikas drawn on her campaign posters.[8][9]

Electoral record[edit]

2019 Canadian federal election: Outremont
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Rachel Bendayan 19,148 46.19 +5.76 $47,498.81
New Democratic Andrea Clarke 8,319 20.07 -7.45 none listed
Bloc Québécois Célia Grimard 5,741 13.85 +2.63 $9,862.60
Green Daniel Green 5,018 12.1 -0.83 none listed
Conservative Jasmine Louras 2,707 6.53 +0.39 $4,912.03
People's Sabin Levesque 369 0.89 -0.65 none listed
Rhinoceros Mark John Hiemstra 155 0.37 none listed
Total valid votes/Expense limit 41,457 100.0 $102,446.50
Total rejected ballots 455
Turnout 41,912 62.2
Eligible voters 67,842
Liberal hold Swing +6.61
Source: Elections Canada[10][11]


Canadian federal by-election, February 25, 2019: Outremont
Resignation of Tom Mulcair
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Rachel Bendayan 6,086 40.4 Increase 6.9
New Democratic Julia Sánchez 3,925 26.1 Decrease 18
Green Daniel Green 1,889 12.5 Increase 8.9
Bloc Québécois Michel Duchesne 1,683 11.2 Increase 2.8
Conservative Jasmine Louras 1,098 7.3 Decrease 2.2
People's James Seale 322 2.1 New
Independent William Barrett 52 0.3 New
Total valid votes 15,053 100.0    
Total rejected ballots 135 –
Turnout 15,188 21.6
Eligible voters 70,414
Liberal gain from New Democratic Swing Increase25
Source: Elections Canada[12]
2015 Canadian federal election: Outremont
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Tom Mulcair 19,242 44.11 −11.57 $101,332.88
Liberal Rachel Bendayan 14,597 33.46 +11.84 $101,506.39
Conservative Rodolphe Husny 4,159 9.53 +1.55 $7,828.89
Bloc Québécois Roger Galland Barou 3,668 8.41 −3.20 $6,959.30
Green Amara Diallo 1,575 3.61 +1.37 –
Libertarian Francis Pouliot 216 0.50 – –
Communist Adrien Welsh 162 0.37 – –
Total valid votes/Expense limit 43,619 100.00 – $204,392.07
Total rejected ballots 426 0.97 – –
Turnout 44,045 62.42 – –
Eligible voters 70,559 – – –
New Democratic hold Swing  
Source: Elections Canada[13][14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Annabelle Olivier, "Liberal Party’s Rachel Bendayan wins federal byelection in Outremont". Global News, February 25, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Liberal candidate launches Outremont byelection bid". Canadian Jewish News, January 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Canada : Rachel Bendayan remporte la circonscription d'Outremont. CCME
  5. ^ "Jewish Candidate Rachel Bendayan Favoured to Win Outremont Liberal Nomination". 4 December 2018.
  6. ^ Les libéraux reprennent Outremont, tandis que les conservateurs gardent York–Simcoe. Radio-Canada
  7. ^ 2019 Canada election results: Outremont. Global News
  8. ^ Jewish Liberal candidates, Singh face racist attacks during election campaign
  9. ^ There’s no place for the swastika in Canadian political discourse. Toronto Star
  10. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  12. ^ "February 25, 2019 By-elections Election Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  13. ^ Elections Canada – Poll by Poll Election Results, 22 October 2015
  14. ^ "Final Candidate Election Expenses Limits". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
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