Catherine Fife

Catherine Fife
MPP
Chair of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 7, 2025
LeaderMarit Stiles
Critic, Finance and Treasury Board
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 13, 2022
LeaderMarit Stiles
Critic, Jobs, Employment, Research and Innovation
In office
August 23, 2018 – June 2, 2022
LeaderAndrea Horwath
Critic, Finance and Treasury Board
In office
June 25, 2014 – June 7, 2018
LeaderAndrea Horwath
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Waterloo
Kitchener—Waterloo (2012—2018)
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 6, 2012
Preceded byElizabeth Witmer
Personal details
BornJanuary 30 1968 or 1969 (age 56–57)
PartyNew Democratic
SpouseDale Fife
Children2
OccupationResearch coordinator

Catherine Eileen Fife[1] (born 1968 or 1969)[2] is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who represents the riding of Waterloo. She has been a Member of Provincial Parliament since first winning her seat in the 2012 Kitchener—Waterloo byelection. Since 2025, Fife has served as the chairperson of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the first Canadian in the role.[3]

Background

Prior to entering politics, she spent 10 years with the Toronto District School Board as an educational assistant, a school community advisor and a settlement worker for new immigrants. She was the research coordinator for the Partnerships for Children and Families Project at Wilfrid Laurier University. She lives in Kitchener-Waterloo with her husband Dale and their two children.

Politics

Fife was elected to represent Waterloo/Wilmot as a trustee for the Waterloo Region District School Board in 2003, and was re-elected in 2006 and 2010.

In the 2007 provincial election, Fife ran as the New Democrat candidate in the riding of Kitchener—Waterloo. She came in third behind incumbent Progressive Conservative Elizabeth Witmer and Liberal candidate Louise Ervin.[4]

After Witmer resigned to take a position with the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board, Fife ran in a by-election on September 6, 2012 to replace her. She defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Tracey Weiler by 3,748 votes.[5][2] She was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election, defeating Liberal candidate Jamie Burton by 3,843 votes.[6] She was subsequently re-elected in the 2018 and 2022 provincial elections.

She was the party's critic for Jobs, Employment, Research and Innovation and the Chair for Standing Committee on Public Accounts.[7] As of September 7, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Finance and Treasury Board.

Election results

2025 Ontario general election: Waterloo
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticCatherine Fife25,05550.23+4.34$56,231
Progressive ConservativePeter Turkington13,67027.40–1.93$4,977
LiberalClayton Moore7,83915.71+1.79$31,031
GreenShefaza Esmail1,8143.64–3.38$15,136
New BlueSuja Biber5431.09–1.53$3,253
Ontario PartyChris Martin4770.96+0.16$0
LibertarianJames Schulz3250.65N/A$0
Electoral ReformPeter House1610.32+0.09$0
Total valid votes/expense limit 49,88499.60+0.08$156,321
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 1980.40-0.08
Turnout 50,08253.02+4.61
Eligible voters 94,451
New Democratic hold Swing +3.1
Source: Elections Ontario[8]
2022 Ontario general election: Waterloo
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
New DemocraticCatherine Fife20,61545.89−4.65$79,926
Progressive ConservativeAndrew Aitken13,17629.33−2.08$55,487
LiberalJennifer Tuck6,25113.92+1.75$28,468
GreenShefaza Esmail3,1106.92+2.09$7,305
New BlueVladimir Voznyuk1,1782.62 $4,970
Ontario PartyBenjamin Hufnagel3590.80 $0
CommunistChristian Shingiro1300.29 $0
Electoral ReformPeter House1030.23 $0
Total valid votes/expense limit 44,92299.52+0.79$130,920
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 2160.48-0.79
Turnout 45,13848.41-13.39
Eligible voters 93,522
New Democratic hold Swing −1.29
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: Waterloo
Party Candidate Votes%
New DemocraticCatherine Fife27,31550.54
Progressive ConservativeDan Weber16,97331.41
LiberalDorothy McCabe6,57712.17
GreenZdravko Gunjevic2,6134.83
LibertarianAndrew Allison5661.05
Total valid votes 54,097100.00
Turnout 64.5
Eligible voters 83,924
New Democratic pickup new district.
Source: Elections Ontario[9]
2014 Ontario general election: Kitchener—Waterloo
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticCatherine Fife20,53637.43-2.44
LiberalJamie Burton16,53430.14+6.15
Progressive ConservativeTracey Weiler14,45026.34-5.49
GreenStacey Danckert2,8595.21+1.94
LibertarianJames Schulz4380.78+0.49
FreedomNicholas Roy430.07+0.05
Total valid votes 54,860100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 6231.12
Turnout 55,48354.95
Eligible voters 100,972
New Democratic hold Swing -4.29
Source(s)
Elections Ontario (2014). "Official Returns from the Records, 039 Kitchener—Waterloo" (PDF). Retrieved 23 August 2015.
Ontario provincial by-election, September 6, 2012: Kitchener—Waterloo
Resignation of Elizabeth Witmer
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticCatherine Fife18,59939.87+23.20
Progressive ConservativeTracey Weiler14,85131.83-11.94
LiberalEric Davis11,19423.99-12.05
GreenStacey Danckert1,5253.27+0.63
LibertarianAllan Dettweiler1560.33
FreedomDavid Driver950.20-0.05
CommunistElizabeth Rowley850.18
IndependentGarnet Bruce770.17
People's Political PartyKevin Clarke480.10
PauperJohn Turmel230.05
Total valid votes 46,653100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 1280.27
Turnout 46,78147.00
Eligible voters 99,544
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +17.57
Source(s)
Elections Ontario (2012). "Official return from the records / Rapport des registres officiels - Kitchener—Waterloo by-election" (PDF). Retrieved 2 June 2014.
2007 Ontario general election: Kitchener—Waterloo
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeElizabeth Witmer20,74840.84-2.24
LiberalLouise Ervin15,84831.20-9.18
New DemocraticCatherine Fife8,90217.52+6.58
GreenJudy Greenwood-Speers4,7079.27+6.08
Family CoalitionLouis Reitzel5981.18-0.53
Total valid votes 50,803100.00
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 313
Turnout 51,11653.63
Eligible voters 95,319
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +3.47

References

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