‘Ready to get started’: Family doctor elected MP eager for next chapter

TORONTO — Danielle Martin’s first job after graduating from university was in the office of a member of provincial parliament who served as the Liberals’ health critic under a Progressive Conservative government in Ontario.

The experience led Martin to attend medical school. She became a family physician who advocated for changes to improve the health-care system.

Her work at the legislature not only inspired Martin to become a physician, but it also sparked an interest in politics.

After two decades in health care, she was nominated as the federal Liberal candidate in University-Rosedale, replacing Chrystia Freeland after her January resignation. And on Monday, she won the seat in a byelection.

“I’m ready to get started,” Martin said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.

“I’ve had 20 wonderful years of practising medicine here in this community, coming to understand what drives health in communities, and now I’m ready to take the next logical step in my career.”

Martin is one of the three Liberals who won byelections Monday, giving them 174 seats in the House of Commons. The byelections came after several opposition MPs crossed the floor to join the governing party in recent months. Only 172 seats were needed to secure a majority.

Doly Begum, a former NDP member of Ontario’s legislature, won the riding of Scarborough Southwest in Toronto, and Tatiana Auguste became the MP-elect to represent Terrebonne in Montreal.

Martin secured nearly two-thirds of the total votes, while New Democrat Serena Purdy and Conservative Don Hodgson trailed behind in distant second and third.

She said she hopes her expertise will help her in her new role.

“I would expect that both my front-line experience as a health-care worker and my experience of leading change in large and complex systems will be transferable,” she said.

“I think we need people from all walks of life in Parliament, from all sectors, from all areas of expertise. I think that’s part of what makes our democracy rich and makes the level of public conversation nuanced.”

Before entering politics, Martin served as executive vice-president of Women’s College Hospital. She has also led the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.

In 2014, Martin appeared before a United States Senate subcommittee to speak about Canada’s public health-care system.

Martin said her No. 1 priority is to set up a constituency office.

“In addition to that, I’ll be spending time in Ottawa beginning to learn all the parliamentary procedure and understand the workings of government from the perspective of a member of Parliament,” she said.

Less than 24 hours after winning the election, Martin was already at the airport on her way to Ottawa.

“It was a wonderful evening, very exciting, but it went late,” she said of a victory celebration party that took place in downtown Toronto on Monday evening.

“We started early … so I suppose I’ll catch up on sleep in some other lifetime.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2026.

— With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa and Rianna Lim in Toronto

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press