Peggy Nash is the Member of Parliament for Parkdale-High Park. A life long activist, she is known for her tireless work to build a better, stronger, and more equal Canada.

With decades of experience as a top executive for Canada’s largest private-sector union, Peggy has distinguished herself has a national leader on economic affairs. Since the May 2011 election, Peggy has served as Opposition finance critic and has consistently challenged the Conservative government’s economic policy and inaction on rising inequality and unemployment in Canada.

Like many Canadians, Peggy’s grandparents immigrated to Canada to seek out better opportunities for their family. She grew up with her parents and siblings in Rexdale, Ontario and her father – who Peggy describes as “the fairest man in the world” – worked at a General Motors plant. Thanks to the hard work of her parents and grandparents, Peggy became the first person in her family to attend university.

After graduating from the University of Toronto, Peggy became involved in progressive activism while working as a booking agent for Canadian Airlines. Beginning as an organizer with the Canadian Airline Employees Association, she worked her way up to senior negotiator with the Canadian Auto Workers. In 2005, Peggy became the first woman union representative to lead negotiations with the automotive industry in North America. In her role as a negotiator, she was also instrumental in improving pensions for same-sex partners, developing anti-harassment and anti-racism programs, and negotiating a 'right to refuse work' clause for women facing workplace harassment.

Jack asked Peggy to run for the NDP shortly after he became the leader in 2003. When she was first elected to Parliament in 2006, he appointed her industry critic and critic for the City of Toronto. Peggy successfully pressed the government to reject – for the first time in more than 20 years – the foreign takeover of a major Canadian company.

When Peggy was elected again in 2011, in the surge that swept the NDP into the Official Opposition, Jack chose Peggy as his Finance critic. Since then, she has been centre stage in the House of Commons, pressing the Conservatives to invest in Canadian jobs and cancel wasteful corporate tax cuts.

Peggy’s fight for equality and human rights extends beyond Canada’s borders. When South Africa called its first post-apartheid elections in 1994 – which saw Nelson Mandela elected President – Peggy was selected as an international monitor. She also served as a monitor for the 2004 and 2007 elections in the Ukraine. In November 2005, Peggy led a delegation to Mar del Plata, Argentina to oppose the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. She has also participated in a delegation to the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre Brazil.

In recognition of her outstanding efforts, Peggy has been the recipient of numerous awards, including: two awards from the Sierra Club of Canada for her leadership on the NDP Green Cars strategy with Greenpeace and the CAW; a certificate of honour for contributing to women's equality from the City of Toronto for her work to end violence against women; and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award.

Peggy holds an Honours BA in French language and literature from the University of Toronto and is fluent in English, French and Spanish. She is proud to be a founding member of Equal Voice, a multi-partisan organization that advocates for the election of more women in Canada.

Peggy lives in Toronto with her partner, Carl. They have raised three sons in Parkdale-High Park.