Michelle Rempel Garner
Michelle L. Rempel Garner[1] PC MP (née Godin;[2] born February 14, 1980) is a Canadian politician who sits in the House of Commons as the member of Parliament (MP) for the Alberta riding of Calgary Nose Hill. A member of the Conservative Party, she was initially elected to represent Calgary Centre-North in the 2011 federal election and served as a minister during Stephen Harper's premiership.
Michelle Rempel Garner
Jeffrey Garner (m. 2019)
Administrative professional, Member of Parliament
On November 9, 2021, Rempel Garner was named the Conservative critic of natural resources by Opposition leader Erin O'Toole.[3] She sits on multiple Parliamentary Standing Committees including the Standing Committee on Natural Resources (December 9, 2021 – Present), Standing Committee on Health (October 9, 2020 to August 15, 2021), Industry, Science and Technology (February 18, 2020 – August 18, 2020), and Citizenship and Immigration (September 21, 2017 – September 11, 2019).[4]
Early life and career[edit]
Rempel Garner was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is of partial Franco-Manitoban ancestry through her father.[2] She completed a degree in economics at the University of Manitoba,[5] and helped to pay her way through school by playing as a classically-trained pianist.[2]
Prior to being elected, Rempel Garner worked as the director of the University of Calgary's Institutional Programs Division.[6] She is credited with leading a redesign of the University's service delivery model which resulted in sponsored research funding revenues increasing from $7 million in 2007 to over $100 million in 2009. She had also previously worked in the technology commercialization division of the University of Manitoba.[7]
Controversies[edit]
In 2018, The Canadian Press ranked one of Rempel Garner's news releases as containing "a lot of baloney" on its "baloney meter", which it describes as "a project ... that examines the level of accuracy in statements made by politicians". This was in reference to claims that Canada was facing a "crisis" in regards to migrant accommodation.[40] Rempel Garner responded to this allegation by alleging that the news organization was working as a "spin tool" for the Prime Minister's Office.[41]
The Sprawl criticized her response, arguing that it is part of a pattern whereby Rempel Garner "mimics the worst of American politics and attacks the media’s credibility" and opined that "her anti-media rants veered into full-on conspiracy theory."[42]
In 2020, Rempel Garner made headlines for working from Oklahoma, US as a sitting Canadian MP during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following news reports, Rempel Garner indicated she had left Canada for an “unexpected and urgent private personal matter”.[43] The National Post reported in August 2020 that since the pandemic began in March, "there has been no indication that the Conservative MP had returned to Canada."[44]
Rempel Garner has been accused of blocking users on Twitter. The hashtag #BlockedByRempel trended on Twitter with replies from Canadians who alleged that they had been blocked by Rempel Garner.[45] She claims to have been a victim of gendered social media abuse and to have received threats of violence in her role as a female Parliamentarian.[46] Rempel Garner won a court case against a Toronto area man who threatened her with violence over social media.[36] In 2018, APTN national news reported that Rempel blocked an Indigenous youth representative on Twitter, and the report asked whether "this move sets a 'dangerous precedent' for politicians facing criticism online."[47] The Toronto Star revealed that "it only took Rempel about five minutes to block his Twitter account after he turned to social media to critique her stance on immigration."[48] "It’s not the fact that she blocked me personally that’s upsetting me,” the deputy youth leader said. “It’s the fact that this is an elected member of Parliament. She’s a Canadian politician and she’s taking these kinds of steps to block out this kind of information from Canadian citizens.”[49]
Honours[edit]
In 2010, Rempel Garner was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the "Future Leaders" category by the Women's Executive Network.[50]
In November 2014, Rempel was named one of Calgary's Top 40 Under 40 by Avenue magazine.[5] In 2016, Rempel was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders.[51] Rempel Garner was named one of "Alberta's 50 Most Influential People of 2016" by Alberta Venture Magazine, citing her "strong debate performances in the House of Commons" and "her fierce support of women in politics".[52]
In 2018, Rempel was ranked third on the list of "Most Valuable Politicians" by The Hill Times.[53]