By Zois Marinos
MONTREAL – Born on September 12, 1990 and with parents from Naxos and Tripoli, Emmanuella Lambropoulos is the youngest MP of the Greek diaspora. She was elected on April 3 in the Saint-Laurent electoral district of Montreal, occupying the seat of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Dion.
Lambropoulos, as detailed in the National Herald, has managed to displace bigger names in the political life of Canada, and was elected to the federal parliament of the country with 59.1 percent, under the flag of the Liberal Party of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
A teacher of French and History at Rosemount High School, she received her degree in 2013 from the renowned McGill University and specialized in the education of children with learning disabilities.
As for her new life in Parliament? “Interesting,” Lambropoulos told TNH and invited us to the event she organized in Girouard Park on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Canada.
Already in over three months of her parliamentary term, she has taken major initiatives for her electoral region, including actions on the environment, boosting employment and tourism.
And to think that “everything started from grandma’s living room,” she said, which was her election base. And then, going door-to-door to every house in the area, she announced her candidacy.
But with the public, Lambropoulos had developed a very strong relationship as a volunteer with Dion’s team and also as the president of the McGill University Hellenic Student Association.
In our research, TNH found that Emmanuella Lambropoulos follows the example of George Michalakis, a northern Chios-native, who was elected a Member of the South African Parliament at the age of 26.
Lambropoulos has not yet turned 27. In her speech after winning the election she spoke in both English and French, “I will be an MP for all of you. My door will always be open to you,” thanking her team and supporters, saying she was “proud” to continue where Dion had left off, as reported by the CBC News in April. She beat former provincial immigration minister and presumed front-runner Yolande James for the Liberal Party nomination only a month earlier.
On July 2, wearing her characteristic black-framed glasses, Lambropoulos was greeted by dozens of Greek expatriates in Girouard Park. The Greek community of the province of Quebec feels great pride for Emmanuella, whose election was strongly and actively supported by Prime Minister Trudeau.
And it’s not just the members of the Greek community who support her, but also other ethnic communities that the young MP also represents.
“We celebrate 150 years of Canada together and join our voices in honoring this great country,” said Emmanuella Lambropoulos, who told TNH that she will probably visit Greece this summer.
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