L'Honorable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Députée d'Hochelaga

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada was first elected Member of Parliament for Hochelaga in 2019. She previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Diversity and Inclusion (Housing), the Minister of Transport, and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

For over 20 years, Minister Martinez Ferrada has been a strong voice for her community and for building a growing local economy and thriving cultural sector. For example, she set up the first cultural and socio-professional integration program at La TOHU, a performing arts center and a benchmark for sustainable development in Montreal.

Active in municipal politics for over 10 years, Minister Martinez Ferrada was elected city councilor of Saint-Michel and appointed associate councilor for culture to the Ville de Montréal executive committee in 2005. From 2015 to 2018, she was Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Minister Martinez Ferrada holds a master's degree in management from HEC Montréal. A citizen of Montreal East since arriving in Canada from Chile as a political refugee with her family in 1980, she is the mother of two children.