The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Hochelaga in 2019. She has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Housing), as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, and as Parliamentary Secretary to 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 created the very first cultural and socio-professional integration program at TOHU, a centre for the performing arts and a unique example of sustainable development in Montréal.

Minister Martinez Ferrada was involved in municipal politics for more than 10 years. In 2005, she was elected as a city councillor for Saint-Michel and was appointed to the City of Montréal’s Executive Committee as the Associate Advisor for Culture. From 2015 to 2018, she served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Minister Martinez Ferrada holds a Master’s degree in management from the HEC Montréal. A resident of the east end of Montréal since she came to Canada from Chile as a political refugee with her family in 1980, she is a proud mother of two.