Jennifer French

Jennifer Kay French (born 1978) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2014. She represents the riding of Oshawa.

Background French was born in Winchester, Ontario, near Ottawa. She grew up in the United States after moving there with her family. She returned to Canada to attend Queen's University where she earned a bachelor's degree in biology. She spent three years teaching in Japan before returning to earn a master's degree in science with a teaching specialty. She moved to Oshawa where she spent eight years teaching elementary school.

Politics French ran in the 2014 provincial election as the New Democratic candidate in the riding of Oshawa. She defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent Jerry Ouellette by 7,692 votes.

She was the party's critic for pension issues, switched to critic for Community Safety and Correctional Services on March 23, 2015, and then to critic of Youth Engagement and critic of Citizenship and Immigration as of December 2, 2016.

French was reelected in the 2018.

In 2018, French tabled a private member's bill; known as Bill 43, Freeing Highways 412 and 418 Act. The bill proposed removing tolls on Ontario Highway 412 and Ontario Highway 418. The bill was not passed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, but the government did remove the tolls in February 2022, which French called "a long-overdue victory.".

She was reelected for the second time in the 2022 election.

In April 2022, French called for urgent financial support for Oshawa's Back Door Mission, which offers mental health and addictions support. In June 2023, the provincial government committed $1.1 million dollars in funding for the mission, which Global News attributed to her advocacy on the matter.

As of August 11, 2024, she serves as the Official Opposition critic for Transportation, Infrastructure, and Highways.

Electoral record