Nathalie Provost

Nathalie Provost (born 1966) is a Canadian politician, gun control advocate, and engineer who has served as a member of Parliament (MP) for Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville since 2025. She is a member of the Liberal Party.

Provost survived being shot during the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre. She and other survivors founded the PolySeSouvient gun-control advocacy group, for which she served as a spokesperson. She has continued as an activist for gun control and to reduce violence against women. From 2017 to 2019 Provost served as vice-chair of the Government's Canadian Firearms Registry, but resigned because of belief they were not strong enough. She works as an engineering civil servant for the government of Quebec. With Provost's permission, Canadian author Louise Penny featured her as a character in her 2022 novel A World of Curiosities.

She was elected to the House of Commons in the 2025 Canadian federal election.

Biography Provost was born in Quebec. She was a 23-year old mechanical engineering student at École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1989. On 6 December of that year, Marc Lépine, armed with a rifle, interrupted a lecture, shot the ceiling, and ordered the approximately 50 male students to leave the room. Nine female students, including Provost, remained. Lépine told the women he was there to fight feminism; Provost responded that they were students, not activists. Lépine shot the women, killing six and injuring three, including Provost. She received four gun shots to her head and leg, The gunman continued to other floors, killing a total of 14 women, including one staff person, and wounding 14 others (ten women, four men) before committing suicide.

Provost worked as an engineer in the civil service

Since April 28, 2025, she has been elected as the Member of Parliament for Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville. On May 13, she was appointed by Mark Carney as Secretary of State (Nature). At the time of the 2025 Canadian federal election, she lived in Saint-Lambert, Quebec.

Activism After the shooting, Provost embraced the feminist label, describing it as a "beautiful title." With other survivors of the attack, she formed the gun-control advocacy group PolySeSouvient, and became one of the two spokespersons. In 2009, she advocated to retain the Canadian Firearms Registry, opposing plans that were eventually implemented by the Government of Stephen Harper in 2012. In 2021, she urged federal politicians to reject firearms regulations proposed by the Liberal government, which she considered to be too weak. In 2022, Provost denounced the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights for using the discount code "POLY" for its online sales. Her complaints prompted a barrage of online abuse, including sexual and violent threats. She was elected, winning 45% of the vote, by more than 10 000 votes.

Electoral record