Kim Elizabeth Rudd (November 18, 1957 – March 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician and businesswoman. She was elected a Member of Parliament for Northumberland – Peterborough South in 2015 and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources from 2015 to 2018.

Kim Rudd
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
In office
December 2, 2015 – August 30, 2018
MinisterJim Carr
Preceded byKelly Block
Member of Parliament
for Northumberland—Peterborough South
In office
October 19, 2015 – September 11, 2019
Preceded byRick Norlock
Succeeded byPhilip Lawrence
Personal details
BornNovember 18, 1957
Died (aged 66)
Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseTom Rudd
Children2

Rudd was a past president and owner of Willis College in Cobourg, Ontario, a former owner of Cook's Day School, and a past president of the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce.

Career edit

Before becoming involved in politics as a career, Rudd was a long-time advocate of childcare and previously worked on the creation of daycares in Cobourg, Ontario.[1] She was a former owner of Cook's Day School, Willis College, and Archer CPR Training.[2][3]

In 2011, Rudd was among six award recipients of the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award. Contributions to economies locally, nationally, and globally were among the criteria for winning the award.[4] Rudd was a consultant at the Canadian Nuclear Association.[2]

In 2020, Rudd joined the Advisory Board for Arnprior Aerospace Inc.[5] She served as the President of the Northumberland Central Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee of Northumberland, Vice-Chair of the Ontario Training Completion Assurance Fund Secretariat, Vice-President of the Association of Career Colleges and as the founding Executive Director of the Association of Private Colleges.[2]

Political career edit

After an unsuccessful bid to become a Member of Parliament in the 2011 Canadian federal election,[6] Rudd was elected in 2015 to the House of Commons of Canada to represent the riding of Northumberland – Peterborough South.[7] She also served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources from 2015 to 2018 when she announced she chose to step down to better represent her riding; while stepping down from Parliamentary Secretary, Rudd declared she would not be ruling out future opportunities for more responsibility in future government.[8][dead link][9] On October 1, 2018, Rudd was named the chair of the Parliamentary Health Research Caucus and served as a member of the standing committees on finance and natural resources.[2][10]

Rudd opposed eliminating a tax on heating fuel and supported tax credits such as the Canada Child Tax Credit. She said that eliminating a tax on heating fuel would have varying degrees of impact on people living in different parts of Canada and that the Canada Child Tax Credit would be more universal.[1]

Rudd said she supported improving the Canada Pension Plan and increasing benefits to widows.[1]

She ran for reelection and was defeated in the 2019 Canadian federal election by more than 2,500 votes.[11]

Personal life and death edit

Kim Elizabeth Rudd was born on November 18, 1957.[2] When she was growing up, her alcoholic father had to quit work after an accident, so her mother started working at a more demanding job, which led to Rudd having significant household responsibilities as a child. She had Métis ancestry via her maternal grandfather.[1]

Rudd and her husband Tom Rudd had two daughters, Alison and Stefanie. They adopted Alison.[1][4]

Kim Rudd died of ovarian cancer at a hospice in Cobourg, Ontario, on March 12, 2024, at the age of 66.[12][13]

Electoral record edit

2019 Canadian federal election: Northumberland—Peterborough South
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative Philip Lawrence 27,385 39.7 +0.14 $68,864.16
Liberal Kim Rudd 24,977 36.2 -6.31 $83,715.67
New Democratic Mallory MacDonald 9,615 13.9 -0.9 $8,871.55
Green Jeff Wheeldon 5,524 8.0 +4.87 none listed
People's Frank Vaughan 1,460 2.1 $1,643.34
Total valid votes/expense limit 68,961 100.0  
Total rejected ballots 484
Turnout 69,445 71.7
Eligible voters 96,841
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing +3.23
Source: Elections Canada[14][15]
2015 Canadian federal election: Northumberland—Peterborough South
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Kim Rudd 27,043 42.51 +21.42 $114,323.76
Conservative Adam Moulton 25,165 39.56 -13.80 $135,349.14
New Democratic Russ Christianson 9,411 14.80 -5.79 $41,225.56
Green Patricia Sinnott 1,990 3.13 -1.55 $1,350.03
Total valid votes/Expense limit 63,609 100.00   $229,426.74
Total rejected ballots 267 0.42
Turnout 63,876 71.67
Eligible voters 89,128
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +17.61
Source: Elections Canada[16][17][18]


2011 Canadian federal election: Northumberland—Quinte West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rick Norlock 32,853 53.83 +5.11
Liberal Kim Rudd 12,822 21.01 -7.59
New Democratic Russ Christianson 12,626 20.69 +6.17
Green Ralph Torrie 2,733 4.48 -3.70
Total valid votes/expense limit 61,034
Total rejected ballots 184 0.30 -0.03
Turnout 61,218 64.64
Eligible voters 96,154
Source: Elections Canada[6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Kim Rudd: Candidate for the Liberal Party | Trent Hills Now". Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kim Elizabeth Rudd: November 18, 1957 – March 12, 2024 Archived March 16, 2024, at the Wayback Machine, maccoubrey.com. Accessed March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Kim Rudd, Northumberland-Peterborough South Liberal candidate ready to reinvigorate Canada". northumberlandnews.com. September 4, 2015. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Cobourg entrepreneur among best in Canada". NorthumberlandNews.com. December 5, 2011. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Kim Rudd" (PDF). p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 23, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "FORTY-FIRST GENERAL ELECTION 2011 — Poll-by-poll results". Elections Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  7. ^ "Liberal Kim Rudd wins in Northumberland Peterborough-South: 2015 federal election results". NorthumberlandNews.com. October 19, 2015. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  8. ^ "Rudd Steps Down from Parliamentary Secretary Position". Cobourg Now – News Magazine. August 31, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  9. ^ Kovach, Joelle (August 30, 2018). "Rudd stepping down as parliamentary secretary". The Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "MP Kim Rudd tackling new responsibilities". NorthumberlandNews.com. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  11. ^ Heeger, Sean (October 22, 2019). "UPDATE: Northumberland-Peterborough South Liberal candidate Kim Rudd not defeated by election loss". NorthumberlandNews.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  12. ^ Northumberland is mourning a leader: Former MP Kim Rudd passes away after lengthy battle with cancer, gonorthumberland.ca. Accessed March 16, 2024.
  13. ^ "Kim Rudd, former MP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, dies at Cobourg hospice centre". Northumberland News. March 13, 2024. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  14. ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  15. ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Northumberland—Peterborough South, 30 September 2015". Archived from the original on October 20, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  17. ^ "Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates". Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  18. ^ "Elections Canada – Preliminary Results 2015-10-20". Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2015.