Leslie Church

Leslie Church is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as the Member of Parliament for Toronto–St. Paul's since the 2025 Canadian federal election. She is known for her extensive career in the public and private sectors, having held senior roles in federal government, public affairs and communications.

Early Life and Education

Church grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & International Relations from the University of Alberta where she served on the Board of Governors and as President of the Student's Union. She later earned a Master of Science in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and was a Junior Fellow at Massey College.
While serving as the Executive Director of the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, Church was a member of the advisory panel for the 2004 Rae Report, alongside former premiers Bob Rae and Bill Davis, as well as economist Don Drummond.

Career

Church is a lawyer and a former senior advisor to four Canadian Cabinet Ministers. She previously served as Chief of Staff to Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland, where she played a lead role in the creation of three federal budgets.
Church ran in the 2024 Toronto—St. Paul's federal by-election, and lost to Conservative candidate Don Stewart. She ran again in the 2025 Canadian federal election, and defeated Stewart, winning with 61.88% of the vote. Following her victory, Church made comparisons between her two campaigns as "night and day," after the resignation of Justin Trudeau.
On June 5, 2025, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour, for Seniors, and for Children and Youth, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Jobs and Families by Prime Minister Mark Carney.