Marilyn Gladu

Biography

Marilyn Gladu MP (born 1962) is a Canadian politician and member of the Conservative Party. She has been serving as the Member of Parliament for Sarnia—Lambton since 2015. Throughout her career, Gladu has made significant contributions in engineering, held leadership positions in professional organizations, and actively participated in parliamentary committees.

Gladu began her professional journey as a professional engineer at Dow Chemical, where she dedicated 21 years to the company, working in various roles both locally and internationally. She later joined Suncor, where she served as the engineering manager and director of engineering. Following her tenure at Suncor, she took on a consultant role at WorleyParsons. Gladu’s expertise and dedication in the field of engineering were recognized when she was appointed as the chair of the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers locally, as well as the national director of science and industrial policy for the same organization. She has also contributed to the development of engineering education by serving on the dean’s advisory council for the Faculty of Engineering at Queen’s University.

In 2015, Gladu’s political career took flight when she was elected to the House of Commons in the Canadian federal election. She became a member of Andrew Scheer’s Official Opposition during the 42nd Parliament of Canada. Notably, in 2016, she sponsored a private member’s bill, “An Act providing for the development of a framework on palliative care in Canada” (C-277), which was successfully passed into law in December 2017.

Gladu’s contributions and achievements have garnered recognition from her peers and professional associations. She was honored as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineers and a Fellow of Engineers Canada in 2017.

Within the Conservative Party, Gladu has held various positions, including serving as the Official Opposition’s critic for civil liberties. She has previously served as the critic for health and as the chair of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. During Rona Ambrose’s leadership, Gladu assumed the role of Official Opposition critic for science.

Gladu’s dedication to public service led her to seek re-election in the Sarnia—Lambton riding in the October 2019 election, where she secured a second term. She also declared her intention to run in the 2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, but she was subsequently disqualified by the party in March 2020.

In April 2020, Gladu faced controversy due to an interview in which she promoted a controversial and unproven treatment for COVID-19. Her comments regarding the use of “hydroxychloroquine, with azithromycin and zinc sulphate” as a treatment sparked debate and criticism. Gladu clarified that her comments were taken out of context and did not fully represent her stance on the matter. Despite the controversy, Gladu continued to serve her constituents diligently.

In June 2021, Gladu made headlines when she publicly opposed and voted against Bill C-6, an act that aimed to ban conversion therapy in Canada. Although the bill passed in the House of Commons, it did not progress through the Senate. Subsequently, the Conservatives brought a unanimous consent motion to pass the amended conversion therapy bill at all stages in 2021.

In 2022, Gladu introduced Bill C-228, known as the Pension Protection Act, with the goal of safeguarding pensioners in cases of company bankruptcy. The bill received unanimous support in the House of Commons and is currently awaiting consideration in the Senate.

Besides her political work, Gladu is also multilingual and can speak French fluently.

Gladu’s dedication to collaboration and her pragmatic approach to politics have earned her recognition. In

2016, Maclean’s magazine honored her as the most collegial MP of the year, highlighting her commitment to working across party lines and her reputation as a loyal Conservative.