Former London NDP MP Irene Mathyssen dies at 75

Irene Mathyssen, who served the London, Ontario, region in the legislature and in the House of Commons, died after battling cancer. Her daughter, former NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen, announced her death on Tuesday.

Her career

• Elected to the Ontario legislature, 1990
• Ontario tourism minister
• MP for London–Fanshawe, 2006 to 2019

First elected to the Ontario legislature in 1990, she served as the province's tourism minister, then held London–Fanshawe as an MP from 2006 until she retired in 2019.

Her legacy

As an MP, she led a successful effort to remove the federal portion of the sales tax from menstrual products.

"She spoke up for those who had been forgotten and ignored and always approached her work with kindness, humility and dedication."

— Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal MP for London Centre