By Alexandra Holyk
Ryerson alumna and former co-host of CTV’s The Social Marci Ien was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) in Toronto Centre on Monday night.
The seat continues to be held by the Liberals—who have held the seat since 1993—after former finance minister Bill Morneau resigned from both his positions in August following his involvement in the WE Charity scandal.
This by-election along with one in York Centre were the first ones to be organized by Elections Canada since the pandemic started.
Ien defeated eight other candidates in the riding, including Green Party candidate and leader Annamie Paul.
In a previous interview with The Eyeopener, Ien said the reason she decided to enter the political arena was the social issues that she discussed on The Social, including the murder of George Floyd in the United States and the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto.
“It is one thing to think about these things; it is one thing to speak to Canada using the microphone that I had. It’s quite another to actually serve,” Ien said.
Ien also mentioned that she is looking forward to collaborating with young people through a mentorship program, as well as connecting with community members to determine how to best serve them.
“It’s a lot to just jump in and assume that people want certain things and need certain things,” Ien said. “I think it’s about talking. So I am in the business of listening and learning and then taking action.”
Ien is also a member of Ryerson’s Board of Governors’ (BoG) executive committee, a position she’s held since 2016.
Though she announced she would be taking a leave from her career at Bell Media back in September, it is unclear if she will keep her position on Ryerson’s BoG.
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