Rona Ambrose

Biography

The Honourable Rona Ambrose is a national leader, former Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition in the House of Commons and former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. As a key member of the federal cabinet for a decade, Rona solved problems as a minister of the Crown across nine government departments, including serving as Vice Chair of the Treasury Board for several years and Chair of the cabinet committee for public safety, justice and aboriginal issues. As the former environment minister responsible for the GHG regulatory regime in place across several industrial sectors today, she understands the challenges facing the fossil fuel industry. As a self-proclaimed “policy wonk”, Rona is personally responsible for the development of several federal policies, ranging from industrial strategies in military procurement to health innovation to improvements to sexual assault laws. Rona is a determined public policy expert who understands that government actions can have a real impact on families and businesses across the country. She is a passionate advocate for women in Canada and around the world and led the global movement to create the “International Day of the Girl” at the United Nations. She has spent her life passionately fighting for disadvantaged women and girls. She is responsible for ensuring that aboriginal women in Canada were finally granted equal matrimonial rights. She successfully fought for the creation of a Canadian refugee program to bring Yazidi women and girls who have been sexually enslaved by ISIS to safety in Canada. When she’s not working (which is rare), Rona and her spouse are usually found with hiking boots on making their way up to the summit. In addition to serving as an independent corporate director, Rona is a Global Fellow at the Wilson Centre Canada Institute in Washington DC focusing on key Canada US bilateral trade and competitiveness issues. She also serves on the advisory board of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Rona has received many meaningful awards for her advocacy and public policy over the last decade. Rona has a BA from the University of Victoria and a MA from the University of Alberta. She is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Leaders Program.

Research Interest

Business