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Carolyn Parrish (born Karolina Janozeski; October 3, 1946) is a Canadian politician who has been the seventh and current mayor of Mississauga since June 24, 2024. Parrish previously served as a member of Parliament (MP), representing ridings in Mississauga from 1993 to 2006. She sat as a Liberal until 2004. She was a Mississauga city councillor from 2006 to 2010 and later from 2014 to 2024 when she resigned to contest the 2024 by-election for mayor.
After the widespread media attention on her "America-bashing" incident, she remained popular in her home riding. After electoral redistricting leading up to the 2004 election, she faced fellow Liberal MP Steve Mahoney in a nomination battle and narrowly won. She was re-elected with 54% of the vote in the general election, against 32% for her Conservative opponent.
In August 2004, Parrish again created controversy by referring to those supporting the North American missile defence proposal as "a coalition of the idiots," mocking the phrase "coalition of the willing" used by Bush describing the American-led alliance in the invasion of Iraq. Paul Martin, who had succeeded Chrétien as Prime Minister, asked her to use more tact and discretion when sharing her opinions about such subjects but stopped short of asking her to apologize. She responded by saying, "I was elected by thousands of people in my riding. They have known me for years. I think they like my style."
Following the November U.S. election, she expressed shock at the re-election of George W. Bush. She said that "America is completely out of touch with the rest of the free world" and blamed this on collective "profound psychological damage" due to the September 11, 2001 attacks. She was also quoted as saying, "I wouldn't guess what's next on his agenda, but it's probably not peace and love." When Conservative Party members called on her to apologize for these remarks she said that such comments "are in the best traditions of free speech and independence of thought." Earlier that day, Martin had told Liberal MPs in a closed caucus meeting to avoid provocative statements following the U.S. election. Parrish, who did not attend the meeting, said the advice would not have altered what she said.
In October 2004, at the annual Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner in Ottawa, Martin joked about meeting with Bush and discussing the possibility of a crewed mission to Mars. "I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if we could get a Canadian on board? If a Canadian could be sent tens of millions of miles into the dark void of space. And as we all as a nation watch on television and together say aloud, `Bon voyage, Carolyn Parrish!'"
On November 18, a Canadian Press story quoted her as saying Martin, and those around him, could "go to hell" if they wanted her to stop making similar comments. She went on to say that she had no loyalty towards the Liberal Party and that if it were defeated in the next election, she "would not shed a tear," as she had felt betrayed by Martin's lack of help for her during her nomination and election campaigns. In response to these comments, Martin, with the support of National Liberal Caucus chair Andy Savoy, expelled her from caucus, saying, "I told her that, while I have defended her right to express her views frankly, I cannot, as leader of our party and the government caucus, tolerate behaviour that demeans and disrespects others." and
On November 19, Parrish spoke to the press about her expulsion from caucus. She said that had she been in Martin's place, she would have done the same. She went on to say, however, that the party under Martin had fallen into disarray and that Martin and his inner circle ran the party using guerrilla warfare tactics. She said she would still vote with the Liberals on the vast majority of legislation, but would now be free to express her views without fear of reprisal.
Though excluded from caucus, Parrish initially still sat as a Liberal in the House of Commons but became an independent on November 21 so that the speaker would give her time in member's statements and question period without the notice of the Liberal Chief Whip.
On November 30, 2004, Parrish appeared on CNN in an interview with Wolf Blitzer and Tucker Carlson, defending her position against Bush and her recent actions that led to her ousting from the Liberal party. She also defended the overall Canadian stance regarding the Iraq War and the National Missile Defence program. Several days later Martin appeared on Late Edition, with Blitzer hosting. Blitzer talked about several MPs attacking Bush and Martin replied that only Parrish had made attacks and that they had been condemned throughout Parliament.
On May 19, 2005, Paul Martin's Liberal government faced two votes of confidence on its 2005-06 budget legislation. In the days leading up to the vote, Parrish said that she would support the government despite her difficulties with Martin's administration. Her support was critical to the government's survival, given the even division in the house. On the morning of the vote, Parrish informed a media representative that she was suffering from severe pain due to a medical ailment. She attended the vote, which the government won by one vote.
In July 2005, Parrish chastised Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier as being "dangerous" and a "testosterone-filled general" after he made comments stating that a soldier's purpose was "to be able to kill people" such as terrorists whom he described as "murderers and scumbags."
Although Parrish indicated that she was considering returning to the Liberal caucus and remains to date a card-carrying member of the Liberal Party, an aide to the Prime Minister stated on July 29, 2005, that "he's not even entertaining the thought of welcoming Carolyn Parrish back to caucus." Parrish was the only one of four Independent MPs in the House to vote with the government against the successful November 28, 2005 motion of non-confidence that brought down the Liberal government.
On October 13, 2005, Parrish's spokeswoman announced that the MP had sent a letter to her constituents stating that she would not stand for re-election. She endorsed Charles Sousa as her preferred successor; however, Omar Alghabra ultimately won the Liberal nomination for the riding ahead of the 2006 election.
Parrish was the councillor for Ward 5 in Mississauga City Council, after winning the seat in the 2014 municipal election. She has stated that she believes non-citizen permanent residents should have the right to sit on municipal committees, though not on the city council itself.
On February 20, 2024, Parrish sent a letter to the Mississauga ward 5 constituents informing them that she would be resigning her councillor's seat effective March 15, 2024, in order to run for the mayor's seat in a citywide by-election to be held June 10, 2024, to replace former mayor Bonnie Crombie. She was elected as the seventh mayor of Mississauga and was succeeded as councillor by Natalie Hart.
In November 2024, Parrish resigned from the Peel Police Services Board to protest the board's planned $136 million (approximately 21%) budget increase for the Peel Regional Police when residents' cost of living was an issue. Traditionally, the mayor of Mississauga has a seat on the board.
The vigil was organized by Canadian Defenders 4 Human Rights (CD4HR) and was initially scheduled for November 26, 2024. Parrish initially defended the event's right to proceed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, despite Hamas being designated as a terrorist entity by Canada since 2002. The event drew additional controversy for using the Royal Canadian Legion's trademarked poppy symbol and "Lest We Forget" slogan in its promotional materials.
Multiple Jewish organizations, including the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and B'nai Brith Canada, condemned Parrish's statements and called for an apology. Canada's special envoy combatting antisemitism, Deborah Lyons, called the idea of a commemoration for Sinwar on Canadian soil "atrocious".
The organizers eventually cancelled the vigil, citing security concerns, though they indicated they had been assured by the City of Mississauga that they could hold the event on another date. Jewish community leaders continued to call for an apology from Parrish for her comments comparing Sinwar to Mandela.
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