Arielle Kayabaga

Arielle Kayabaga is a Canadian politician who has served as the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and the Minister of Democratic Institutions since 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, she has represented the electoral distrct of London West as a member of Parliament since 2021.

Biography

Born in Bujumbura, Burundi, Kayabaga's family moved to Canada when she was 11 as refugees from the Burundian Civil War, living in Montreal for a year before moving to London, Ontario. She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Carleton University in Ottawa in 2013. Before her election to the London City Council, Kayabaga worked as a settlement worker for newcomers to London and nearby Sarnia, Ontario.

In 2018, she was elected to the London City Council at age 27, becoming the first black woman to do so in the city's history. As a city councillor, she chaired the Corporate Services Committee and sat on the Standing Committee on Municipal Finance. In September 2020, London police launched an investigation after she reported her office receiving harassing phone calls.

Ahead of the 2021 Canadian federal election, she announced her intention to run for the federal House of Commons, winning the Liberal Party of Canada nomination for the riding of London West three days before the start of the electoral campaign. She won the seat with 36.8% of the vote, replacing outgoing Liberal MP Kate Young. She is the first Franco-Ontarian to serve as MP for London West.

On March 14, 2025, she was appointed Government House Leader and Minister of Democratic Institutions as part of Mark Carney's cabinet.