Representative Laila Goodridge Contact information

Laila Goodridge is a Canadian politician hailing from Alberta, Canada. She currently serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake representing the Conservative Party since 2021.

Goodridge’s political career began when she volunteered for Brian Jean’s Conservative Party’s MP campaign in Fort McMurray—Athabasca in 2003. She went on to work as a constituency assistant for Conservative Calgary Centre MP Joan Crockatt and interned for Conservative Senator and former Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Josée Verner. Prior to the 2015 Alberta election, she worked for Minister of the Environment, Leona Aglukkaq.

Goodridge’s first foray into electoral politics was during the 2015 Alberta general election, where she ran as a Wildrose Party candidate in the riding of Grande Prairie-Wapiti. Although she finished third, her passion for politics remained unwavering.

In February 2018, Brian Jean resigned as MLA for Fort McMurray-Conklin following his unsuccessful bid to become leader of the United Conservative Party. Goodridge contested and won the nomination race against three other candidates, and subsequently won the by-election on July 12, 2018, to become an MLA. She was re-elected in the 2019 Alberta general election for the constituency of Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche, and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Francophonie on June 23.

Goodridge’s tenure as an MLA saw her serve as Chair of the Standing Committee on Families and Communities and a member of the Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services and the Select Special Democratic Accountability Committee.

In August 2021, David Yurdiga, MP for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, resigned as the Conservative Party of Canada’s candidate in the riding for the 2021 Canadian federal election, citing private medical issues. Goodridge was asked by Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole to resign as MLA and replace Yurdiga. She accepted the nomination and went on to win the election on September 20, 2021, with a resounding victory of 67%.

Goodridge currently serves as the Conservative Party’s shadow minister for addictions, having previously served as shadow minister for families, children, and social development. She made headlines for her lobbying efforts to improve how Canada accepts refugees and for helping Ukrainian refugee applicants arrive in Canada.

Goodridge’s appointment as the Conservative Party’s federal candidate during the 2021 election was met with controversy from some local party members who claimed that there were other outstanding and credible candidates interested in running for the position. However, party officials argued that Goodridge’s appointment was necessary because the party did not want to divert resources away from the election to run a local nomination race.