Jennifer Cossitt

Jennifer Cossitt
Member of Parliament
for Leeds—Grenville
In office
12 October 1982 – 20 November 1988
Preceded byThomas Cossitt
Succeeded byJim Jordan
Personal details
Born
Jennifer Birchall

(1948-06-22) 22 June 1948 (age 76)
Redcar, Yorkshire, England
Political partyProgressive Conservative
SpouseThomas Cossitt
OccupationBusiness executive

Jennifer Cossitt (née Birchall; born 22 June 1948) was a Progressive Conservative party member of the House of Commons of Canada. She was a business executive by career.

Her husband was Thomas Cossitt, member of Parliament for the Leeds—Grenville electoral district. Cossitt served as her husband's executive assistant for nine years.[1] Following his death in 1982, she campaigned at the riding in a 12 October 1982 by-election and won the seat. Cossitt took a fifth-ballot victory at a nominating convention of Leeds-Grenville Conservative Riding Association in the town of Prescott, Ontario, gaining 262 votes.[1] On her first day in the House of Commons (27 October 1982), she spoke against Liberal employment policies and entered an unsuccessful motion to debate these.[2]

Jennifer Cossitt won re-election in the 1984 federal election, but was defeated in the following 1988 federal election by Jim Jordan of the Liberal party. She served for the latter part of the 32nd Canadian Parliament and a full term in the 33rd Parliament.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Jennifer Cossitt, widow of the late Parliamentary gadfly Thomas". UPI. 19 June 1982. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  2. ^ "Cossitt slams PM in House debut". Ottawa Citizen. 28 October 1982. p. 5.
  3. ^ "Leeds - Grenville". CBC News. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2020.