| Laura Mae Lindo | |
| Office1: | Critic, Citizenship and Immigration Services |
| Term Start1: | August 23, 2018 |
| Term End1: | July 13, 2023 |
| Leader1: | Andrea Horwath (2018-2022) Peter Tabuns (interim) (2022-2023) Marit Stiles (2023-) |
| Parliament3: | Ontario Provincial |
| Term Start3: | June 7, 2018 |
| Term End3: | July 13, 2023 |
| Predecessor3: | Daiene Vernile |
| Successor3: | Aislinn Clancy |
| Riding3: | Kitchener Centre |
| Party: | New Democratic |
| Birth Name: | Laura Mae Monique Lindo |
| Birth Place: | Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
| Residence: | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada |
| Relatives: | Alvin Curling (uncle) |
| Children: | 3 |
Laura Mae Monique Lindo (born 1976) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election.[1] She represented the electoral district of Kitchener Centre as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party. In January 2023, Lindo announced that she would step down as MPP in July to take a position with the philosophy department of the University of Waterloo. She officially resigned on July 13, 2023.[2]
Born in Canada, Lindo's parents immigrated to the country from Jamaica. Her mother Osra Lindo graduated from York University with a bachelor's degree in gender and women's studies at the age of 79.[3] She is the niece of former Ontario MPP and Speaker Alvin Curling.[4] Raised in Scarborough, Lindo has lived in Kitchener since 2014.
Lindo graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in philosophy in 1998 followed by a second BA degree in African studies and philosophy from York University.[5] Her Master of Education degree, completed at York, examined Ontario's high school philosophy program. Lindo also holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in education. She completed her studies at York University in 2011 with a thesis titled "I'm Writing for Freedom!" Mapping Public Discourse on Race in Comedy.[6]
Lindo is Kitchener's first Black MPP.[7] She served as a Member of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills, and as Critic for Citizenship and Immigration Services and Critic for anti-racism.[8] In 2018, Lindo was named a member of the Ontario NDP's first ever Black Caucus, alongside NDP caucus colleagues Rima Berns-McGown, Faisal Hassan, Jill Andrew and Kevin Yarde.[9] Prior to her election, she worked as Director of Diversity and Equity at Wilfrid Laurier University.[10] In December 2021, she introduced Bill 67, The Racial Equity in Education Systems Act which "embeds anti-racist language into pieces of legislation from kindergarten to grade 12, and all throughout post secondary", saying "when you define it, then it is real".[11] [12]
After the resignation of Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath in June 2022 after the party's defeat in the Ontario general election, Lindo was seen as a potential candidate in the subsequent leadership election, but she decided not to run in November.[13]
In January 2023, Lindo announced that she would be stepping down that July to join the University of Waterloo's philosophy department. She cited child care costs as a cause for her resigning her seat.[14] Lindo endorsed Debbie Chapman as the next NDP candidate in the by-election. However, the seat flipped to the Green Party candidate Aislinn Clancy.