| Marcus Powlowski | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MP |
| Riding: | Thunder Bay—Rainy River |
| Parliament: | Canadian |
| Term Start: | October 21, 2019 |
| Predecessor: | Don Rusnak |
| Birth Date: | 20 January 1960 |
| Birth Place: | Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada |
| Party: | Liberal Party of Canada |
| Spouse: | Mirasol Añora-Powlowski |
Marcus Powlowski (born January 20, 1960) is a Canadian Member of Parliament who was elected to represent the riding of Thunder Bay—Rainy River in the 2019 Canadian federal election.[1] [2] Powlowski was also named a chief in Ambae, Vanuatu with the title of Vera Liu. He is married to Mirasol Añora Powlowski and has six children.
Powlowski received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Bachelor of Law, and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of Toronto. He also holds a Master's degree in Public Health (Health Law and Policy) from Harvard University and a Master's degree in Global Health Law from Georgetown University.
Before his election in 2019, Powlowski served in a number of roles, most recently as an emergency room doctor at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and as an associate professor of medicine at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Powlowski also practiced medicine for two years in First Nations communities in Northern Canada, and for seven years in Swaziland, The Gambia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. He has also worked for the World Health Organization as a health legislation consultant and taught Global Health at Lakehead University and University of San Francisco, and Global Health Law at Lakehead University Faculty of Law.[3]
After assuming office as the Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Rainy River in 2019, Powlowski was named to the Standing Committee on Health and the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.[4] Powlowski was an outspoken advocate for the use of human challenge trials for vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was critical of the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly regarding to the shortage of masks and ventilators.[5] He supported and participated in 2020 in the Bombardier Inc. production line.[6] to finish and assemble components for portable ventilators, working with 0-Two Medical Technologies [7] for the Ontario government.The Hill Times named Powlowski as one of the 25 MP's to watch during the Fall 2020 session of Parliament, mainly due to his advocacy work in public healthcare during COVID-19.[8] He had a significant role since 2021 in supporting public transit and protecting jobs in Thunder Bay through the Alstom streetcars project.[9] In 2021, he advocated for the rescue of Afghan interpreters[10] during Canada's involvement in the War in Afghanistan.In 2022 Thunder Bay-Rainy River Powlowski made recommendations to the federal government aimed at easing the physician shortage in rural northwestern Ontario and other parts of Canada. One of those recommendations was in regards to foreign medical licensing.[11] Powlowski's work in the health sector includes his advocacy for more safeguards regarding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for mental illness.[12] Having a Ukrainian background, Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP's Marcus Powlowski stands and advocate firmly for Ukraine regarding the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[13] Member of the standing committee of indigenous and Northern affairs, MP Marcus Powlowski is a strong defender of Indigenous peoples in Canada and their rights such as safe water access, opioid addiction and mental health resources among others.[14]