Paul Szabo M.P.
Mississauga South

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Paul Szabo has an M.B.A. degree from York University and a B.Sc. from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to his election, he worked in the corporate and public accounting sectors for over 23 years. His past employers include TransCanada PipeLines Ltd and Price Waterhouse & Co. Mr. Szabo's extensive community service record also includes 9 years as a Director of the Mississauga Hospital, 5 years as a Director of Interim Place (community shelter for abused women and children), and 5 years as a Director of the Peel Regional Housing Authority.

He was first elected to the House of Commons as a Liberal MP in 1993 and was re-elected in 1997, 2000, 2004 and 2006. During his parliamentary career, he has introduced over 40 Private Member Bills and Motions emphasizing health outcomes of children and taxation of the Canadian family and seniors. One of his initiatives successfully amended the criminal code to provide stiffer sentences for the abusers of women or children. His Bill C-204 to double maternity and parental leave employment insurance benefits to a full year was also adopted by the government.

In the 35th Parliament, Mr. Szabo was a member of the Standing Committee on Health and was an Associate Member on the Finance Committee. In the 36th Parliament, he served as a member of both the Health and Finance Committees and in September 2000, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services. In the 37th Parliament Mr. Szabo was re-appointed Parliamentary Secretary until January, 2003 and was a member of the Standing Committee on Transport and Government Operations. From November 12, 2003 to May 23, 2004 he was Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates; and he was also Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. From October 4, 2004 to November 29, 2005 he was Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. He is currently Chair of the Ethics Committee.

As part of his private member's initiatives, Paul developed "Drink Smart Canada", a national public awareness campaign on risks associated with the misuse of alcohol. He has also authored six monographs on family issues: "Divorce - The Bold Facts", "Strong Families Make a Strong Country", "Tragic Tolerance of Domestic Violence", "The Child Poverty Solution", "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - The Real Brain Drain" and "The Ethics and Science of Stem Cells", all in support of his extensive work on family and childrens' issues.

Paul and his wife Linda have three grown children, Aaron, Whitney and Reagan.