Wendy Elizabeth Byrne is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 lawyer and politician from Ottawa

Ottawa

Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

. She is a former Ottawa-Carleton Regional Councillor.

Byrne ran for political office twice in 1997. In June of that year, she ran for the New Democratic Party

New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in the riding of Ottawa West—Nepean

Ottawa West—Nepean

Ottawa West—Nepean is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997. Its population in 2001 was 112,509.-Geography:...

, but only received 7.6% of the vote. In November however, she was elected in the Ottawa-Carleton regional elections

Ottawa-Carleton Regional Municipality elections, 1997

Elections were held on November 10, 1997 in the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. This page lists the election results for Regional Chair, Regional Council, and local mayors and councils of the RMOC in 1997...

 in the seat of Bay Ward

Bay Ward

Bay Ward is a municipal ward in Ottawa, Canada. It covers much of the western portion of the old city of Ottawa as well as some portions of what was once Nepean. The ward runs from Sherbourne and Maitland in the east to March Road in the west. The southern border in the Queensway while the northern...

. She had defeated her closest rival by less than 200 votes in close 4-way race. She served just one term, as the Region was abolished upon the amalgamation of Ottawa in 2000.

Byrne will be the Ontario New Democratic Party

Ontario New Democratic Party

The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...

 candidate in Ottawa West—Nepean

Ottawa West—Nepean (provincial electoral district)

Ottawa West—Nepean is a provincial electoral district in eastern Ontario, Canada. It elects one member to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.The riding has been represented in the Ontario legislature by Liberal Bob Chiarelli since 2010....

 for the 2011 provincial election

Ontario general election, 2011

The 40th Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011 to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party will form a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New...

.
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/todays-paper/Joanne+Chianello+Chiarelli+giving+like+Santa/5147303/story.html

Official Website: http://www.wendybyrne.ca