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This article is about the physician. For the squash player formerly known by this name, see Danielle Drady.

Danielle Martin is a Canadian politician and physician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for University—Rosedale since 2026. A member of the Liberal Party, Martin was elected in a 2026 by-election. She is a professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.[1]

Background

Martin was born in 1975[2] to D’Arcy Martin, a union activist, and Anita Shilton, dean of continuing education at Ryerson University.[3] Shilton had emigrated from Egypt in 1951; the following year, her father suffered a heart attack, which, given Canada’s lack of medicare at the time, left the family financially ruined.[4]

Martin completed her bachelor’s degree in science from McGill University in 1998 and worked as an assistant to then-Liberal health critic, Gerard Kennedy. She later enrolled at the University of Western Ontario where she earned her M.D. in 2003.[4]

Martin also holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.[5]

Career

Martin became a family physician in 2005 and practised in Northern Ontario for six years.[4] She has served as executive vice president at Women’s College Hospital (WCH),[6] and co-founded the WCH Institute for Health System Solutions and Virtual Care (WIHV).[7] She has also worked a family physician in the Family Practice Health Centre at WCH, and as an associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, and the School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto.[8]

Martin has served as the Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto since 2021. She took a leave of absence in early 2026 to enter federal politics.[9]

Federal politics

On January 31, 2026, Martin was nominated as the Liberal candidate for the 2026 University—Rosedale federal by-election, called following the resignation of Chrystia Freeland.[10] She won the by-election on April 13 and was elected the member of Parliament for the riding of University—Rosedale.[11]

Advocacy

In 2006, Martin helped start the organization Canadian Doctors for Medicare and chaired its board until May 2013.[12]

She has debated in favour of Canada’s single-payer public healthcare system. On March 13, 2014, she testified at a United States Senate committee investigation on health care systems, specifically regarding issues such as single-payer and multi-payer systems and wait times.[13] After her appearance at this US Senate Committee hearing, she was invited to be a candidate at various levels of Canadian government (municipal, provincial, and federal) by various political parties.[14] On September 13, 2017, she publicly supported of Bernie Sanders‘ Medicare For All bill, which would seek to introduce a single-payer system of health care in the United States.[15]

Personal life

Martin and her partner, Steven Barrett, have one child.[3]

Awards and recognition

Martin is a recipient of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) Award for Young Leaders.[3]

In 2019, the CMA awarded Martin the F.N.G. Starr Award. She was the youngest physician to receive the award.[16]

Published works

  • Martin, Danielle (2017). Better Now: Six Big Ideas to Improve Health Care for All Canadians. Penguin Canada. ISBN 978-0735232594.

Electoral record

Canadian federal by-election, April 13, 2026: University—Rosedale
Resignation of Chrystia Freeland
** Preliminary results — Not yet official **
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Danielle Martin 19,961 64.39 +0.39
New Democratic Serena Purdy 5,869 18.93 +9.03
Conservative Don Hodgson 3,843 12.40 -11.09
Green Andrew Massey 896 2.89 +1.18
People’s Andy D’Andrea 205 0.66 –
Centrist Imran Khan 66 0.21 –
Canadian Future Samuel Baxter 56 0.18 –
Independent Raiden DeDominicis 46 0.15 –
Independent Bill Whatcott 36 0.12 –
No Affiliation Leslie Bory 22 0.07 –
Total valid votes 31,000
Total rejected ballots
Turnout 31,000 32.99 -32.46
Eligible voters 93,971
Liberal hold Swing -4.32
Source: Elections Canada

References

  1. ^ “Celebrating DFCM’s 2022 Senior Promotions: Full and Associate Professors”. dfcm.utoronto.ca. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Martin, Danielle (June 1, 2016). “At 40, I’m reflecting on women’s health at every age”. Chatelaine. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Boyle, Theresa (December 30, 2012). “Making the health system work danielle martin family physician”. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. p. IN.4. ProQuest 1265696068
  4. ^ a b c Hall, Joseph (January 7, 2017). “Making the health system work danielle martin family physician”. Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. p. IN.6. ProQuest 1856088991
  5. ^ “Our Leadership and Structure”. Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM). Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  6. ^ “Meet Danielle Martin, the new Liberal MP for University–Rosedale”. The Canadian Press. CBC News. April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  7. ^ “‘Disruptive approach’ to health-care may be just what the doctor ordered”. Women’s College Hospital. The Globe and Mail. November 9, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  8. ^ “Pan-Canadian Health Organization (PCHO) External Review – Biographies, Summary of Expertise, Experiences, Affiliations and Interests”. Health Canada. Government of Canada. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  9. ^ “DFCM Chair Dr. Danielle Martin seeking federal office”. Department of Family and Community Medicine. University of Toronto. February 2, 2026. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  10. ^ Lopez Steven, Benjamin (January 31, 2026). “Liberals announce Danielle Martin will be their candidate for University-Rosedale byelection”. CBC News. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  11. ^ Boynton, Sean (April 13, 2026). “Live Canada byelection results: University—Rosedale”. Global News. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  12. ^ “Women’s College Hospital”. Womenscollegehospital.ca. Archived from the original on February 12, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  13. ^ Marsden, William. “Two Canadians lead Obamacare debate”. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  14. ^ “Political offers pour in for Toronto doctor who defended Canada’s medicare | CTV News”. Ctvnews.ca. April 5, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  15. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Dr. Danielle Martin – Defending Single Payer Health Care. YouTube.
  16. ^ Marchesan, John (January 31, 2026). “Liberals nominate Dr. Danielle Martin as candidate in Toronto riding vacated by Freeland’s departure”. CityNews. Retrieved April 13, 2026.