Statistics on MNAs

The National Assembly is composed of 125 MNAs whose personal and professional backgrounds vary widely. Here are a few statistics on the Members of the 39th Legislature, which began following the December 8, 2008 general election.

Women in the Assembly

Of the 125 MNAs, 37 are women. They represent 29.6% of the total number of elected representatives in the House. This is close to the record set during the 37th Legislature (from June 4, 2003 to February 21, 2007), when the number of women MNAs reached 40.

Diversified Professional Backgrounds

One fourth of the MNAs come from the public and para-public sectors, another fourth is made up of professionals from the private sector (mostly in the fields of law and communications), while the business community accounts for slightly more than 16% of the elected representatives.

Here are the main professions represented by MNAs:

Eighty percent of all MNAs have studied at university in one of the following fields:

An MNA may have studied in more than one field.

A Combination of Experience and Fresh Talent

The average age of MNAs is 53. Most of them are between 40 and 59. In the 20-39 age group, there are 16 MNAs, representing 12.8% of the total number.

The average number of years of experience of a Member is 6 years and 9 months. Forty-two Members are in their first term of office, while 30 have been in office for at least 4 terms, with an average of over 16 years of experience.

Prior Political Experience

Thirty-nine MNAs were elected to other political positions before entering the National Assembly. Three of them sat in the House of Commons in Ottawa and 17 have served as mayors. The remaining 20 were elected as municipal councillors or school board members.