The Honorable Eleni Bakopanos P.C. was the first woman born in Greece to be elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada.
Ms. Bakopanos served as a Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2006; first as the Member of Parliament for Saint-Denis ( Quebec) and was re-elected 3 times
in Ahuntsic (Quebec). She is a member of the Privy Council of Canada.
Eleni Bakopanos has served in a number of parliamentary roles including Assistant Deputy Speaker and Parliamentary Secretary to a number of Ministers, including the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
As a Member of Parliament she co-founded the Canada-Cyprus Parliamentary Friendship Group and reorganized the Canada-Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group.
Both groups of parliamentarians successfully promoted and advocated for issues of concern to Canadians of Hellenic and Greek-Cypriot origin.
Eleni Bakopanos also served as special advisor for caucus to the Honourable Stéphane Dion, when he was Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Opposition Leader. She is a member and has served as President of the Women’s Commission of the Liberal Party of Canada (Quebec).
Eleni Bakopanos is presently the Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians.
Prior to entering politics at the federal level, Eleni Bakopanos worked in provincial politics with the Liberal Party of Quebec and in the Quebec government as policy advisor for the Quebec Premier and the Minister of Immigration and Cultural communities.
She was also a candidate in the electoral district of Cremazie for the Liberal Party of Quebec.
Eleni Bakopanos held the position of Senior Director for Government Relations at McGill University and is presently serving as Honorary
President of the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association where she served as President.
Eleni Bakopanos serves as a Director on a number of non-governmental and not-for-profit Boards and is presently the Chair of the National
Board of Directors of Equal Voice and VP of the Quebec Chapter.
Eleni Bakopanos has collaborated and volunteered with a number of organizations in the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal,
including serving on the Advisory Board of the Hellenic Community of Greater Montreal; AHEPA Canada (100th Anniversary commemorative stamp); the Daughters of Penelope.
Eleni Bakopanos has received a number of awards and has been honoured, by a number of countries, including receiving the Order of the Hellenic Republic for her contributions to Hellenism.
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