Nathalie Provost

Education and Early Career

When she was 23, Nathalie Provost was a student at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. (See Université de Montréal.) On 6 December 1989, she tried unsuccessfully to dissuade an anti-feminist killer by arguing that she and her classmates were not feminists, but only there to study. She was seriously wounded by four bullets. (See École Polytechnique Tragedy.)

A month after the tragedy, which left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, she was already going back to school. She became involved in student politics, becoming the first woman to represent her fellow students on Polytechnique's board of directors. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1990 and a master’s degree in industrial engineering in 1993.

Several years after the tragedy that claimed the lives of 14 women ― widely considered Canada's worst misogynistic mass shooting ― she now wholeheartedly identifies as a feminist. She has dedicated her life to improving the status of women and advocating for better gun control.

Activism

Surviving the massacre motivated Nathalie Provost to get involved in activism. Since 2009, she has been a spokesperson for PolySeSouvient, a group made up of former Polytechnique students who advocate for gun control.

In 2012, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government controversially abolished the federal long-gun registry, which had been introduced in 1995. The Quebec government opposed its abolition and proposed creating its own firearms registration system. Provost welcomed this Quebec initiative, although she deplored the abolition of the federal registry.

Provost was also a critic of the Liberals under Justin Trudeau. She argued that they were not tough enough on gun control.

In 2017, she was appointed Vice-Chair of the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee. Created in 2006, the role of this committee is to advise the government on firearms issues.

In 2018, the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights called for her dismissal from the committee. According to the organization, Provost was "illegally lobbying" Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale. She was cleared of this accusation. However, she resigned from the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee in 2019. She cited her dissatisfaction with the government's approach to military-style rifle control and her perception that she had been used as the only victim on the committee.

Provost and other pro-gun control figures and groups continued to put pressure on the Liberal government.

As of 2020, the Government of Canada has issued several Orders in Council prohibiting many models and variants of semi-automatic and/or high-powered rifles. In 2023, the government passed Bill C-21, which restricted, among other things, the transfer and sale of handguns. Provost and PolySeSouvient welcomed these measures.

Provost's activism has led to harassment campaigns, but she is determined not to be silenced. Some of her political opponents who want to relax gun control admit to being intimidated by her significant social influence.

Political Career

Nathalie Provost had a career in the Quebec public service for 20 years. She rose through the ranks through several strategic roles, helping to improve public sector performance and modernize services to citizens. In 2011, she was appointed Director General of Transformation and Information Technology at the Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles. In 2020, she became Director General of the Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques.

In March 2025, the Liberal government expanded gun restrictions. Provost announced that, with Mark Carney as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, she would run as a Liberal candidate for the 2025 election. According to her, if the Conservatives won, her 35 years of fighting for gun control would have been lost.

During the election campaign, Conservative candidate Simon Payette attacked Provost's activism. He accused her of playing the victim in her efforts to strengthen gun control. Amid the controversy, Payette was forced to withdraw his candidacy.

On election night, Provost was elected Member of Parliament with 45% of the vote in the riding of Châteauguay―Les Jardins-de-Napierville. (See Châteauguay.) A mother of four, she attributes part of her political success to motherhood, which has allowed her to forge strong ties with her local community.

Awards and Distinctions

In 1994, Nathalie Provost received the Canadian Medal of Bravery. This was awarded in recognition of her bravery and inspiring speech in the hours following the femicide.

Since 2014, Provost has been a patron of the Order of the White Rose. It was created in tribute to the victims of Polytechnique on the 25th anniversary of the massacre. (See École Polytechnique Tragedy). The order awards scholarships to Canadian female engineering students.

In 2022, the Université de Montréal awarded her an honorary doctorate in tribute, among other things, to her activism and her desire to take concrete action for the collective well-being of citizens.