Ted Hsu

In the federal election held on May 2, 2011, Hsu defeated Conservative candidate Alicia Gordon by less than 3,000 votes. He was one of only two new Liberal MPs elected in Canada[10] in what was the party's poorest showing in history.

One of only a few MPs with an academic science background, Hsu served in the Liberal Party shadow cabinet as the critic for science and technology. He also would serve as critic for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and critic for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.[11] In August, 2013, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau appointed Hsu to an additional role as Liberal critic for post-secondary education.

In 2011, Hsu was the first runner-up to Conservative MP Chris Alexander as Rookie of the Year, in Maclean's annual Parliamentarians of the Year awards.[12] Hsu was also the first runner-up for the Rising Star award for Maclean's in 2012[13] and the annual accolades continued in November 2013, with Hsu winning the Maclean's Parliamentarian of the Year Award. He was voted by parliamentarians from all parties as the MP who "Best Represents Constituents."[14]

In August 2014, Hsu announced that he would not run for re-election in the upcoming 2015 federal election, citing the burdens of political life on his young family.[15]

Before leaving federal politics, he introduced a noteworthy private member's bill in September 2014. "Bill C-626, An Act to Amend the Statistics Act"[16] was designed to appoint a chief statistician and to reinstate the long-form census, which had been eliminated by the Conservative Party in 2010.[17] Ultimately, the long-form census was restored in 2015, immediately after the new Liberal government took office, but after Hsu had left. (See Canada 2011 Census.)

Upon leaving the House of Commons, Hsu served as the campaign manager for Liberal MPP Sophie Kiwala during the 2018 provincial election in Ontario and, in 2019, during the Canadian federal election Hsu also managed the successful re-election campaign of Mark Gerretsen, the Liberal MP who replaced him.[18]

In 2017, Hsu joined SYNG pharmaceuticals, a Kingston-based biotechnology startup focusing on diagnosing and treating endometriosis. As an advisor for SYNG, Hsu provided communications support.

From 2019-2020, Hsu was asked to co-chair the Mayor's Task Force on Housing,[19] which culminated in a report and a series of recommendations to address Kingston's challenging housing shortage.[20]

In 2020, Hsu announced his campaign to represent Kingston and the Islands as the Ontario Liberal Party candidate in the upcoming provincial election.[21] He won the bid over previous MPP Sophie Kiwala, who lost in the 2018 Ontario election, in November 2020.[22]

When asked about his motivations for re-entering politics, Hsu said, "As my kids and their young friends have grown up and become aware of their world, they tell me how worried they are." He went on to say, "I want to offer voters someone who has a proven record representing constituents, and also has experience working with scientists, climate researchers, economists, engineers and entrepreneurs."[23] He was elected in the 2022 Ontario general election. He currently holds the Ontario Liberal Party critic roles for the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Ministry of Mines, and the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism.