Jane is a lifetime resident of Burlington. Before entering politics, she worked in advertising and ran her own successful small business, Rainmaker Consulting. Jane has five children and four grandchildren. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2011 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022, representing the riding of Burlington.

Jane McKenna was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in October 2011 and was appointed Opposition Critic for Children and Youth Services on October 11, 2011. At Queen’s Park Jane also served on the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills and the Standing Committee on Social Policy.

On April 30, 2012, she was named Opposition Critic for Government Services. On May 2, 2012, she introduced the Inherited Heart Rhythm Disorders Awareness Act, which was co-sponsored by Liberal and NDP members. The Act would have required school boards to establish and maintain policies concerning inherited heart rhythm disorders. The Bill passed its first and second readings and was referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy.

Appointed Opposition Critic for Economic Development, Trade and Employment on September 30, 2013. Jane also served on the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills from October 11, 2013, until May 2, 2014.

Jane was re-elected in June 2018. Recognizing that only British Columbia has ever elected a female speaker, (first in 1949) Jane ran for speaker of the Ontario Legislature in July 2018. She was later appointed to the Standing Committee on Estimates and the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, which she also chaired. On November 29, 2018, Jane was appointed by the Premier as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour and currently serves as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

Jane proudly represented the Ontario Legislature and Speaker Ted Arnott at the Eastern Regional Conference in Pittsburgh, (July 2019), the National Conference of State Legislatures in Nashville, (August 2019), and the Council of State Government’s National Conference in Puerto Rico, (December 2019).

On November 27, 2019, Jane introduced Bill 152, the Occupational Safety and Health Day Act, 2019 to proclaim the first Tuesday in May each year as Occupational Safety and Health Day. This day provides an opportunity to promote workplace safety and health through education on safety and health rights, responsibilities and prevention measures. The Bill passed the third reading and received Royal Assent on April 27, 2021.

Ontario’s first-ever Occupational Safety and Health Day took place on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.

On September 15, 2020, she introduced Bill 201, the Magna Carta Day Act (In Memory of Julia Munro, MPP), 2020 to proclaim June 15th in each year as Magna Carta Day. The Magna Carta is a revolutionary document that influenced the English system of common law and was a precursor in the development of England’s — and later Canada’s — constitutional monarchy. The Bill passed second and third readings and received Royal Assent on November 30, 2020.

Jane was named Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues on June 18, 2021. Recognizing the disproportionate economic barriers faced by women, in the summer of 2021, Jane McKenna and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy created a Task Force on Women and the Economy, which heard from diverse voices across the province representing the public, private and non-profit sectors.

As Associate Minister of Women and Children’s Issues, Jane McKenna oversaw the continued roll-out of Ontario’s five-year $307-million Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy to combat human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. She also played a key role in the child welfare redesign focusing on developing community-based prevention services that are high-quality, culturally appropriate, and responsive to the needs of children and families.