My story so far is one that begins and ends right here in our beautiful riding: I was born and raised in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, and after having lived and travelled across the country I’ve returned to raise my own family in Montreal West.
Given my family’s Irish and American roots we spoke English at home, though from elementary school through to CEGEP, my sister and I always chose to study in French – first at Ecole Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne, then Villa Maria, then College Brébeuf. I jumped into activism as a teenager, concerned by global challenges like nuclear disarmament and climate change. In addition to local and national advocacy, I was engaged at the international level: I served as a Canadian youth delegate both to the 1988 UN Special Session on Disarmament and to the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development - also known as the Earth Summit to which I was appointed as one of two global youth ambassadors.
During my studies at Concordia’s School of Community and Public and the London School for Economics, I began my career as a reporter and educator, developing and teaching courses on Global Governance, Sustainable Development and Climate Diplomacy at McGill University. Since then I’ve travelled across the country, working not only in education but also in politics, policy, advocacy, philanthropy and economics. For eight years I served as the President and Executive Director of the Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, tasked with equiping a new generation of leaders with the skills, knowledge and networks to promote international cooperation. Most recently, my family and I were living out in British Columbia where I worked as President and Head of Pearson College - one of 18 United World Colleges whose mission is to “make education a force for uniting nations and cultures for a more peaceful and sustainable world.” We returned home to NDG & Montreal West in 2020 during the pandemic to be with our extended family and our community.
This brings us to my decision to run for public office. Appointed by then Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade to be a lead expert on environment, climate change and the economic and energy transition required to achieve net-zero, I announced my candidacy in the summer of 2022 and haven’t looked back since.
Represented the Philanthropic Foundations Canada (PFC) on the global drafting group for Philanthropy’s Climate Commitment, pan-Canadian working group rethinking the relationship between governments and charities in the wake of COVID, Reconciliation with First Peoples and Black Lives Matter, including serving as special advisor to the founders of Canada’s first Foundation for Black Communities.
Engaging youth and tech entrepreneurs in solutions to pressing water issues in Canada as a water nation and nature superpower.
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First person appointed as President and first woman appointed as Head of Pearson College, Canada’s most deliberately diverse post-secondary institution and one of 18 United World Colleges.
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As “Canada’s School for the World,” Pearson College is part of a global network of United World Colleges in 18 countries and 160 national committees, whose collective mission is to “make education a force for uniting nations, cultures and people of a more peaceful and sustainable future.”
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Responsible for the overall management of the Foundation in line with its mission to “connect, convene, empower and engage a new generation of public leaders in Canada and around the world to address global challenges.” Through its flagship Sauvé Scholars Program and in association with its academic partners, the Foundation has selected outstanding young leaders from 50 countries; brought them to Montreal to live, learn and lead together in an intensive, intercultural, residential experience; and invested in their human, social and intellectual capital to produce tomorrow’s generation of social entrepreneurs and leaders who went on to launch and lead new initiatives, NGOs, businesses and governments.
Spearheaded a national climate leadership training personally led by Al Gore and recruited 250 of Canada’s top business, community, cultural and thought leaders. Since co-founding Al Gore’s “Climate Reality Project” leadership corps in Canada, Désirée and her colleagues have reached one in ten Canadians with their pro bono presentations to raise awareness and foster action regarding the climate crisis. Globally, Climate Reality presenters have reached a combined 5 million people.
Regularly briefed and advised the country’s top decision-makers and coordinated all key files in the areas of sustainable development, stakeholder relations and multilateral organizations (notably, OECD, UN, World Bank, la Francophonie, Commonwealth, OAS). She was directly involved in coordinating Canada’s response to humanitarian crises such as HIV/AIDS in Africa (earning Canada international acclaim at the World Health Organization for our leadership role in the “Three by Five” initiative), the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (creating a federal fund to match donations to coordinated action among NGOs) and the 2005 Pakistan Earthquake. Désirée was the principal political advisor and key contributor to the Government of Canada’s 2005 International Policy Statement on Development Cooperation.
Désirée's popular seminars focused on educating students through the study and practice of global efforts and negotiations to address sustainability challenges such as biodiversity and climate change.
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M.Phil, Commonwealth Scholar
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Ph.D. Candidate (ABD), International Relations and International Development
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Premier global reporting service on all post-Rio negotiations, including biodiversity and climate COPs.
Désirée hosted a video series with David Suzuki and Gwyn Dyer entitled “Alive in the Nuclear Age” (1989). Désirée credits Dr. Suzuki and Elizabeth May for her early environmental engagement as she went on to spearhead the SAVE Tour (Student Action for a Viable Environment), which engaged thousands of youth across Canada from 1989-1992.
Appointed by the Governor General of Canada (then the Right Honorable Jeanne Sauvé).
Désirée’s own engagement started at age 16, when she embarked on a national speaking tour promoting global peace and security issues during the Cold War era. The eight-month cross-country tour reached a quarter of all Canadian secondary schools and was followed by speaking engagements in the US, the former USSR and at the UN. The tour received national and international media attention and was the subject of an award-winning documentary by the National Film Board of Canada entitled “Mile Zero: The SAGE Tour” (Solidarité Anti-Guerre Étudiante – 1987).
Désirée McGraw
My Mission
Montreal West and NDG are my home and my heart. This is where I was born and raised, and it’s where my husband and I are raising our family. The parks, streets, schoolyards and homes all remind me how fortunate I am to live my life in this extraordinary community.
If there is a place where I want to make a difference at this vital moment – for our youth, our seniors, our families – it is right here in NDG. As an advocate, environmentalist, economist, educator and, above all as a parent, my vocation has been to set up the next generation for success. That means a healthy environment, a sustainable economy, and an inclusive and fair society for all.
My Vision
My vision for our NDG riding probably isn’t all that different from yours. I envision NDG as a place where everyone feels welcome and wanted, no matter their background. I envision an NDG where families can afford to live comfortably, where their children have plenty of green space to play and good schools where they can learn and grow while their parents can find stable, fulfilling employment. And I envision NDG playing a bigger role on the provincial stage, because Quebec needs more NDG.
I stand for a strong Quebec within a united Canada, a Quebec that promotes and protects the French language while also embracing diversity and inclusion. We can achieve this without sacrificing fundamental rights, as no citizen should be treated as second class because of their race, faith, culture, ethnicity, identity or the language they speak at home.
And finally, I envision Quebec as being a global leader in the fight against climate change. We need to be clear-eyed about the future – addressing its current consequences and working to avoid its worst impacts. Above all, we need to focus on solutions that are based on nature and responsible technology. Drawing on the ingenuity of our youth and the innovation of our experts and entrepreneurs, we can lead the clean and green energy revolution. But only if we are willing to be honest not be held back by wishful thinking. Not only can we cut down on our own emissions, we can also help the rest of Canada and North America do so as well while pivoting away from fossil fuels. We can achieve all this and more, if only we have the courage and clarity to try.
My Values
When it comes down to it, my values are centered on upholding the fundamental rights of ALL human beings. Each and every one of us has the right to live in a safe and secure community, free from discrimination and violence. We all share the right to basic necessities like affordable housing, healthy food, accessible health care and public education. Each of us has the right to speak, pray, practice and love in whichever way we choose, and to actively participate in an inclusive democracy. I believe in respecting diversity – of perspectives, beliefs and backgrounds – but in cultivating inclusion so that no person is treated as second-class based on religion, race, gender, orientation, language or other elements that make up their identity.
Every human being also has the right to a healthy environment and biodiversity. This value is reflected in the very first bill I introduced in the National Assembly, each of us has the right to live in a clean and healthy environment, free from the threat of extreme weather events, food scarcity and conflict over resources that will stem from a rapidly changing climate.
I will always seek to be a strong voice for my community and never shy away from these values and the constituents who elected me - no matter the political pressures that befall me. They are why I entered public life in the first place.
