Shaughnessy Cohen

Shaughnessy Cohen

Elizabeth Shaughnessy Cohen (February 11, 1948 - December 9, 1998) was a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Windsor—St. Clair for the Liberal Party of Canada from 1993 until her death in 1998.

She was born in London, Ontario, and worked as a lawyer before entering politics. She stood as the Liberal candidate in Windsor—St. Clair in the 1988 election, but lost to New Democratic Party incumbent Howard McCurdy. However, in the 1993 election, Cohen defeated McCurdy for the seat. She was then re-elected in 1997.

On December 9, 1998, she collapsed in the House of Commons just seconds after standing to address the House. She had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and was pronounced dead soon afterward.

In the byelection that followed in early 1999, Liberal candidate Rick Limoges narrowly defeated Joe Comartin of the NDP. However, in the 2000 election, Comartin won the seat.