Karen A. McCrimmon is the member of provincial parliament (MPP) for Kanata—Carleton. She previously served as the Member of Parliament for Kanata—Carleton from 2015 to 2021. After a 31-year military career, Karen retired as a lieutenant colonel. She was the first female navigator and the first woman to command a Canadian Forces air force squadron.

Karen was born in Weston, Ontario and grew up in Timmins, and Windsor, Ontario.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Windsor in Russian and linguistics, and originally wanted to work in Canada’s diplomatic corps.

Karen joined the Regular Force in 1980 and became an air navigator, the first female to gain such a qualification. In 1995, she was made a member of the Order of Military Merit. She did a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2004 where she was responsible for NATO Airlift Co-ordination. She retired from the Forces in 2006.

As a Member of Parliament, Karen served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transportation. She was also Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence.