Kimble Sutherland (born May 15, 1966 in London, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995. Sutherland was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1990 provincial election in the rural constituency of Oxford, defeating both Liberal incumbent Charlie Tatham and a Progressive Conservative candidate by over 2,500 votes. He was the first candidate of a social democratic party ever to win election in this riding. The NDP under Bob Rae won an unexpected majority government in this election, and elected many Member of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) who had little experience in politics and no expectation of winning. Sutherland may have had the most improbable background of any newly-elected MPP. He was only 24 years old at the time, and was studying Political Science at the University of Western Ontario. His previous job had been as a vendor at London's Labatt Park, selling hot dogs at baseball games. He agreed to run for the NDP in 1990, after a riding association member broached the possibility with him during his working hours. Sutherland had been elected student council president at UWO prior to his provincial election, and actually served in that position in the 1990-91 year. He first became active in politics in 1981, when he joined the local NDP riding executive during a provincial campaign. Sutherland also had a labour background, having served as a shop steward with United Food and Chemical Workers Local 1977. Sutherland served as a parliamentary assistant to two cabinet ministers in 1991-92. There was some speculation that he would be appointed to cabinet late in the Rae government's mandate, but this never came to pass. The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, although Sutherland managed to achieve a credible second-place finish in Oxford against Progressive Conservative Ernie Hardeman. Sutherland is now Executive Director of the United Way in Brantford.
