I am a Green member of the Finnish Parliament. I work to keep Finland among the safest countries in the world and to make Finland the world’s first carbon-neutral welfare society and to stop biodiversity loss.
I want Finland to be a country that is equal, takes care of its environment, protects its nature, looks after its weaker citizens, fights against poverty and bears its global responsibility.
I want to secure the high quality of our educational system, because know-how is our only way forward. New jobs can be created through a renewable energy revolution; in this, Eastern Finland stands in a key position. A sustainable economy respects the environment.
The welfare state must not be dismantled, but its structures have to be changed to meet today’s needs. Some of the means to remove insecurity in our everyday lives are basic income, a better adjustment of work and family, the ability to work shorter hours according to one’s life situation and making enterprising easier. Everyone should have the right to a safe childhood and a good old age.
I was elected to the Parliament of Finland for the first time in 2015. The current term is my third term as a Member of Parliament. In the previous government (2019-2023) I served as the Minister of the Environment and later as the Minister of the Interior. I am currently a member of the Committee for the Future and the Finance Committee. I am also the 1. vice chair of the Green Group in the Finnish Parliament.
As a Joensuu city councilor, this is my sixth term. I have been a chair of the Green group of the city council and chair of the recreation board. I acted as a vice chair of the Greens of Finland 2011-2015. I am persistent, committed and efficient at my political work and I have been complimented for my achievements across party boundaries.
My family consists of three school-aged boys and a husband. I am a biologist by education, and in addition to biology, I have work experience as a coordinator and project leader in sports association planning and waste management. When the children were small, I was a stay-at-home mother and we lived in Kenya for a time. In my free time I am an avid board game player and cultural consumer.