Allister Surette

Allister Wilbert Surette (born September 21, 1961) is a Canadian politician who has served as a senator from Nova Scotia since December 2024. He was the President and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne from 2011 to 2024 and previously represented the electoral district of Argyle in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1993 to 1998 as a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

Early life and education

Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Surette was raised in the Acadian community of Lower West Pubnico. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Education from Saint Mary's University in 1984. He was a high school teacher by career.

Political career

Surette entered provincial politics in the 1993 election, defeating Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Neil LeBlanc in the Argyle riding. Surette served as Deputy Government House Leader prior to serving as the Special Policy Advisor on Acadian and Francophone governance for the public school system, in the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Human Resources, Minister in charge of the Youth Secretariat and the Office of Acadian Affairs, and Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs.

In a re-match from 1993, Surette was defeated by LeBlanc when he ran for re-election in 1998.

Collège de l'Acadie

Between 1998 and 2003, he was chief executive officer of the Collège de l'Acadie, which was the only French-language community college in Nova Scotia.

Université Sainte-Anne

In 2003, Surette became vice-president of Development and Partnerships of Université Sainte-Anne.

In November 2010, Surette was named president and Vice-Chancellor of Université Sainte-Anne. He took office as president on July 1, 2011.

In October 2019, Surette was appointed Chair of the Association of Atlantic Universities, an advocacy organization working on behalf of the region's 16 universities.

During Surette's tenure, the university achieved a record full-time student population of 540 students for the 2019–2020 academic year, exceeding the previous record of 481 students in 2008.

During the third term of Surette's presidency at Sainte-Anne, in 2022, the faculty union engaged in a strike that was the longest university strike in Nova Scotia's history and one of the longest in Canadian history.

In September 2023, a student campaign, SA Change Now, posted anonymous survivors' and victims' accounts of sexual harassment, assault, and rape at Sainte-Anne on a website and on its Instagram account. The campaign called on the university to acknowledge rape culture, apologize to its victims, and promise to enact the campaign's five suggested reforms.

Surette ended his mandate as President and Vice-Chancellor of Sainte-Anne, on June 30, 2024.

Senate

On December 19, 2024, he was summoned to the Senate of Canada by Governor General Mary Simon, on the advice of prime minister Justin Trudeau. On February 12, 2025, Surette announced that he had joined the Independent Senators Group.

Other work

From 1999 to 2003, Surette was a member of the Board of Trustees of du Réseau des cégeps et collèges francophones du Canada (RCCFC), serving as chair from September 2000 to November 2002.

In December 1999, Surette was elected chairman of the executive committee for the 2004 Acadian World Congress. Surette had previously served as President of the organizing committee and then served as chairman of the board of directors.

In November 2000, Surette was appointed to a provincial advisory committee created help meet the needs of the Acadian community.

In December 2003, Surette was appointed facilitator by the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to lead discussions between herring fishers from Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and their respective provincial governments to seek solutions to the conflict in the herring fishery in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.Biography - Allister Surette
Government of Canada

In March 2006, Surette was appointed by the Canadian Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to facilitate an independent process to resolve a dispute between fishers from Prince Edward Island and the Magdalen Islands regarding lobster fishing on MacLeod's Ledge.

From 2007 to 2018, Surette served as a member of the board of directors for Assumption Life.

In May 2011, Surette was appointed as a member of the board of trustees for the Voluntary Sector Professional Capacity Trust, a trust to support developing human resource policies, business planning and assessing the needs of an organization.

In July 2012, Surette was one of three members appointed to serve on an expert panel reviewing the Regional Development Authority model.

In February 2014, Surette was appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors of the Western Regional Enterprise Network (WREN).

In May 2014, Surette was appointed transition co-ordinator to oversee the dissolution of the town of Bridgetown into the Municipality of the County of Annapolis.

In December 2018, Surette was appointed to the inaugural Board of Directors of Research Nova Scotia.

In December 2019, Surette was appointed chair of the organizing committee for the 2024 Acadian World Congress.

In October 2020, Surette was named the Federal Special Representative, a neutral third-party whose responsibility was to communicate with and rebuild trust between commercial and Indigenous fishers in Southwestern Nova Scotia. In March 2021, Surette released his Final Report as Federal Special Representative.

Recognition and awards

In 2004, Surette was awarded the Prix du Père Léger Comeau.

In October 2008, Surette was awarded the Order of La Pléiade which recognizes parliamentarians and community leaders for outstanding work in advancing francophone causes.

In 2010, Surette was made an honorary member of the Executive Council by the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.

In October 2019, Surette was one of seven people named to the Order of the Francophones of America which recognizes commitment to the French language and culture in the Americas.

Electoral record

, -

, Progressive Conservative
, Neil LeBlanc
, align="right", 3,028
, align="right", 53.60
, align="right", +9.32
, -

, -

, New Democratic Party
, Dianne Crowell
, align="right", 651
, align="right", 11.50
, align="right", +7.77

, -

, -

, Progressive Conservative
, Neil LeBlanc
, align="right", 2,633
, align="right", 44.28
, align="right", -19.86
, -

, New Democratic Party
, Dee Dee Daigle
, align="right", 222
, align="right", 3.73
, align="right", -0.68

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Surette, Allister
Living people
Dalhousie University alumni
Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs
Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia
People from Yarmouth County
Saint Mary's University (Halifax) alumni
1961 births
20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly
Canadian senators from Nova Scotia
Independent Canadian senators
21st-century members of the Senate of Canada