Candice Bergen (politician)
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Candice Marie Bergen Harris (born September 28, 1964) is a Canadian politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for
Portage—Lisgar Portage—Lisgar is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Demographics :''According to the 2021 Canadian census'' ''Ethnic groups:'' 82.3% White, 11.5% Ind ...
in
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
from 2008 to 2023. She served as the interim leader of the Conservative Party and the
leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...
from February 2, 2022 to September 10, 2022. Bergen was minister of State for Social Development in the Harper government and
Opposition House Leader The Opposition House Leader (), officially known as leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons of Canada, is a member of the Official Opposition, not to be confused with the Leader of the Official Opposition, but is generally a ...
under
Rona Ambrose Ronalee Ambrose Veitch ( , Name at birth, née Chapchuk; born March 15, 1969) is a former Canadian politician who served as Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the Official Opposition and Interim leader (Canada), interim Leade ...
and
Andrew Scheer Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who is the Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the Opposition since 2025 and previously from 2017 to 2020 as Leader of the Conservative Party (Canada), leader of ...
from 2016 until 2020. She served as deputy leader of the Conservative Party and deputy leader of the Opposition under
Erin O'Toole Erin Michael O'Toole (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian lawyer, former military officer and politician who was the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader of the Official Opposition from 2020 to 2022. O'Toole was elected ...
from September 2020 to February 2022. On September 6, 2022, she announced she would not be standing at the next federal election, and resigned her seat on February 28, 2023. The
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
to replace her in parliament was held on June 19, 2023. She was succeeded by her former campaign manager,
Branden Leslie Branden Leslie is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in a by-election on 19 June 2023. He represents Portage—Lisgar as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. Previously, he was a former Conservative ...
.


Background

Bergen was born on September 28, 1964, in
Morden Morden is a district and town in South London, England, now within the London Borough of Merton, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. It adjoins Merton Park and Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Sutton, Londo ...
,
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
, to a family with
Mennonite Mennonites are a group of Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian communities tracing their roots to the epoch of the Radical Reformation. The name ''Mennonites'' is derived from the cleric Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland, part of ...
roots and attended a
Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...
church. She was the youngest of eight siblings. Her father sold car parts and her mother was a cleaner in a hospital. After high school, Bergen moved to
Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
and
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, but returned home to Morden to raise her children and worked to help support her husband through university.


Federal politics

Bergen became involved in politics because of frustration with the
Canadian federal government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ...
, including what she perceived as wasteful spending. She began volunteering for the
Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 2000 to 2003. The Canadian Alliance was the new name of the ...
's local
riding association An electoral district association (), commonly known as a riding association () or constituency association, is the basic unit of a political party at the level of the electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) distr ...
. In 2004, she was the Manitoba campaign manager for
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...
's leadership bid for the Conservative Party of Canada.


Government backbencher

On October 14, 2008, Bergen, under her then-married name Candice Hoeppner, was elected to represent
Portage—Lisgar Portage—Lisgar is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997. Demographics :''According to the 2021 Canadian census'' ''Ethnic groups:'' 82.3% White, 11.5% Ind ...
in the
2008 Canadian federal election The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on October 14, 2008, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the 39th Canadian Parliament, previous parliament had been dissolved by Governor General o ...
. On November 19, 2008, Bergen introduced the motion in the House of Commons to accept the
speech from the throne A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or their representative, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a Legislative session, session is opened. ...
(the traditional speech in which the
governor general Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
outlines the government's agenda at the start of a new session of Parliament). In fall 2011, Bergen was given the opportunity to chair a panel of MPs (one from each recognized party) for the selection of
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judges. Bergen was also a member of the legislative committee studying the controversial Bill C-18, an omnibus bill that would purportedly give marketing freedom to western grain farmers. Some farmers claim that the bill has had negative effects on the grain farmers it claimed to benefit. Previously, Bergen served as chair of the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities. She was the vice-chair of the Standing Committee for the Status of Women and sat on the Standing Committee for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Additionally, she has been a member of the Liaison Committee as well as the Panel of Legislative Committee Chairs. Bergen was involved in several special parliamentary groups. She was on the executive on the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group. She is also the former chair of the Canada-Australia-New Zealand Parliamentary Friendship Group, in addition to sitting on a number of other parliamentary groups. On May 15, 2009, Bergen introduced bill C-391, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act, which would have repealed the long-gun registry. On November 4, 2009, bill C-391 passed second reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 164 to 137. On September 22, 2010, a
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...
motion to kill debate on bill C-391 was passed 153–151, after six
NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National Dev ...
MPs who backed Bergen's bill changed their votes, along with several Liberal MPs, enough to ensure the passage of the motion, keeping the registry alive.


Parliamentary secretary and cabinet minister

On May 2, 2011, at the 41st Canadian general election, Bergen was returned as Member of Parliament for Portage—Lisgar with 76.0 per cent of the vote. On May 25, 2011, Bergen was appointed as the parliamentary secretary to the
minister of public safety The minister of public safety and emergency preparedness () is the minister of the Crown responsible for Public Safety Canada and a member of the Cabinet of Canada. The portfolio succeeded the role of Solicitor General of Canada in 2005. Gary ...
. In her role as parliamentary secretary, Bergen had the opportunity to work alongside the Minister of Public Safety on bill C-19, Ending the Long Gun Registry Act which became law on April 5, 2012. On July 15, 2013, Bergen was appointed Minister of State for Social Development.


In opposition

After Stephen Harper resigned as Conservative leader after the party became the Official Opposition after the
2015 election Africa * 2015 Beninese parliamentary election 26 April 2015 * 2015 Burkinabé general election 29 November 2015 * 2015 Burundian legislative election 29 June 2015 * 2015 Burundian presidential election 21 July 2015 * 2015-16 Central African g ...
, Bergen, who was re-elected, announced that she would run for the interim leadership. Rona Ambrose was chosen instead. In opposition, she served as the Official Opposition critic for Natural Resources from November 20, 2015, to September 15, 2016. Bergen was appointed by Interim Conservative leader,
Rona Ambrose Ronalee Ambrose Veitch ( , Name at birth, née Chapchuk; born March 15, 1969) is a former Canadian politician who served as Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the Official Opposition and Interim leader (Canada), interim Leade ...
as Opposition House Leader on September 15, 2016, replacing
Andrew Scheer Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who is the Leader of the Official Opposition (Canada), leader of the Opposition since 2025 and previously from 2017 to 2020 as Leader of the Conservative Party (Canada), leader of ...
. In 2018, Bergen criticized
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...
and the Liberal government during the
Question Period Question Period (QP; ), known officially as Oral Questions (), occurs each sitting day in the House of Commons of Canada—similarly in provincial legislatures—in which members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (includin ...
after not ordering law enforcement to arrest
Abu Huzaifa al-Kanadi Shehroze Chaudhry (born 1994/1995) is a Canadian who gained international attention under the pseudonym Abu Huzaifa al-Kanadi ("Abu Huzaifa the Canadian") as the subject of ''Caliphate'', a podcast hosted by Rukmini Callimachi of ''The New York ...
after admitting to be a member of the
Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
group. She also called on Public Safety Minister
Ralph Goodale Ralph Edward Goodale (born October 5, 1949) is a Canadian diplomat and retired politician who has served as the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom since April 19, 2021. Goodale was first elected in 1974 as the member of Parliam ...
to reveal whether the government knows where he is or not, but Goodale stated that it was the "opposition of keeping Canadians safe". She was re-elected in the 2019 federal election. She considered running in the
2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election In 2020, the Conservative Party of Canada held a leadership election held to elect a new party leader. The election was prompted by Andrew Scheer's announcement in December 2019 that he would resign as party leader. The election was conducte ...
to succeed Andrew Scheer, but decided not to because of her lack of fluency in French. In 2020, she called for the re-establishment of the Office of Religious Freedom in Canada to address the
forced conversion of minority girls in Pakistan In Pakistan, it is estimated that several hundred people belonging to the minority Hindu, Christian, and Sikh communities are kidnapped and forcefully converted or coerced through societal pressures to convert to Islam each year. Causes Some Isl ...
. In September 2020, Bergen was appointed
Deputy Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
by
Erin O'Toole Erin Michael O'Toole (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian lawyer, former military officer and politician who was the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the leader of the Official Opposition from 2020 to 2022. O'Toole was elected ...
. She was succeeded as Opposition House Leader by
Gérard Deltell Gérard Deltell (born August 8, 1964) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Louis-Saint-Laurent since 2015. A member of the Conservative Party, Deltell was Opposition House Leader from 2020 to 2022 und ...
. On January 7, 2021, an undated photo of Bergen apparently wearing a camouflage
MAGA hat "Make America Great Again" (MAGA, ) is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. "MAGA" is also used to refer to Trump's ideology, political base ...
began circulating on social media. In response, Bergen denounced the
2021 storming of the United States Capitol On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months after his defea ...
but did not deny that she was depicted in the picture. On January 31, 2022, Bergen advised senior Conservative MPs not to tell members of the Ottawa Protests to leave the city. In an email she told members that, "we need to turn this into the
rime Minister's Rime may refer to: *Rime ice, ice that forms when water droplets in fog freeze to the outer surfaces of objects, such as trees. Rime is also an alternative spelling of "rhyme" as a noun: *Syllable rime, term used in the study of phonology in lin ...
problem" by portraying Trudeau as unwilling to take steps such as meeting protestors to defuse the situation. Bergen also argued that there are "good people on both sides". The same day, fellow Conservative MP
Marilyn Gladu Marilyn Gladu (''née'' McInerney; born 1962) is a Canadian politician who has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Sarnia—Lambton since 2015. She was elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 Canadian federal election and serve ...
posted a picture of Bergen and herself meeting with protestors in a downtown Ottawa restaurant. On February 2, 2022, Erin O'Toole was removed as leader in a vote by Conservative MPs according to the terms of the ''
Reform Act The Reform Acts (or Reform Bills, before they were passed) are legislation enacted in the United Kingdom in the 19th and 20th century to enfranchise new groups of voters and to redistribute seats in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the U ...
''. The vote occurred by secret ballot. The vote ousted him as leader, which took effect immediately. Following O'Toole's removal, a second vote of Conservative MPs took place on the same day to appoint an interim party leader pursuant to the ''Reform Act''. Bergen was elected as the interim leader of the Conservative Party by the Conservative caucus, and became the Leader of the Official Opposition. During the Public Order Emergency Commission, Trudeau's chief of staff and three other staffers said that Bergen had "acknowledged that there were significant concerns about whom the federal government could engage with and setting a bad precedent." on a February 3 phone call with Trudeau to see if she could engage protest leadership. As the protests went on, Bergen publicly called for an end to the protests. On February 6, 2022, Bergen appointed Mégantic—L'Érable MP
Luc Berthold Luc Berthold (; born 1965 or 1966) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Mégantic—L'Érable in the House of Commons in the 2015 election. On February 6, 2022, Berthold was appointed Deputy Leader of the Con ...
as the party's
deputy leader A deputy leader (in Scottish English, sometimes depute leader) in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. Deputy leaders often become Deputy prime minister when their parties are elected to go ...
and
Quebec lieutenant In Canadian politics, a Quebec lieutenant () is a Quebec politician who is selected by the party leader to be the main advisor or spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec. This is particularly the case when the leader is an anglophone, though se ...
. On September 6, 2022, she announced she would not be standing at the next federal election. On September 10, 2022, it was announced that MP
Pierre Poilievre Pierre Marcel Poilievre (born June 3, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has been the Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Party since 2022. He was the Member of Parliament (Canad ...
was elected as her successor in the 2022 leadership election. On February 1, 2023, Bergen announced that she had submitted her letter of resignation and would be stepping down as an MP.


After federal politics

In March 2023, Bergen became campaign co-chair for the
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba (PC; ) is a centre-right political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is currently the opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, following a defeat in the 2023 provincial election. Hist ...
for the
2023 Manitoba general election The 2023 Manitoba general election was held on October 3, 2023, to elect 57 members to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. The New Democratic Party of Manitoba, led by Wab Kinew, formed a majority government, defeating the two-term Progressive ...
.


Political positions

Politically, Bergen has been defined as both a
social conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional social structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institu ...
and a
moderate Moderate is an ideological category which entails centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. Political position Canad ...
with a profile in ''
Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...
'' describing her as having an appeal to both wings of the
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC; , ), sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a Government of Canada, federal List of political parties in Canada, political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main Right-wing ...
. In her personal beliefs, she has expressed opposition to
big government Big government is a term that refers to a government or public sector that is considered excessively large or unconstitutionally involved in certain areas of public policy or the private sector. The term may also be used specifically concerning ...
and stated that concerns for rural issues and national debt incurred by Liberal governments motivated her involvement in politics. In a 2021 interview with ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...
'', Bergen stated that she considered running in the
2020 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election In 2020, the Conservative Party of Canada held a leadership election held to elect a new party leader. The election was prompted by Andrew Scheer's announcement in December 2019 that he would resign as party leader. The election was conducte ...
but decided not to citing her lack of fluency in French. Bergen is
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
. Bergen voted in support of Bill C-233 - an act to amend the ''Criminal Code'' (
sex-selective abortion Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based upon the predicted sex of the infant. As the practice overwhelmingly targets female fetuses, sex-selective abortion often specifically refers to female-selective abortion. ...
), which would make it an indictable or a summary offence for a medical practitioner to knowingly perform an abortion solely on the grounds of the child's genetic sex. Bergen voted against a bill aimed at banning
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have ...
in Canada, justifying her vote by saying she had concerns with the bill's wording. In 2016, she supported the motion to amend the Conservative Party's constitution to remove the "traditional definition" of marriage from the party's policy book and support same-sex marriage.


Personal life

Bergen married David Hoeppner in 1986 and took his name, running as Candice Hoeppner. They had three children together, and as of January 2021, two grandchildren. After separating in 2011, Bergen announced in the House of Commons on September 17, 2012, that she would resume using her birth name. On October 11, 2020, Bergen married Michael Harris, a retired Winnipeg high school teacher; sharing photos of their wedding on social media, Bergen said she "married my love and best friend Michael."


Election results


References


External links


Candice Bergen official page
*
Twitter profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergen, Candice 1964 births Canadian Mennonites Canadian Pentecostals Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Conservative Party of Canada MPs Leaders of the opposition (Canada) Living people Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Morden, Manitoba People from Central Plains Region, Manitoba Women in Manitoba politics Women government ministers of Canada 21st-century Canadian women politicians Women deputy opposition leaders Women opposition leaders Deputy opposition leaders 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada