Maria Michelle Fitzpatrick (born February 18, 1949) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the

2015 Alberta general election The 2015 Alberta general election was held on May 5, 2015, following a request of Premier Jim Prentice to the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Donald Ethell to dissolve the Legislative Assembly on April 7, 2015. This election elected members to th ...

to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

of Lethbridge-East.

Early life

Fitzpatrick was born and raised in

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

. She is a former sprinter who competed in the Canada Summer Games, Canadian Track and Field Championships, National University Indoor Championships, Halifax Highland Games, Antigonish Highland Games, and Royal Canadian Legion Provincial Championships. In 1969, she was named the Athlete of the Year for St. John's. She later coached various track and field teams in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Alberta. In 2005, she was named to the Newfoundland and Labrador Athletics Association Hall of Fame. Fitzpatrick is a trustee on the Lethbridge Labour Council, vice president of the Canadian Federation of University Women, and chair of the regional women's committee of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. She worked for 32 years with the Correctional Service of Canada, most recently as a project officer.

Political career

In November 2015, during debate on a private member's bill to improve supports for victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, Fitzpatrick spoke in the legislature about her own experience, having been married to an abusive husband in the 1970s."‘He beat me. He raped me,’ Alberta NDP politician recounts own experience of domestic violence"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', November 17, 2015. She earned a standing ovation in the legislature for her speech, and the bill unanimously passed second reading soon afterward.

Electoral history

2019 general election

2015 general election

References

1949 births Alberta New Democratic Party MLAs Canadian female sprinters Living people Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Women MLAs in Alberta Sportspeople from Lethbridge Sportspeople from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians {{Alberta-politician-stub