Maureen MacDonald (born 1954) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

academic and politician. She represented the riding of

Halifax Needham Halifax Needham is a provincial electoral district in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It has existed since 1967, though its boundaries have changed periodically. Halifax Needham encompa ...

in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

from 1998 to 2016. She served as the interim leader of the

Nova Scotia New Democratic Party The Nova Scotia New Democratic Party (Nova Scotia NDP) is a social democratic political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the provincial section for the province of the federal New Democratic Party. It was founded as the Co-operative Commonwe ...

from November 23, 2013 to February 27, 2016.

Early life and career

A native of

Antigonish Antigonish ( ; ) is a town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland. It is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of Hal ...

, MacDonald graduated in 1979 with a MSW from the Maritime School of Social Work at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

. She was employed as a

social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

at the Nova Scotia Hospital (Adolescent Services) and later was a faculty member at her alma mater where she taught social policy and community development. MacDonald also worked at Dalhousie Legal Aid, the North End Clinic and the North End Parent Resource Centre.

Political career

MacDonald was first elected as MLA for

in the 1998 provincial election, after having previously run in the same riding in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

and

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

. She was subsequently re-elected in the

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

and 2013 provincial elections. MacDonald sought the leadership of the NS NDP in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, finishing a strong third. On June 19, 2009 MacDonald was appointed to the

Executive Council of Nova Scotia The Executive Council of Nova Scotia (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of Nova Scotia) is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Almost always made up of members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the cabinet is s ...

where she served as Minister of Health as well as Minister of Health Promotion and Protection. On May 30, 2012, Premier Darrell Dexter shuffled his cabinet, appointing MacDonald as Minister of Finance. On May 10, 2013 MacDonald was appointed Minister of African Nova Scotia Affairs. MacDonald was one of only seven NDP MLAs returned in the 2013 provincial election in which the Dexter government was defeated. On November 16, 2013, it was announced that MacDonald would become the party's interim leader when Dexter steps down as leader on November 23, 2013. On April 12, 2016, MacDonald announced she was resigning as MLA.

Electoral record

, - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 3,391 , align="right", 44.03 , align="right", -23.80 , - , Liberal , Chris Poole , align="right", 3,115 , align="right", 40.45 , align="right", +19.22 , - , Progressive Conservative , Mary D.S. Hamblin , align="right", 834 , align="right", 10.83 , align="right", +4.65 , - , align="right", 361 , align="right", 4.69 , align="right", -0.08 , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 5,337 , align="right", 67.83 , align="right", , - , Liberal , Graham Estabrooks , align="right", 1,670 , align="right", 21.23 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Jason Cameron , align="right", 486 , align="right", 6.18 , align="right", , - , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 4,438 , align="right", 60.62 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Andrew Black , align="right", 1,330 , align="right", 18.17 , align="right", , - , Liberal , Dr. Errol Guam , align="right", 1,220 , align="right", 16.66 , align="right", , - , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 3,709 , align="right", 50.26 , align="right", , - , Liberal , Mike Rogers , align="right", 2,178 , align="right", 29.51 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Linda Carvery , align="right", 1,377 , align="right", 18.66 , align="right", , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 3,525 , align="right", 44.95 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Linda Carvery , align="right", 2,185 , align="right", 27.86 , align="right", , - , Liberal , Mike Rogers , align="right", 1,970 , align="right", 25.12 , align="right", , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 4,837 , align="right", 58.51 , align="right", , - , Liberal , Gerry O'Malley , align="right", 2,506 , align="right", 30.31 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Atho Kartsaklis , align="right", 924 , align="right", 11.18 , align="right", , - , Liberal , Gerry O'Malley , align="right", 3,469 , align="right", 41.91 , align="right", , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 2,693 , align="right", 32.53 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Randy Dewell , align="right", 2,116 , align="right", 25.56 , align="right", , - , Progressive Conservative , Edmund Morris , align="right", 3,173 , align="right", 39.97 , align="right", , - , New Democratic Party , Maureen MacDonald , align="right", 2,514 , align="right", 31.67 , align="right", , - , Liberal ,

Walter Fitzgerald Walter Fitzgerald Bond (18 May 1896 – 20 December 1976) was an English character actor. Early life Born in Stoke, Plymouth, Fitzgerald was a former stockbroker before he began his theatrical training at RADA. He joined the British Army durin ...

, align="right", 2,208 , align="right", 27.81 , align="right", , - , Labour , Bernice Kaizer , align="right", 44 , align="right", 0.55 , align="right",

References

External links

Official website

Members of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly

NDP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Maureen 1954 births Nova Scotia New Democratic Party MLAs Leaders of the Nova Scotia CCF/NDP Women MLAs in Nova Scotia Living people Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia People from Antigonish, Nova Scotia Female Canadian political party leaders Ministers of finance of Nova Scotia Ministers of health of Nova Scotia 21st-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 21st-century Canadian women politicians Women government ministers of Canada Female finance ministers 20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 20th-century Canadian women politicians