Nancy Evelyn Guptill (April 28, 1941 – August 24, 2020) was a Canadian politician from

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

(PEI). She served in its Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 2000. A member of the provincial Liberal Party, she represented the

electoral districts An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

5th Prince 5th Prince was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island () together with the Lieuten ...

from 1987 to 1996 and St. Eleanors-Summerside from 1996 to 2000. She was noted for being part of PEI's Famous Five when she was elected

speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

in 1993.

Early life

Guptill was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, on April 28, 1941. She was the daughter of Lloyd and Evelyn Garrison. Guptill was educated at the Halifax Vocational School and the Victoria General Hospital. She married L.R. Gregg Guptill in 1964. Together, they had three daughters. The family eventually relocated to Summerside on

in 1975.

Career

Guptill started her career in politics as a member of the

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

for

Summerside, Prince Edward Island Summerside is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the primary service centre for the western part of the island. History Summerside was ...

for two terms. She later revealed that she had never intended to enter politics. She decided to run only after being advised that she had no chance of being elected, since she was not from PEI and a woman. She went on to be elected as

Member of the Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA) in 1987. She was appointed to the provincial cabinet two years later, serving as Minister of Tourism and Parks from 1989 to 1991 and as Minister of Labour and Minister responsible for the Status of Women from 1991 to 1993. Throughout her tenure as MLB, Guptill was noted for her resolve to create jobs for her constituents in Summerside. Guptill was subsequently elected

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is a title commonly held by presiding officers of parliamentary bodies styled legislative assemblies. The office is most widely used in state and territorial legislatures in Australia, and in provincial and terr ...

on April 15, 1993, and served in that office until 1996. She became part of the province's Famous Five, together with

Marion Reid Marion Loretta Reid (; January 4, 1929 – June 22, 2023) was a Canadian politician who was the first female Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, and the List of lieutenant governors of Prince Edward Island#Lieutenant G ...

(

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Catherine Callbeck Catherine Sophia Callbeck (born July 25, 1939) is a retired Canadian politician and the current and ninth Chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island. She was the 28th premier of Prince Edward Island from 1993 to 1996, the third fema ...

(

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

), Pat Mella (

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 ...

), and Libbe Hubley (Deputy Speaker). It marked the first time that all five legislative positions in a Canadian province were held by women. Premier Callbeck remembered Guptill for her sense of fairness as a speaker. She worked in that capacity with local police and the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

to improve the security of Province House, after a

pipe bomb A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device (IED) that uses a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively larg ...

exploded in the legislature on April 20, 1995. Throughout her tenure in the legislature, Guptill found the work-home-life balance to be testing. Her husband's support, coupled with the fact that their daughters were at an older age, made the situation less difficult. Consequently, she advocated for shorter working hours to give female MLAs the opportunity to raise a family at the same time.

Later years

Guptill retired as an MLA before the provincial election in 2000. She was later named chair of the provincial Workers Compensation Board in 2008. Guptill died on August 24, 2020, in Summerside. She was 79, with her daughter noting that she suffered a "diminishing quality of life" in the years leading up to her death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guptill, Nancy 1941 births 2020 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Politicians from Summerside, Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs Prince Edward Island municipal councillors Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Women government ministers of Canada Women legislative speakers Women MLAs in Prince Edward Island Women municipal councillors in Prince Edward Island 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island 20th-century Canadian women politicians 20th-century Canadian municipal councillors