Laurie Blakeman
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| Laurie Blakeman | |
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MLA for Edmonton Centre
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office March 11, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Michael Henry |
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| Born | May 23, 1958 Edmonton |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Ben Henderson |
| Residence | Edmonton |
| Occupation | Non-profit manager |
| Website | http://www.laurieblakeman.ca |
Laurie Blakeman is a Canadian politician, who currently represents the electoral district of Edmonton Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. She is a member of the Alberta Liberal Party, and was first elected in the 1997 election.
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[edit] Early life
Blakeman was born May 23, 1958 in Edmonton.[1] She graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in acting and a certificate in public administration from the University of Alberta.[1] Before entering politics, she worked for the Alberta Advisory Council on Women's Issues, the Phoenix Theatre and Theatre Network, the Medical Council of Canada, and the Alberta Snowmobile Association.[1]
[edit] Political career
[edit] Electoral record
Blakeman first sought political office in the 1997 provincial election, when she ran as a Liberal candidate in Edmonton Centre to replace retiring Liberal MLA Michael Henry.[2] She was elected, finishing more than a thousand votes ahead of the second place finisher, Progressive Conservative Don Weideman.[2] This gap narrowed when Weideman challenged her re-election bid in the 2001 election,[2] The 2008 election would bring a new Progressive Conservative Opponent, in Bill Donahue, but a similar result, as Blakeman handily retained her seat in an election in which half of incumbent Liberal MLAs lost theirs.[3]
[edit] Legislative initiatives
In 1997, Blakeman sponsored the Domestic Abuse Act, a private member's bill that never reached second reading.[4] In 1998, she brought forward the Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Amendment Act, another private member's bill, which would have expanded the province's anti-discrimination legislation to include sexual orientation as a basis on which discrimination was prohibited[5] (later the same year, the Supreme Court of Canada, in Vriend v. Alberta, ruled Alberta's failure to include this to be in contravention of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms);[6] it too failed to advance to second reading.[7]
In 1999, Blakeman sponsored the Consumers Insurance Company Act, a private bill designed to create a new insurance company, in compliance with the law that new insurance companies could only be created by acts of the legislature.[8] However, the bill faced some opposition from Blakeman's Liberal colleagues, including Linda Sloan, Hugh MacDonald, and Gary Dickson, who expressed concern that the bill might be a step towards privatized medicine.[8][9] The bill passed.[10]
In 2007, Blakeman sponsored the Healthy Futures Act, which would have required major policy and funding decisions to undergo "health impact assessments", which would look at their impacts on Albertans' health through social and environmental impacts.[11] Blakeman's Liberal colleagues supported the bill, as did the New Democrats (although NDP MLA Ray Martin expressed concern that the bill only required assessment, rather than action, on potential adverse health impacts)[11] and several Progressive Conservatives.[12] Even so, it was defeated through majority opposition of the Progressive Conservatives, many of whom expressed the view that the bill would add nothing meaningful that did not already exist under the existing regulatory framework, while, in the words of PC MLA Dave Rodney, "effectively bring[ing] the decision- making apparatus of the government and this Assembly to a grinding halt."[11][12]
[edit] Personal life
Blakeman is married to Edmonton city councillor Ben Henderson.[13]
[edit] Election results
| 2008 Alberta general election results (Edmonton Centre) | Turnout 38.4% | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
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| Liberal | Laurie Blakeman | 4,918 | 44.0% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Bill Donahue | 3,285 | 29.4% | |
| NDP | Deron Bilous | 2,244 | 20.1% | |
| Green | David Parker | 476 | 4.3% | |
| Wildrose Alliance | James Iverson | 205 | 1.8% | |
| Alberta Party | Margaret Saunter | 51 | 0.5% | |
| 2004 Alberta general election results (Edmonton Centre) | Turnout 49.0% | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
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| Liberal | Laurie Blakeman | 6,203 | 57.1% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Don Weideman | 2,622 | 24.1% | |
| NDP | Mary Elizabeth Archer | 1,319 | 12.1% | |
| Green | David Parker | 333 | 3.1% | |
| Alberta Alliance | Tony Caterina | 280 | 2.6% | |
| Social Credit | Linda Clements | 112 | 1.0% | |
| 2001 Alberta general election results (Edmonton Centre) | Turnout 51.4% | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
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| Liberal | Laurie Blakeman | 5,095 | 44.0% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Don Weideman | 4,446 | 38.4% | |
| NDP | David Eggen | 1,959 | 16.9% | |
| Communist | Naomi Rankin | 76 | 0.7% | |
| 1997 Alberta general election results (Edmonton Centre) | Turnout 51.9% | |||
| Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % |
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| Liberal | Laurie Blakeman | 4,769 | 43.9% | |
| Progressive Conservative | Don Weideman | 3,634 | 33.5% | |
| NDP | Jenn Smith | 1,845 | 17.0% | |
| Social Credit | Alan Cruikshank | 420 | 3.9% | |
| Forum | Emil van der Poorten | 98 | 0.9% | |
| Natural Law | Richard Johnsen | 83 | 0.8% | |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Blakeman's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography at archive.org (viewable, downloadable film)
- ^ a b c Alberta's past election results. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
- ^ Edmonton Centre election results, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
- ^ Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 1st Session (1997). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, March 23, 1998
- ^ Gay Teacher Wins Major Civil Rights Case in Canada. religioustolerance.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
- ^ Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 2nd Session (1998). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ a b Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 19, 1999
- ^ Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, April 21, 1999
- ^ Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 3rd Session (1999). Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
- ^ a b c Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, November 26, 2007
- ^ a b Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Assembly of Alberta, December 3, 2007
- ^ Sadava, Mike. "Ward 4: Batty returns, Henderson joins her", Edmonton Journal, October 15, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
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