Kelly Lamrock

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Kelly Lamrock, B.A., LL.B. is a Canadian lawyer, educator and politician in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. He is currently a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak and Minister of Education in the New Brunswick cabinet.

One could argue that Lamrock began his career in politics when he was a student at Fredericton High School. While there he competed in the World High School Public Speaking Championship, where he placed second, and was the winner of several national debating comptetitions.

He attended St. Thomas University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and the University of New Brunswick, where he earned a Bachelor of Laws. He was president of the student unions at both institutions, the first and only student to occupy both posts. He was also involved in national student politics, he served as president of the Canadian Federation of Students and then was a leader in the split within that organization that led to the creation of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). He was the founding president of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, a provincial wing of CASA, during which time he authored Open Doors, Open Minds and No More Smoke and Mirrors two reports which led to his appearing before committees of the Canadian House of Commons and Canadian Senate as well as to a tuition freeze in New Brunswick.

Following graduation from university, Lamrock briefly ran his own law practice before becoming the Director of Policy and Communications for the New Brunswick Healthcare Association in 1998. In 2001, he become Director of Student Affairs at St. Thomas University.

Though he had been often associated with the New Brunswick New Democratic Party and helped write that party's platform for the 1999 provincial election, he soon became active in the New Brunswick Liberal Party. Lamrock chaired the party's policy renewal process in 2001 and was nominated as candidate for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak under the Liberal banner in 2002.

He was elected to the Legislature in the 2003 election and joined the shadow cabinet as co-critic for Education and critic for Post-Secondary Education. In November, following the resignation of veteran Liberal legislator Bernard Richard, Lamrock was given the high profile role of Opposition House Leader.

Throughout the remainder of the legislative session, Lamrock became one of the most high profile members of the Liberal caucus and carried several high profile critic portfolios in addition to his House Leader duties. In 2006, he delivered the opposition reply to the budget due to the absence of the finance critic for a family emergency.

Lamrock was easily re-elected in a largely different district, though still named Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak, in the 2006 election. Following the election he was named to cabinet as Minister of Education and was also given responsibilities for the Advisory Council on Youth and the Provincial Capital Commission.

Provincial Government of Shawn Graham
Cabinet Post
Predecessor Office Successor
Claude Williams Minister of Education
(2006–)
incumbent
Special Cabinet Responsibilities
Predecessor Title Successor
Bernard Lord Minister responsible for Youth
(2006–)
incumbent
none Minister responsible for the
Provincial Capital Commission
(2006–)
new designation
incumbent
new district MLA for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak
2006-present
Incumbent
Preceded by
Eric MacKenzie
(Progressive Conservative)
MLA for Fredericton-Fort Nashwaak
2003-2006
district abolished