Marilyn Burns (politician)

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For other people named Burns, see Burns (disambiguation).

Marilyn Burns

Marilyn Burns is a politician and civil lawyer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Marilyn was extensively involved with the Alberta Alliance Party, holding a number of positions in the party's executive council, from late 2003 to June 2006.

Marilyn ran for the Alliance in the 2004 Alberta provincial election, in the riding of Stony Plain. She had one of the stronger Alberta Alliance showings in the capital region, finishing a strong third.

Marilyn was the official justice critic and Vice President of Communications for the Alberta Alliance in 2004 and 2005 until she stepped out of those positions to run for the leadership of the party. She was a very vocal critic in the media of the Klein government's handling on everything from auto insurance to same sex marriage. Her work was valuable to help Paul Hinman, the Alliance's first elected of the legislative assembly.

At the leadership convention, held November 18 & 19, 2005 she lost to Paul Hinman on the third and final ballot. Marilyn was the only woman of the four candidates.

Her son, Jeremy Burns, a student at the University of Alberta, also ran for the Alliance party against Raj Pannu in Edmonton Strathcona.

In late 2005 Burns teamed up with Robert James, former Progressive Conservative Campaign Chair, and in April 2007, Burns, James, and Link Byfield, an Edmonton Journalist and Senator-elect decided to try to start a new provincial Political party. In June 2007, Burns became secretary of the new Wildrose Party of Alberta.