Martha Hall Findlay

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Martha Hall Findlay
Martha Hall Findlay
Incumbent
Assumed office 
March 31, 2008
Preceded by Jim Peterson
Born August 17, 1959 (1959-08-17) (age 48)
Political party Liberal
Profession Businesswoman, lawyer

Martha Hall Findlay (born August 17, 1959) is a Canadian lawyer, businesswoman and politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Liberal Party of Canada's candidate in the Toronto riding of Willowdale in a federal by-election held on March 17, 2008 to fill a vacancy created by former Liberal MP Jim Peterson's resignation.

She was previously the party's candidate for Newmarket—Aurora in the 2004 federal election, losing narrowly to Conservative candidate Belinda Stronach, and the first declared candidate for the Liberal Party leadership convention to succeed Paul Martin in 2006.

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[edit] Early life and career

Hall Findlay was overall silver medallist in the 1976 Canadian Ski Championship, and was named to the national training squad before retiring from competition to concentrate on her education. She graduated in international relations from the University of Toronto, and in law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Through university, she worked as a waitress, carpenter and ski race coach; while completing law school, she co-owned and operated two retail stores.

In her professional career, she worked for six years practicing corporate and commercial law at the Toronto offices of international law firm Baker & McKenzie, served as general counsel and executive for Bell Mobility and Mobility Canada, and later served as vice-president and general counsel for The Rider Group. After moving to Collingwood, Ontario in 1996, she founded The General Counsel Group, a legal and management consulting firm working primarily in the high-tech and telecommunications fields in Canada and Europe.

In 2007, she joined the law firm of Gowlings Lafleur Henderson LLP as counsel.

[edit] Political aspirant

In the 2004 federal election, the presumptive Liberal Party candidate in the Newmarket—Aurora riding bowed out, not wanting to run against Conservative candidate Belinda Stronach, a wealthy local executive nationally famous for her candidacy in the federal Conservative leadership election earlier that year. Hall Findlay, still resident in Collingwood, was parachuted into the riding at a relatively late date. She came within 689 votes of defeating Stronach.

Hoping to defeat Stronach in the next election, Hall Findlay moved to Newmarket—Aurora and became active in the Liberal party and the local community.

But on May 17, 2005, Stronach crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party caucus, and Hall Findlay, who had already been nominated as the Liberal candidate, stepped down from this post to allow Stronach to run under the Liberal banner. In the 2006 election, she was rumoured as a potential Liberal candidate in Simcoe—Grey (which includes Collingwood) [1], and she told Liberal organizers she wanted to run in a Toronto-area riding, but they did not point her to one. She assisted in the successful Toronto campaigns of Michael Ignatieff, John Godfrey and Carolyn Bennett, and the unsuccessful Barrie campaign of Aileen Carroll. In December 2005, she moved to Toronto.

[edit] Leadership bid

On February 8, 2006, Hall Findlay became the first declared candidate for the Liberal Party leadership convention to succeed Paul Martin. During the convention she was eliminated from the first ballot, and threw her support behind the eventual winner Stéphane Dion. Her support was more influential than simply her number of delegates, due to her status as the only remaining woman in the race, and a perception that she represented a growing liberal grassroots. She was also one of only two candidates, along with Dion, to gain significantly more support percentage-wise on that ballot than she had in committed delegates going into the convention.

On December 18, 2006, Hall Findlay became the Platform Outreach Chair for the Liberal Party of Canada, appointed by Stéphane Dion to travel across the country, engaging Canadians on ideas for the upcoming electoral platform.

She was appointed the Liberal candidate in Willowdale for the next federal election by Stéphane Dion[2], following the retirement of Jim Peterson. [3] On by-election day, she garnered just short of 60 per cent of the vote in Willowdale.

[edit] Community involvement

Hall Findlay has served as an executive of the Alberta radio network CKUA, the Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs, and the Georgian Bay Association. She is a past president of the Pointe au Baril Islanders' Association and the Georgian Peaks Club, and an active member of the York Region Community Foundation.

[edit] Electoral record

By-election on March 17, 2008: Willowdale
Party Candidate Votes %
     Liberal Martha Hall Findlay 13,524 59.3
     Conservative Maureen Harquail 6,864 30.1
     Green Lou Carcasole 1,325 5.8
     New Democrat Rini Ghosh 1,084 4.8

[edit] References

  1. ^ Miss Kansas USA Has Roots In Nature
  2. ^ CTV.ca | Dion appoints Hall Findlay to run in plum riding
  3. ^ Veteran Liberal MP Peterson retires, clearing way for Hall Findlay

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Hall Findlay, Martha
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION lawyer, businesswoman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH August 17, 1959
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Languages