Anne McGrath
Anne McGrath | |
---|---|
President of the New Democratic Party | |
In office September 10, 2006 – August 16, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Adam Giambrone |
Succeeded by | Peggy Nash |
Personal details | |
Born | ca. 1958 |
Political party | New Democratic Party (1993 or earlier-present) |
Other political affiliations |
Communist Party of Canada (1984-??) |
Residence | Orléans, Ontario |
Anne McGrath (born ca. 1958) is the National Director of the New Democratic Party (NDP), the Official Opposition party of Canada.
She was formerly chief of staff to Jack Layton, the late leader of the NDP. As Chief of Staff to Jack Layton (2008–2011), she is credited with professionalizing caucus operations and co-designing Layton’s historic breakthrough to Official Opposition status. She has since remained as Chief of Staff to New Democratic Party interim leader Nycole Turmel and the Federal NDP Caucus. She was also president of the party from 2006 to 2009; she was elected on September 10, 2006 at the party's convention in Quebec City and her term ended on August 16, 2009 when Peggy Nash was elected president at the party's convention in Halifax. Before that, she had been Director of Operations for the NDP federal caucus.
She is a frequent commentator on national media broadcasts and has been identified as one of the 100 most influential people in government and politics in Ottawa. Previously, she was an activist in the labour, student and women's movements [1] and had been employed by CUPE National as Director of Equality and as executive assistant to CUPE's national president Judy Darcy, and by Oxfam Canada. In 1993, McGrath was the Alberta New Democratic Party's candidate in Calgary-Bow.[2] In 1995 she was their candidate in a provincial by-election in Calgary-McCall and came in third place.[3] Later in 1995 she ran against Ross Harvey for the leadership of the Alberta NDP, coming second.
In 1979-80 she was President of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa.[4] She graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta and began her career as a teacher. She subsequently held a variety of positions with not-for-profit organizations including working as Canadian Programme Officer for OXFAM-Canada and Community Development Team Leader and senior education officer for the Canadian Mental Health Association. She has a Master’s Degree in Communications Studies.[5] She has also served as a board member and social issues chair of the Elizabeth Fry Society, Vice-President of National Action Committee on the Status of Women, and a member of the Steering Committee for the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action: Beijing and Beyond.[6] In the 1984 federal election, while a student, she ran as candidate for the Communist Party of Canada in Edmonton—Strathcona,[7] placing seventh.
She is portrayed by Wendy Crewson in the 2013 CBC Television film Jack.
1995 Alberta NDP leadership challenge
(Held on November 11, 1995)[8]
- Ross Harvey 177
- Anne McGrath 118
- Joe Weykowich 30
- Lawrence Dubrofsky 3
Electoral record
April 20, 1995 Calgary-McCall by-election results[9] | Turnout 27.97% | Swing | ||||
Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | Party | Personal | |
Progressive Conservative | Shiraz Shariff | 2,496 | 43.64% | -1.44% | * | |
Liberal | Jeet Shergill | 1,980 | 34.61% | 2.63% | * | |
NDP | Anne McGrath | 713 | 12.46% | 2.61% | * | |
Social Credit | Doug Cooper | 470 | 8.22% | * | ||
Confederation of Regions | Peter Hope | 61 | 1.07% | -0.34% | * | |
Total | 5,720 | 100% | ||||
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | 17 | |||||
20,514 Eligible Electors | ||||||
Progressive Conservative hold | Swing -2.04% |
1993 Alberta general election results[10] | Turnout 64.59% | Swing | ||||
Affiliation | Candidate | Votes | % | Party | Personal | |
Progressive Conservative | Bonnie Laing | 7,011 | 46.28% | 11.39% | ||
Liberal | Rob Van Walleghem | 5,369 | 35.44% | 1.22% | * | |
NDP | Anne McGrath | 1,908 | 12.60% | -18.29% | * | |
Social Credit | Patrick John Hudson | 376 | 2.48% | * | ||
Greens | David Crowe | 287 | 1.90% | * | ||
Confederation of Regions | Roberta McDonald | 120 | 0.79% | * | ||
Natural Law | Alan Livingston | 78 | 0.51% | * | ||
Total | 15,149 | 100% | ||||
Rejected, Spoiled and Declined | 60 | |||||
23,546 Eligible Electors | ||||||
Progressive Conservative hold | Swing 6.31% |
Canadian federal election, 1984 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ∆% | ||||
Progressive Conservative | (x)David Kilgour | 33,712 | 61.43% | +2.05% | ||||
New Democratic | Doris S. Burghardt | 11,095 | 20.22% | +8.21% | ||||
Liberal | Sandra Douglas-Tubb | 8,500 | 15.49% | -11.66% | ||||
Confederation of Regions | Lorne Cass | 749 | 1.36% | |||||
Green | Russell John Mulvey | 466 | 0.85% | |||||
Social Credit | Norman Utz | 218 | 0.40% | |||||
Communist | Anne McGrath | 137 | 0.25% | -0.01% | ||||
Total valid votes | 54,877 | 100% |
References
- ↑ "Anne McGrath elected NDP President" (Press release). New Democratic Party. September 10, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- ↑ http://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/PHASE4/?p=0&type=election&ID=349#page_1=constituency_3451
- ↑ http://www.electionsalberta.ab.ca/pastbyelection.html#april1995
- ↑ http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/41540639/
- ↑ http://www.ipolitics.ca/author/amcgrath/
- ↑ http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Anne-McGrath/302832076
- ↑ "Election '84 - Edmonton Strathcona (Canadidate profiles)". Edmonton Journal. August 31, 1984. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
- ↑ Edmonton Journal, November 13, 1995
- ↑ "Calgary-McCall by-election official results". Elections Alberta. April 20, 1995. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
- ↑ "Calgary-Bow Official Results 1993 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved March 9, 2010.