Diana Whalen

Diana Whalen
Diana Whalen, MLA
MLA for Halifax Clayton Park
Incumbent
Assumed office 2003
Preceded by	new riding
Personal details
Political party	Liberal
Occupation	accountant

Diana Whalen is a politician in Nova Scotia, Canada. She has held elected office since 2000 when she won a seat on HRM council representing the Clayton Park West and Rockingham. She has been the MLA for Halifax Clayton Park since 2003. She is the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, a member of the Assembly Matters Committee and the Liberal Critic for Health and Health Promotion & Protection.

She graduated from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

In 1990, Whalen moved back to Halifax to raise her two children after living and working in the Republic of Korea, Australia and Jamaica. Living overseas has helped her appreciate the challenges faced by the many new Canadians in her riding of Clayton Park.. She settled in Clayton Park and became involved in community organizations dedicated to improving services in the fast-growing area. In the late 1990s, she founded a community action group dedicated to seeing a new school built in Clayton Park West and in 2000 Park West School was completed. In 1995, she was part of the planning team for the G-7 Summit which took place in Halifax.

Whalen was a management consultant for 15 years.

In 2004, Whalen's private members bill for mandatory booster seats was passed by the legislature. [3] Whalen championed the fight to preserve the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area, which culminated in the province protecting over 3000 acres of wilderness in the area beside Bayers Lake Business Park (April 2009). The fast growing area needed improved recreation, and she has worked with the people of her riding to lobby HRM and advocate at the provincial level for a world-class recreation centre on the Mainland Common. The opening of the Canada Games Centre (November 2010) is the realization of that effort.

On January 18, 2007, Whalen confirmed after much speculation that she would run for the leadership of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.^[1] She lost on the second ballot of the leadership to Annapolis MLA Stephen McNeil by 68 votes, despite the support of the two other candidates in the race, Kenzie MacKinnon and Mike Smith.^[2]

In 2009, Diana was honoured by the Cornwallis Progress Club with a Women of Distinction Award in the category of Public Affairs and Communications for her work in the community. Whalen was re-elected in the 2009 election.

In May 2010, Whalen was embroiled in a controversy when it was alleged that her parliamentary assistant, Doug Boudreau, the son of fomer Nova Scotia Health Minister Bernie Boudreau, used a confidential Liberal party membership list to send out an email questioning the leadership of party leader Stephen McNeil in advance of a leadership review. McNeil subsequently called for an investigation into the improper use of the party membership list. When asked if she had asked Boudreau if he sent the email she said it was not her job. Boudreau also had no comment.^[3] Subsequently, Whalen, who lost the leadership to McNeil, did not publicly support McNeil in the leadership review. At the leadership review McNeil received 83% support.^[4]

See also

Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership election, 2007

References

1. ^ Whalen launches Grit leadership bid, CBC.ca, January 18, 2007
2. ^ McNeil new N.S. Liberal leader, CBC.ca, April 28, 2007
3. ^ [1]
4. ^ [2]

External links

• Members of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly
• Liberal caucus profile

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Name	Whalen, Diana
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