Laurie Blakeman

Infobox_Politician
name = Laurie Blakeman
small

---

caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1958|5|23
birth_place = Edmonton
residence = Edmonton
office = MLA for Edmonton Centre
term_start = March 11, 1997
term_end =
predecessor = Michael Henry
successor = incumbent
party = Liberal
religion =
spouse = Ben Henderson
occupation =Non-profit manager
website=http://www.laurieblakeman.ca

Laurie Blakeman is a Canadian politician, who currently represents the electoral district of Edmonton Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. She is a member of the Alberta Liberal Party, and was first elected in the 1997 election.

Early life

Blakeman was born May 23, 1958 in Edmonton.archive.org |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20061005102345/http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=28 |title=Blakeman's Legislative Assembly of Alberta biography] She graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in acting and a certificate in public administration from the University of Alberta. Before entering politics, she worked for the Alberta Advisory Council on Women's Issues, the Phoenix Theatre and Theatre Network, the Medical Council of Canada, and the Alberta Snowmobile Association.

Political career

Electoral record

Blakeman first sought political office in the 1997 provincial election, when she ran as a Liberal candidate in Edmonton Centre to replace retiring Liberal MLA Michael Henry.cite web |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/abpolitics/process/election_results.html |title=Alberta's past election results |accessdate=2008-03-06] She was elected, finishing more than a thousand votes ahead of the second place finisher, Progressive Conservative Don Weideman. This gap narrowed when Weideman challenged her re-election bid in the 2001 election, but grew to more than three thousand votes in 2004. [cite web |url=http://www.elections.ab.ca/Public Website/files/Statements/28.pdf |title=Edmonton Centre election results, 2004 |accessdate=2008-03-21] The 2008 election would bring a new Progressive Conservative Opponent, in Bill Donahue, but a similar result, as Blakeman handily retained her seat in an election in which half of incumbent Liberal MLAs lost theirs. [cite web |url=http://results.elections.ab.ca/28.htm |title=Edmonton Centre election results, 2008 |accessdate=2008-03-21]

Legislative initiatives

In 1997, Blakeman sponsored the "Domestic Abuse Act", a private member's bill that never reached second reading. [cite web |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-bill97.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 1st Session (1997) |accessdate=2008-03-14] In 1998, she brought forward the "Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Amendment Act", another private member's bill, which would have expanded the province's anti-discrimination legislation to include sexual orientation as a basis on which discrimination was prohibited [cite hansard |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_2%5C19980323_1330_01_han.pdf |house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=March 23, 1998] (later the same year, the Supreme Court of Canada, in Vriend v. Alberta, ruled Alberta's failure to include this to be in contravention of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms); [cite web |url=http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_0063.htm |title=Gay Teacher Wins Major Civil Rights Case in Canada |publisher=religioustolerance.org |accessdate=2008-03-21] it too failed to advance to second reading. [cite web |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-b98_p.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 2nd Session (1998) |accessdate=2008-03-14]

In 1999, Blakeman sponsored the "Consumers Insurance Company Act", a private bill designed to create a new insurance company, in compliance with the law that new insurance companies could only be created by acts of the legislature.cite hansard |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_3%5C19990419_1330_01_han.pdf |house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=April 19, 1999] However, the bill faced some opposition from Blakeman's Liberal colleagues, including Linda Sloan, Hugh MacDonald, and Gary Dickson, who expressed concern that the bill might be a step towards privatized medicine. [cite hansard |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_24%5Csession_3%5C19990421_2000_01_han.pdf |house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=April 21, 1999] The bill passed. [cite web |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/pro/bills/s-b99_p.htm |title=Bill Status Report for the 24th Legislature - 3rd Session (1999) |accessdate=2008-03-14]

In 2007, Blakeman sponsored the "Healthy Futures Act", which would have required major policy and funding decisions to undergo "health impact assessments", which would look at their impacts on Albertans' health through social and environmental impacts.cite hansard |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_3%5C20071126_1300_01_han.pdf |house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=November 26, 2007] Blakeman's Liberal colleagues supported the bill, as did the New Democrats (although NDP MLA Ray Martin expressed concern that the bill only required assessment, rather than action, on potential adverse health impacts) and several Progressive Conservatives.cite hansard |url=http://www.assembly.ab.ca/ISYS/LADDAR_files%5Cdocs%5Chansards%5Chan%5Clegislature_26%5Csession_3%5C20071203_1300_01_han.pdf |house=Legislative Assembly of Alberta |date=December 3, 2007] Even so, it was defeated through majority opposition of the Progressive Conservatives, many of whom expressed the view that the bill would add nothing meaningful that did not already exist under the existing regulatory framework, while, in the words of PC MLA Dave Rodney, "effectively bring [ing] the decision-making apparatus of the government and this Assembly to a grinding halt."

Leadership aspirations

After Kevin Taft announced his intention to resign the leadership of the Alberta Liberal Party following its defeat in the 2008 election, Blakeman was one of four MLAs to express interest in running in the ensuing election to replace him. [cite news |url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=10cd2240-4592-4354-9a16-5a36c7f697e6 |title=Four MLAs throw hats in Liberal ring |date=June 27, 2008 |first=Archie |last=McLean |publisher=Calgary Herald |accessdate=2008-06-28] However, in August she announced that she would not do so, citing the cost of a candidacy. [cite news |url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=d00deec9-73c6-4c30-ac73-fb6443b2e0ab |title=Blakeman decides not to run for Liberal leadership |work=Edmonton Journal |date=August 19, 2008 |accessdate=2008-09-11 |first=Erika |last=Beauchesne]

Personal life

Blakeman is married to Edmonton city councillor Ben Henderson. [cite news |first=Mike |last=Sadava |title=Ward 4: Batty returns, Henderson joins her |url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/civicvote/story.html?id=ce40d53a-767f-40c2-ab29-f6a22168e9e3&k=94430 |date=October 15, 2007 |publisher=Edmonton Journal |accessdate=2008-03-21]

Election results

References