Candidate Profile: Maureen McLeod (Liberal) – Grande Prairie

Why are you running to be a Member of Parliament?

I consider taking my seat as the MP for Grande Prairie to be a great privilege and the logical continuation of the many leadership positions I have held in my years of dedicated volunteer service to my community. I believe strongly in the democratic process of governance and would be excited and honoured to take part in the deliberations and debates in the House of Commons and to contribute to the work of the many standing committees.

In the Liberal caucus I would enjoy being the voice for the citizens of Grande Prairie on issues that affect our area.

Why should people vote for you, and what skills do you have that make you suitable for this role?

The people of Grande Prairie should vote for me if they want a representative in Ottawa who understands living in both rural and urban Alberta but who has also developed a wider world view having lived in four other countries, worked in three of them, and travelled in more than a dozen others and in almost half of the United States. I have also visited all 10 Canadian provinces many of them more than once.

My skills include Board management having been Chair of the Calgary Public Library Board and President of the University of Calgary Alumni Association; time management having been the mother of two daughters while working full time and volunteering in the community, a classroom and ESL teacher, and the Editor in Chief of the weekly University student newspaper paper while carrying a full academic class load; corporate management and diplomacy as Executive Assistant to the CEO of a large construction and land development company; and strong research capabilities and creative thinking as a freelance writer. With my late husband, I owned a small, incorporated company for which I did all the accounting and tax filings. I am also good at collaborating and problem-solving having been a member of a diverse variety of volunteer and work-related committees such as the advisory committee to the Principal of TEDA International School in Tianjin, China, and the Planning Committee for the Calgary City Teachers Convention. Further, I was an early adopter of technology – particularly the uses for personal computers in the workplace and the classroom – well ahead of most of my peers.

What will you advocate for; and do you intend to fully toe the party line?

First and foremost, I will advocate for the people of Grande Prairie who have elected me: the farmers and ranchers, the oilfield workers, the local businesspersons, the professionals, the stay-at-home moms, the seniors, the First Nations of Treaty 8. Second, I will advocate for our province of Alberta and its important and significant place in Canada. Third, I will advocate for Canada against those who would threaten its existence.

Of course, as a Liberal I believe in the philosophic underpinnings of a Liberal government. Mark Carney, the very pragmatic Leader of the Liberal Party, encourages us party members to be frank and open with him about our ideas and concerns. I expect this will continue after we are elected.

How do you believe Canada’s federal government should tackle its current predicament with the United States, and where do you sit on Canadian sovereignty?

We need to continue to stand up to Donald Trump and his ilk. We dare not capitulate in any way. Bullies like him always look to capitalize on any show of weakness.

Alternatively, they often back down in the face of determined and unflinching resistance.

I am a Canadian. A proud Canadian. My ancestors, including some British Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution, chose this country over their birth countries. To me, Canadian sovereignty is nonnegotiable.

by EverythingGP staff

Candidate Profile: Maureen McLeod (Liberal) – Grande Prairie

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