Sharon Blady

Sharon Anne Blady /ˈbleɪdi/ is a former provincial politician in the Canadian province of Manitoba.[1] She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2007 provincial election in the constituency of Kirkfield Park.[1] She was defeated in the 2016 provincial election. Blady is a member of the New Democratic Party.[2] Prior to her election, she was an instructor of social work and native studies at the University of Manitoba.

Sharon Blady
Minister of Health
In office November 3, 2014 – May 3, 2016
Premier	Greg Selinger
Preceded by	Erin Selby
Manitoba Minister of Healthy Living and Seniors
In office October 18, 2013 – November 3, 2014
Premier	Greg Selinger
Preceded by	new portfolio
Succeeded by	Deanne Crothers
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
In office May 22, 2007 – April 19, 2016
Preceded by	Stuart Murray
Succeeded by	Scott Fielding
Constituency	Kirkfield Park
Personal details
Political party	New Democratic Party
Alma mater	University of Manitoba University of Victoria
Occupation	University instructor
Website	sharonblady.ca

Early life and career

Blady grew up in the neighbourhood of St. James-Assiniboia in Winnipeg, where she attended Buchanan School, Hedges Junior High School, and Collège Silver Heights Collegiate.[3][4] She received a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, art history, and architecture from the University of Manitoba in 1991.[5][6] She received a Master of Arts in history in art and native studies from the University of Victoria in 1995[5] with her thesis entitled "The Flower Beadwork People: Factors Contributing to the Emergence of Distinctive Métis Cultural Artistic Style at Red River From 1844 to 1869".[7] In 1996 and 1997, two papers of hers about Métis culture and history were published by the Canadian Circumpolar Institute at the University of Alberta as part of Issues in the North.[8][9]

Blady designed and taught introductory courses in gender and women's studies and visual and Aboriginal art studies at Brandon University.[4][5] She later taught at the University of Manitoba in its Joint Baccalaureate Nursing program and its Inner City Social Work program.[4]

Political career

Sharon Blady was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 2007 provincial election on May 22, 2007.[1][2] As the New Democratic Party candidate, she won the traditionally Progressive Conservative electoral division of Kirkfield Park with a margin of over 11%.[1]

Blady was appointed minister's assistant for tenant issues to the Minister of Family Services and Consumer Affairs, Gord Mackintosh, on June 24, 2010.[10] On April 4, 2011, she was promoted to the position of legislative assistant to the minister.[11] She has also sat on a number of committees of the Legislative Assembly including the Standing Committees on Agriculture and Food (as the vice-chairperson),[12] Crown Corporations (as the chairperson),[13] Legislative Affairs (as the chairperson),[14] Private Bills,[15] Public Accounts,[16] and Social and Economic Development (as the vice-chairperson)[17] and the Special Committee on Senate Reform.[18]

During her first term in the legislature, Blady introduced two private member's bills which passed. In 2009, she introduced Bill 238, The Service Animals Protection Act, which made it an offense to interfere with or allow another animal to interfere with guide dogs or other service animals without the permission of its owner.[19] The bill passed third reading on September 23, 2009[20] and was granted royal assent on October 8, 2009.[21] Through this bill, Manitoba became the first jurisdiction in Canada to specifically legislate the protection of service animals.[19][22] The legislation has been praised by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.[22]

On April 19, 2011, Blady introduced Bill 217, The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act (Expanded Grounds for Early Termination), which added provisions to The Residential Tenancies Act to allow for the early termination of rental agreements if the tenant faces health issues that prevent them from continuing to live in their current rental unit, if they are in the armed forces and are being relocated, or if they are victims of domestic violence and believe that their safety is at risk if they continue living there.[23] The bill was passed by the house with a unanimous vote at third reading[24][25] and was assented to on June 16, 2011.[26]

Blady is active in liaising with other legislative bodies on an international level as the President of the Manitoba section of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie[27] and as a member of the Energy Committee of the Midwestern Legislators Conference (part of the Council of State Governments).[28]

Blady was reelected in the 2011 provincial election on October 4 with a margin of 21 votes.

Blady was appointed as the Minister of Health of Manitoba following a cabinet reshuffle on 3 November 2014.

Blady lost her seat in the legislature to Progressive Conservative candidate Scott Fielding in the 2016 provincial election.

Electoral record

2011 Manitoba general election: Kirkfield Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Sharon Blady	4,928	46.61		$24,940.91
	Progressive Conservative	Kelly de Groot	4,907	46.41		$27,048.90
	Liberal	Syed Bokhari	367	3.47		$6,309.33
	Green	Alanna Gray	339	3.21	–	$41.62
Total valid votes			10,541
Rejected and declined votes			31
Turnout			10,572	68.97
Electors on the lists			15,329
Source: Elections Manitoba[29]

2007 Manitoba general election: Kirkfield Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Sharon Blady	4,997	49.32	$28,330.71
	Progressive Conservative	Chris Kozier	3,862	38.12	$22,764.35
	Liberal	Douglas Kaylor	1,273	12.56	$5,428.14
	Libertarian	Kristine McGhee (retired)	0	0.00	$0.00
Total valid votes			10,132	99.55
Rejected and declined votes			46
Turnout			10,178	69.21
Electors on the lists			14,707

Publications

• Blady, Sharon (1995). The Flower Beadwork People: Factors Contributing to the Emergence of Distinctive Metis Cultural Artistic Style at Red River From 1844 to 1869 (M.A. thesis). University of Victoria. OCLC 858544790.
• — (1996). "Beadwork As an Expression of Métis Cultural Identity". In Oakes, Jill; Riewe, Rick (eds.). Issues in the North, Volume I. Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute. ISBN 978-0-919058-78-1. ISSN 0068-0303.
• — (1997). "Les Métissess: Towards a Feminist History of Red River". In Oakes, Jill; Riewe, Rick (eds.). Issues in the North, Volume II. Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute. ISBN 978-0-919058-87-3. ISSN 0068-0303.
• Oakes, Jill; Riewe, Rick; Belanger, Yale; Blady, Sharon; et al., eds. (2004). Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes. Winnipeg: Aboriginal Issues Press. ISBN 978-0-9686138-4-9. OCLC 56371181.

References

1. "NDP gains 2 Winnipeg seats". CBC News. May 22, 2007. Archived from the original on August 26, 2007. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
2. "MLA Biographies - Living". Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. August 4, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
3. Bonnie Korzeniowski, St. James (October 15, 2007). https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072446/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_1st/hansardpdf/19.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly. col. 1309. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
4. "Sharon Blady: Biography". New Democratic Caucus of Manitoba. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
5. Blady, Sharon. "Sharon Blady, MLA Kirkfield Park". Facebook. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
6. "Manitoba Election Results" (PDF). Hansard: A Report from the Government Relations Office. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba: 3. June 2007. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
7. "Completed MA Thesis (1973–Present)" (PDF). University of Victoria (Faculty of Fine Arts). 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
8. Blady, Sharon (1996). "Beadwork As an Expression of Métis Cultural Identity". In Oakes, Jill; Riewe, Rick (eds.). Issues in the North, Volume I. Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute. ISBN 978-0-919058-78-1. ISSN 0068-0303.
9. Blady, Sharon (1997). "Les Métissess: Towards a Feminist History of Red River". In Oakes, Jill; Riewe, Rick (eds.). Issues in the North, Volume II. Edmonton: Canadian Circumpolar Institute. ISBN 978-0-919058-87-3. ISSN 0068-0303.
10. "Tenant Protetection Strengthened During Low Vacancy Rates: Additional Eviction Notice Period of Two Months, Up to $500 Compensation for Moving Costs due to Renovations Among Changes: Mackintosh" (Press release). Government of Manitoba. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011. Mackintosh also announced that Sharon Blady, MLA for Kirkfield Park, has been appointed minister's assistant for tenant issues. She will be responsible for helping to identify other measures to assist tenants during times of low vacancy.
11. "Manitoba Order in Council 97/2011" (PDF). Winnipeg: Government of Manitoba (Queen's Printer). April 4, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
12. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072311/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_2nd/hansardpdf/ag1.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Agriculture and Food. June 6, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
13. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072641/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_4th/hansardpdf/cc2.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Crown Corporations. September 21, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
14. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072820/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_4th/hansardpdf/la1.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Legislative Affairs. December 14, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
15. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071920/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_5th/hansardpdf/pb1.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Private Bills. June 14, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
16. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072817/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_4th/hansardpdf/pa2.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Public Accounts. February 17, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
17. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072644/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_2nd/hansardpdf/sed8.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development. July 21, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
18. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072704/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_3rd/hansardpdf/sen4.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Special Committee on Senate Reform. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
19. "Legislators Look to Protect Guide Dogs and Other Service Animals: Private Member's Bill Introduced by Sharon Blady, MLA for Kirkfield Park" (Press release). New Democratic Caucus of Manitoba. 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
20. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072650/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_3rd/hansardpdf/68.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly. September 23, 2009. col. 3319–3321. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
21. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071701/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_3rd/hansardpdf/77b.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly. October 8, 2009. col. 3783–3784. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
22. Yvonne Peters, Witness from the Manitoba Human Rights Commission (September 16, 2009). https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072654/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_3rd/hansardpdf/sed3.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly - Standing Committee on Social and Economic Development. col. 52–53. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
23. "New legislation to help tenants facing domestic violence, health issues or military transfer" (Press release). New Democratic Caucus of Manitoba. April 19, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
24. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072448/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_5th/hansardpdf/64a.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly. June 16, 2011. col. 2936–2939. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
25. "Expanded Grounds for Early Termination of Leases Brings Relief to Tenants" (Press release). New Democratic Caucus of Manitoba. June 16, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
26. https://web.archive.org/web/20140407071917/http://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/business/hansard/39th_5th/hansardpdf/64b.pdf |archiveurl= missing title (help) (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Manitoba: Legislative Assembly. June 16, 2011. col. 2993–2995. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
27. "Section membre: Manitoba" [Member section: Manitoba]. Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (in French). International Organization of the Francophonie. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
28. "MLC Energy Committee: 2011-2012 Roster". Council of State Governments. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved June 27, 2011.
29. "Election Returns: 40th General Election". Elections Manitoba. 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2018.

External links

• Official website