Karen McPherson

Karen Margaret McPherson (born 1966) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill with a plurality of votes under the first-past-the-post system.[1][2] On October 4, 2017, McPherson announced she was leaving the NDP to sit as an Independent.[3] Weeks later, she announced that she was joining the caucus of the Alberta Party, becoming its second MLA.[4]

Karen McPherson
McPherson in May 2015
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill
In office
May 5, 2015  March 19, 2019
Preceded byNeil Brown
Succeeded bydistrict abolished
Personal details
Born1966 or 1967 (age 56–57)
Edmonton, Alberta
Political partyAlberta Party (2017-present)
Other political
affiliations
New Democratic (2015–2017)
Residence(s)Calgary, Alberta
OccupationBusiness Analyst/Entrepreneur

In March 2019 she announced that she would not seek re-election. She was succeeded by United Conservative Josephine Pon; the Alberta Party candidate took less than 9% of the votes.

Electoral history

2015 general election

2015 Alberta general election: Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill
Party Candidate Votes%±%
New DemocraticKaren McPherson6,17736.86%30.94%
WildroseKathy Macdonald4,91429.32%-9.07%
Progressive ConservativeNeil Brown4,58527.36%-19.11%
LiberalPrab Lashar7684.58%-3.19%
GreenSandy Kevin Aberdeen3161.89%
Total 16,760
Rejected, spoiled and declined 91
Eligible electors / turnout 34,48748.86%-0.05%
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing -0.27%
Source(s)
Source: "19 - Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill Official Results 2015 Alberta general election". officialresults.elections.ab.ca. Elections Alberta. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

Advocacy

Bill 2, An Act to Remove Barriers for Survivors of Sexual and Domestic Violence, was introduced by NDP MLA Kathleen Ganley on March 7, 2017. If passed, Bill 2 would allow survivors of sexual assault and sexual misconduct who wish to sure their attackers to file civil claims at any point, removing the standard two-year deadline for civil actions.[5][6]

In April 2017, during the Second Reading of Bill 2, Karen McPherson spoke publicly about her experience with sexual violence and spoke in support of Bill 2.[7] This was the first time MLA McPherson spoke publicly about her lived experience with sexual violence.[8]

References

  1. Howell, Trevor (2015-04-29). "Riding: Calgary-Mackay-Nose Hill". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  2. Hudes, Sammy (2015-05-06). "Rookie NDP MLA inspired by Peter Lougheed, Grant Notley". Calgary Herald.
  3. "Calgary NDP MLA quits over unrepresented 'middle'". metronews.ca. 2017-10-04. Archived from the original on 2017-10-05.
  4. Graney, Emma (October 29, 2017). "MLA Karen McPherson joining the Alberta Party". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  5. Bellefontaine, Michelle (March 7, 2017). "New bill removes 2-year limit for victims to sue attackers". CBC News.
  6. "Bill 2 AN ACT TO REMOVE BARRIERS FOR SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Alberta. March 14, 2022.
  7. McPherson, Karen (2017-03-15). In support of Bill 2. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  8. Karen McPherson [@not_thatkaren] (January 31, 2020). "Flashback Friday to when I first spoke publicly about my experience with sexual violence" (Tweet). Retrieved February 21, 2023 via Twitter.


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