Stephanie McLean (politician)

The Honourable
Stephanie McLean
Minister of Service Alberta
In office
February 2, 2016 – June 18, 2018
Preceded byDanielle Larivee
Succeeded byBrian Malkinson
Minister of Status of Women
In office
February 2, 2016 – June 18, 2018
Preceded byMinistry Created
Succeeded byDanielle Larivee
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary-Varsity
In office
May 5, 2015 – January 2, 2019
Preceded byDonna Kennedy-Glans
Succeeded byJason Copping
Personal details
Born (1987-03-02) March 2, 1987 (age 37)
Calgary, Alberta
Political partyAlberta New Democratic Party
Residence(s)Calgary, Alberta
Alma materConcordia University College of Alberta Bachelor of Arts University of Calgary Law
OccupationFamily Law Lawyer

Stephanie Veronica McLean ECA is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Calgary-Varsity.[1] She is a graduate of the University of Calgary's law school and was sworn in as the Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Service Alberta on February 2, 2016.[2]

Political career

McLean made history when she became the first Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and first Minister in Alberta's history to give birth while in office. McLean gave birth to a baby boy, Patrick, on February 12, 2016.[3] McLean's pregnancy sparked questions around the logistics and rules of the Alberta legislature around pregnancy, maternity leave, and support for new parents in the legislature.[4] Her pregnancy spurred the creation of an all-party committee with a mandate to review and make recommendations on maternity leave and making the Legislature more responsive to members' family obligations.[5] When asked why she thought it took until 2015 for the Alberta Legislature to have a pregnant MLA, McLean replied that for the first time in Alberta's history an unprecedented number of women had been elected; "It’s just a matter of it being a typical old boys’ club. When you look down from the galleries at the House, our half of the House has substantially more women than in the past. It took Alberta some time to change and we had a substantial change in government."[6]

Electoral history

2015 general election

2015 Alberta general election: Calgary-Varsity
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
New Democratic Stephanie McLean 8,297 43.94 +39.31
Progressive Conservative Susan Billington 5,700 30.19 -15.71
Wildrose Sharon Polsky 2,598 13.76 -12.45
Liberal Pete Helfrich 1,862 9.86 -10.62
Green Carl Svoboda 424 2.25 +0.92
Total valid votes 18,881 99.33 +0.03
Rejected, spoiled and declined 127 0.67 -0.03
Eligible voters / turnout 32,467 58.55 -1.30
New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative Swing +27.51
Source(s)
"2015 Provincial General Election Results". Elections Alberta. Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2017-08-01.

2014 Calgary-Elbow by-election

Alberta provincial by-election, October 27, 2014: Calgary-Elbow
Resignation of Alison Redford on August 6, 2014
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Conservative Gordon Dirks 4,209 33.22 -24.87
Alberta Party Greg Clark 3,406 26.88 +24.20
Wildrose John Fletcher 3,061 24.16 -4.42
Liberal Susan Wright 1,523 12.02 +6.49
New Democratic Stephanie McLean 471 3.72 -0.23
Total 12,842
Rejected, spoiled and declined 23 22 2
Eligible electors / turnout 34,163 37.16
Progressive Conservative hold Swing -24.53
Source(s)
Alberta. Chief Electoral Officer (2015). Report on the October 27, 2014 By-elections in: Calgary-Elbow, Calgary-Foothills, Calgary-West, Edmonton-Whitemud (PDF) (Report). Edmonton: Legislative Assembly of Alberta; Chief Electoral Officer. ISBN 978-098653678-6. Retrieved April 20, 2021.

References