Liberals miss chance to nominate women in 2 of 3 friendly ridings
Leader Susan Holt will be the only woman running for Liberals in trio of byelections expected this spring
Two of the three candidates the party will field in upcoming byelections will be men, despite Liberal Leader Susan Holt's own commitment to try to boost the number of women running.
If the party wins all three byelections, it will be gaining just one female MLA, Holt herself, to add to the two women it already has in the legislature.
"Missed opportunity isn't the word I'd use, but in my heart I want more women on my team," said Holt, who estimated she or other party members approached about 20 women about running.
Norma
Dubé, the director of Women for 50%, said she recognizes some women see
barriers to participating, whether that’s a lack of support with family
responsibilities or the confrontational tone of politics. (Lauren Bird CBC News)
"Every opportunity to gain one is an opportunity. So would I have liked some of those women to say yes? Absolutely."
Norma Dubé, the director of Women for 50%, a group trying to encourage more women to run in elections, said it's "clearly disappointing" the Liberals won't have three women running in three winnable ridings.
"I just can't believe that there are not a sufficient number of competent, strong, able women to bring their voices forward in that context," she said.
But Dubé said she also recognizes some women see barriers to participating, whether that's a lack of support with family responsibilities or the confrontational tone of politics.
"I can understand why women might hesitate to put up their hands," she said.
There's no date for the three byelections. Premier Blaine Higgs has suggested he'll call them around when the legislature reconvenes March 21 for a date later in the spring.
Progressive Conservative MLA Andrea Anderson-Mason said getting more women into elected politics is aspirational. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
A byelection sweep by three female Liberal candidates would have boosted the number of women in the party's legislature caucus to five.
As it stands now, it has the lowest percentage of women of any party in the chamber.
Nine out of 30 MLAs in the Progressive Conservative caucus are women, and one of three Greens is a woman.
Holt, who became Liberal leader last year, will be the party candidate in Bathurst-Est-Nepisiguit-Saint-Isidore.
In Dieppe, Liberals have nominated former Medavie Health Services New Brunswick CEO Richard Losier.
And in Restigouche-Chaleur, former educator Gérald Arseneault and political staffer Marco LeBlanc were the only two candidates to enter the race by Friday's deadline. Party members will choose between them on March 26.
"They looked for women who would run in this riding but they were not successful," said LeBlanc.
It's challenging to recruit women to run for "a place they don't see themselves," Holt said in an interview at the legislature.
"We have to ask, and ask, and ask, and we have to do some things to make this a more friendly space for people who would like to participate but maybe need more flexibility."
Last fall the Liberals introduced a motion calling for a legislative committee to examine how to make the legislature more "family-friendly" as a way to persuade more women to run.
But the party has yet to call the motion up for debate.
In the last session, virtual sittings during peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic made it easier for women MLAs with young children to participate from home.
But the special rule that allowed it, requiring consultations with the chief medical officer of health and the approval of all party leaders, was not renewed for the current session.
During her run for the party leadership last year, Holt spoke frequently of trying to entice more women to get into elected politics.
PC MLA Andrea Anderson-Mason said that may be more difficult than Holt assumed.
"It's definitely aspirational, but you see that often with new, inexperienced politicians," she said. "They do have strong aspirations but getting the reality of it is sometimes more challenging."
Anderson-Mason said when she would meet women at their doorsteps while campaigning, "it was not uncommon for them to say, 'I'm not really into politics, maybe you'd like to talk to my husband.' So it goes to a much deeper issue."
Holt, the first woman elected to lead the provincial Liberals, said she's also trying to recruit women for the next provincial election next year, and the longer lead time is making it easier for some women to consider it.
She said she has identified 55 women interested in running compared to 79 men, a better ratio than the byelection slate.
Holt said she tells women that politics can be "an amazing vehicle" for creating change, and that it's not as negative an experience as some might think.
"It hasn't been what they might have expected since I got this role. I haven't faced the kind of — what would you call it? — old-boys-club resistance or misogyny to the extent I might have expected. It doesn't mean it's not there. It just hasn't been as big as you might imagine."
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I wonder if these dudes are related
David Amos
The plot thickens
Methinks NDP supporters attacking Liberal supporters is a pretty good sign that an election is in the wind. With all the revelations about China lately I would not be one bit surprised to see Trudeau the Younger take along walk in the snow like his Daddy did. If so then just like Mulroney he will give Canada another temporary Lady Prime Minister who will try to get folks to support her budget N'esy Pas?
Robert Losier
Reply to David Amos
That is probably the comment of this section worthy of note.
Susan Holt would immediately be getting a call from Trudeau (the pretender feminist) on this, except he's currently preoccupied with hanging on to his job.
Liberals nominate Richard Losier as Dieppe candidate
Richard Losier, fourth from right, was nominated as the Liberal candidate for Dieppe on Feb. 25, 2023. Image: Submited/New Brunswick Liberal Association
The Liberals have nominated their candidate for the yet-to-be-announced byelection in Dieppe.
Richard Losier was officially nominated during an event in the city on Saturday afternoon.
“The people of Dieppe are used to very strong representation and I am looking forward to continuing that tradition,” Losier said in a news release.
“I will be very vocal when it comes to keeping the Higgs government accountable on what matters most to New Brunswickers: health care, education, the cost of living and affordable housing.”
Losier began his career in the health-care field as a registered nurse at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton.
He then went on to serve as president of Medavie Health Services New Brunswick, chief operating officer of the Vitalité Health Network, and executive director of the Dumont Hospital.
Losier is the first official candidate for the byelection, the date of which is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Former interim Liberal leader Roger Melanson resigned as MLA for the riding back in October.
https://twitter.com/DavidRaymondAm1/status/1632776647291162625
Medavie Health Services appoints Richard Losier as President of Medavie Health Services New Brunswick
Erik Sande, president of Medavie Health Services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Losier to the position of President of Medavie Health Services New Brunswick.
Erik Sande, president of Medavie Health Services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Losier to the position of President of Medavie Health Services New Brunswick. Losier will be joining the organization in this newly created role that will oversee, through a publically funded entity, the integrated operations of Ambulance New Brunswick (ANB), the Extra Mural Program (EMP) and Telecare 811.
“Through his extensive career in the healthcare industry, Richard has the experience required to refine and implement our strategic vision for primary care in New Brunswick, overseeing the collaboration of the ANB and EMP systems in a way that will provide New Brunswickers with the healthcare they deserve and expect,” said Sande. “Key to his role will be maintaining close relationships with our stakeholders and our communities, working with them to ensure we are providing the right care at the right time for the right patient.”
Losier brings a long history of more than 25 years of progressive leadership in a variety of areas across the New Brunswick healthcare landscape. His deep experience spans more than a decade with the Vitalité Health Network, including Chief Operating Officer Zone 1 and Vice President Professional Practice -Research and Academic Affairs, where he was responsible for leading EMP. He was also Executive Director, Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Center.
“Richard’s leadership and experience are major assets to help us move ahead with our approach to take a more integrated and innovative approach to primary health care,” said Hon. Benoit Bourque, Minister of Health. “This appointment will help us to better respond to the current and future challenges we face with our aging population.”
With a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor degree in Nursing Science, both from the Université de Moncton, Losier is fluently bilingual and a Member of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives.
About Medavie Health Services
Medavie Health Services New Brunswick (MHSNB) is the subsidiary of Medavie Health Services responsible for the optimal operation and management of Ambulance New Brunswick and the Extra-Mural program, an integrated, service-led primary health care organization.
Medavie Health Services is part of Medavie, a health services organization. Together with Medavie Blue Cross, we are committed to providing innovative solutions that will improve the wellbeing of Canadians.
As a not-for-profit organization, Medavie is proud to commit an annual social dividend to the Medavie Health Foundation to support programs and initiatives aimed at addressing some of our country’s most pressing physical and mental health care challenges.
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