Margaret L. Bridgman (January 10, 1940 – January 4, 2009) was a Canadian politician. Bridgman was a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

from 1993 to 1997, representing the Canadian, federal electoral district of

Surrey North Surrey North was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. It covered the northern part of Surrey. It was home to 106,904 residents in 2001, more than 46 pe ...

in Surrey,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Born in

Kimberley, British Columbia Kimberley is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada along Highway 95A between the Purcell and Rocky Mountains. Kimberley was named in 1896 after the Kimberley mine in South Africa. From 1917 to 2001, it was the home to the world's largest ...

, she was elected to Parliament for Surrey North in the 1993 election as a candidate of the

Reform Party of Canada The Reform Party of Canada (french: Parti réformiste du Canada) was a right-wing populist and conservative federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 1987 to 2000. Reform was founded as a Western Canada-based protest ...

. In 2001, Bridgman unsuccessfully ran for the

Reform Party of British Columbia The Reform Party of British Columbia (Reform BC) is an unregistered right-wing populist political party in British Columbia, Canada. Although its name is similar to the defunct Reform Party of Canada, the provincial party was founded before the ...

in the riding of Surrey-Newton. Before entering politics, Bridgman was a police constable, a nurse, and a nurse administrator."Federal Experience," Parliament of Canada biography. As a young woman, Bridgman lived and worked in London as a police constable (traffic bobby). Subsequently, she trained in London as a psychiatric nurse, becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Psychiatric Nurse (PN) before returning to Canada. Bridgman went on to earn the Director of Nursing designation from the University of Saskatchewan, rising to become a nurse administrator. In September 1993, the designated Reform Party candidate for Surrey North resigned his nomination. Bridgman was President of the Surrey North Reform Party Constituency Association, and she was selected to run as the Reform Party candidate. On October 25, 1993, Margaret Bridgman was elected the Member of Parliament for Surrey North, unseating the incumbent with a plurality of 6413 votes. Prior to Bridgman's landmark victory, Surrey North and its predecessor ridings had been held either by the New Democratic Party or the Progressive Conservative Party since 1958. Bridgman served as the Reform Party Critic on Health and Assistant Critic on Indian Affairs and Northern Development. She sat as the Reform Party member of the House of Commons Standing Committees on Health and on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, during the 35th Parliament. In her maiden speech in the House of Commons, Bridgman focused on the need for more effective and cost-conscious funding of health care in Canada. Bridgman's interventions in the House of Commons ranged from remarks on health care and Indian Affairs to young offenders, old age security, and the spending priorities of the Canadian parliament."Bridgman, Margaret," Hansard Index, 35th Parl.
In 1997, Bridgman was successfully challenged for the Reform Party nomination by

Chuck Cadman Charles Cadman (February 21, 1948July 9, 2005) was a Canadian politician and Member of Parliament (MP) from 1997 to 2005, representing the riding of Surrey North in Surrey, British Columbia. Originally a Canadian Alliance MP, Cadman won re- ...

. Bridgman opted not to run as an independent in the 1997 general election, and she did not run, again, in a federal, electoral race. Following the 1997 election, Bridgman returned to nursing in Surrey, British Columbia. After a sustained battle with lung cancer, Margaret Bridgman died at home on January 4, 2009.

References

External links

*
"Bridgman, Margaret," Hansard Index, 35th Parl."Margaret Bridgman," Member's Statement by James Rajotte, M.P., House of Commons Debates Vol. 144, No. 3, 40th Parl., 2nd Sess. (28 Jan 09).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgman, Margareg 1940 births 2009 deaths Canadian nurses Women nurses Canadian police officers Women members of the House of Commons of Canada Deaths from lung cancer in British Columbia Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia People from Surrey, British Columbia Reform Party of British Columbia candidates in British Columbia provincial elections Reform Party of Canada MPs Women in British Columbia politics 20th-century Canadian women politicians