Marie P. Dechman is a Canadian politician. She represented the

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

Lunenburg West Lunenburg West is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It was created in 1956 from the riding of Lunenburg County. The riding includes the town of Bridgewater, LaH ...

in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1988 to 1993. She was a member of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia The Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia (formerly Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia), is a moderate political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. Like most conservative parties in Atlantic Canada, it has been historically as ...

Political career

Dechman entered provincial politics in the 1988 election, winning the Lunenburg West riding by 268 votes. In 1989, she was elected Nova Scotia's first woman

Deputy Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

. In February 1991, Dechman was appointed to the

Executive Council of Nova Scotia The Executive Council of Nova Scotia (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of Nova Scotia) is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Almost always made up of members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the Cabinet is sim ...

as Minister of Community Services. On February 17, 1992, she was shuffled to Minister of Counsumer Affairs, and Minister responsible for Housing, which were later merged into one position, Minister of Housing and Consumer Affairs. In the 1993 election, Dechman was defeated by Liberal

Don Downe Donald Richard Downe (born 1951) is a farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Lunenburg West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1993 to 2003 as a Liberal member. Early life Downe was born in Charlottetown, Princ ...

References

Living people Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia People from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia Women MLAs in Nova Scotia Women government ministers of Canada 1941 births {{ProgressiveConservative-NovaScotia-MLA-stub